I Escaped From
Devil’s Island
I Escaped From
Devil’s Island stars Jim Brown and Chris George as prisoners who make a
daring escape from Devil’s Island. One thing that sets this film apart from
other prison break movies is that it takes place in French Guiana in 1918, just
as the war is ending. It opens with an execution scene, but just before the
execution takes place, the war ends, with France and its allies victorious. So
all death penalty cases are commuted to life sentences of hard labor on Devil’s
Island.
The first section of the film takes place at the prison,
where there is gambling among the prisoners. And interestingly, there are
communist meetings as well. Davert (Chris George) is a pacifist who tries to
talk sense to a guard, and gets a beating for his efforts. This film can be
surprisingly brutal. And there is some cool shark footage. Escaping from the
prison is just the beginning. This movie has lots of interesting developments,
including help from lepers and a strange mating ritual that Lebras (Jim Brown)
becomes involved in. It’s a seriously enjoyable film, written by Richard L.
Adams and directed by William Witney. It was produced by Roger Corman and Gene
Corman.
The Final Option
I have long been a fan of Judy Davis’ work, as she is
always interesting. And she does not let me down in The Final Option, a movie about espionage, terrorism, and the quest
for a peaceful planet. Plus, she looks totally hot in most of her outfits, like
that fur jacket she wears in a concert scene. Frankie Leith (Judy Davis) is one
of the two leaders of the People’s Lobby, an organization protesting nuclear
weapons and aimed at creating peace. Captain Peter Skellen (Lewis Collins) is
tasked with infiltrating their organization, getting close to Frankie, and
discovering their plans, as it is believed that terrorists within the
organization are plotting something big.
It’s a really good film, with lots of excellent scenes,
such as an early scene at a military-type training facility. There is also a
very impressive shot as Frankie takes Peter to the organization’s headquarters,
beginning at one level, rising to another, and involving several actors. There
are some surprises, and lots of interesting (and believable) procedural shots.
But what’s really wonderful about this film is its characters.
In addition to an excellent and nuanced performance by
Judy Davis, The Final Option also
features a performance by Ingrid Pitt as Helga, an important woman within the
organization. I am always happy to see Ingrid Pitt, and there is something sexy
about her, even as she instructs people at a firing range (the targets are
peace symbols, which is a humorous touch).
The Final Option
was directed by Ian Sharp.
Shake Hands With
The Devil
As good as those first two films are, the best film of
the four in this collection is Shake
Hands With The Devil, starring James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, and
Glynis Johns. This 1959 film takes place in Dublin in 1921, and a bit of voice
over at the beginning tells us that “It
was also the year of the black and tans, the army assembled to replace the
English regulars who had lost their taste for the suppression of men in search
of freedom.” (And don’t worry, that’s the only narration in the film.)
Don Murray plays Kerry O’Shea, a medical student of Irish
descent who had been raised in the United States and has no interest in getting
involved in the Irish movement as he is against violence. Of course,
circumstances force him to become involved, but what is wonderful is that it
doesn’t happen quickly or easily. In fact, even after his friend and roommate
is shot and killed, he doesn’t immediately join. Instead, he chooses to leave
Ireland, though with the help of the movement. By the way, the scene where Sean
Lenihan (James Cagney) works to try to save the friend’s life is wonderful,
done basically without dialogue.
O’Shea is arrested, and his interrogation scene is done
in a really interesting way, from O’Shea’s perspective with a close-up of the
officer’s hand as it hits him. Of course, there’s no surer way to politicize
someone than to beat him. That’s true of both sides. At one point, O’Shea asks
an English prisoner, “Was Captain Fleming
anything special to you?” The woman responds, “Not until you killed him.” What a great line.
This film is an intelligent, intriguing drama, offering
no easy answers. It features an excellent performance by Cyril Cusack (from Harold And Maude) as Chris Noonan, and a
young Richard Harris as Terence O’Brien. There is also a wonderful performance
by Glynis Johns as Kitty Brady, a local woman who also finds herself caught up
in the events.
Shake Hands With
The Devil was directed by Michael Anderson, who also directed 1984 and Logan’s Run.
Treasure Of The
Four Crowns
So the only bad film in this set is Treasure Of The Four Crowns. And it is not just bad. It is one of
the worst films I’ve ever seen. The film was originally released in 3D, and it
is not in 3D here, so you have all sorts of stuff flying directly at the camera
which without the 3D effect seems even sillier. Also, this DVD is not in the
original aspect ratio, but is rather full screen, which makes for a less enjoyable
viewing experience. For example, in the opening crawl (yes, exactly like in Star Wars), because of the full screen
aspect, it’s difficult to read a complete line until it reaches the very top of
the screen. It seems like less care was taken with this film (perhaps
understandably), so it’s rather surprising that this is the only of the four
films to have a bonus feature. There is a commentary track on this one. More on
that in a bit.
The film opens with a man exploring a castle. Think of
the opening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark,
then subtract the suspense and the humor, remove all of the fun, and put in
some birds and dogs and a less charismatic actor, and you’ll have a good idea
of what this is about. Anyway, the film is full of random objects tossed at the
camera and lots of pointless explosions. The plot, such as it is, involves this
man being asked to break into the castle of a cult leader to steal the crowns.
That’s it, really. Apart from the film being just awful and it being presented
in the wrong aspect ratio without the 3D effect, the print is also a mess. It actually seems like the camera crew just
never checked the gate, never cleaned the lens. There are black globs all over
the place throughout the film (and imagine how many more we’re missing due to
the lack of the proper widescreen aspect ratio).
Basically, a film couldn’t possibly go more wrong than
this one. And yet, there is a commentary track by a self-described fan of the
film, Russell Dyball. He says it’s one of his favorite cult films of the 1980s,
and repeatedly says he’s a fan of the film, and eventually I’m convinced that
he is. He talks about how 3D is merely a gimmick used to get people to the
movie theatre. So true, now as then. During the long opening scene, he says: “Obviously, there’s not a lot of plot going
on here. It’s all about the 3D.” Throughout the film he points out problems
with the plot and so on, and this is from a fan. He says it’s easy for some
people to dismiss this film. It was certainly easy for me to do so.
But, again, the other three films are all worth watching
and worth owning on DVD. Just think of the fourth one as a bonus feature that
you’ll likely never watch.
Action-Adventure
Movie Marathon is scheduled to be released on July 15, 2014 through Shout!
Factory.
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