It also at times so jarring a watch it can feel like the end of the world. Experimental film making is all very well though sometimes can be a bit tiring. As a historical document this can't be faulted though, the art and the artists were fantastic. As were the times.
It is quite some time until we get to Yongary though, the first part of the film can drag a bit and includes a couple of newly weds menaced by Icho (Kwan Ho Lee), an annoying child, who borrows secret technology from the lab which has a conspicuous lack of security. For some vague reason the wedding night is ruined by the groom being ordered into space. While he is up in orbit radio contact is lost and the earthquakes begin. Finally, Yongary emerges from the Earth. Yongary is largely immune to conventional firepower, though doesn't like a certain chemical...
The film is great fun once Yongary makes his appearance and we get the usual scenes of destruction, terrible looking tank and helicopter models, and people running in terror. The film doesn't make a great deal of sense (for example the scientist Illo (Oh Yeong-il) taking his girlfriend (Nam Jeong-im) along with him on a helicopter flying above the fire breathing monster as if its some kind of day trip!) however is a decent entry in the genre.
A hilarious Buster Keaton comedy short. Buster is down on his luck, things get even worse for him when he is pursued by the police. Things get even even worse when notorious murderer Dead Shot Dan (Malcolm St Clair) escapes prison and, due to an unfortunate mix-up, Buster's face appears on the wanted posters!
Buster seeks refuge with Virginia Fox, and she takes him home. There is just one problem, she is the police chief's (Joe Roberts) daughter!
A series of very funny comedy scenes and plenty of slap stick and visual gags. Intelligence and a dose of surrealism elevates this above most comedies. The work of a genius (of course!)
However, to survive on the planet the two must work together and friendship blossoms as they struggle against meteorite storms and vile predatory creatures. They learn each other's language and culture, though Jeriba seems to think Mickey Mouse is a prominent Human philosopher. Maybe he was?
Jeriba gives birth and dies, Dravidge brings up the child (Bumper Robinson) as his nephew. Then a slaver ship led by the brutal Stubbs (Brion James) lands on the planet...
Although the film is bookended by sci-fi action, the bulk of the film is an intelligent exploration of what really makes a person and how two enemies can have more in common than different. The film had a troubled start, the director being changed during filming, the new director starting again from scratch! Despite this, the film has some magic to it.
A rather strange film, and not very good though notable for being the only colour film Bela Lugosi starred in. We start in the morgue with a young woman on the slab, the coroner trying to work out how she was killed. The film then goes into flashback and we find out the young woman is Laura (Molly Lamont), estranged from her husband but still living with her father-in-law Dr Van Ee (George Zucco) though seemingly in conflict with everyone.
Laura is becoming increasingly paranoid that her husband Ward (Roland Varno) is out to get her and is being slowly driven mad. She is also dead set against being blindfolded. Strange things continue to occur, including the arrival of a hypnotist (Lugosi) and his Dwarf (Angelo Rossito), Laura receives a dummy head in a box, and what is this green masked face which begins to appear in the windows?
With awkward dialogue, frequently fluffed, the film is that well made, the story is also rather cheesy and cliche with some dubious humour and characters who don't really do anything (including the Dwarf!) However, it is great fun if you like bad films. Lugosi treats the nonsense as it should be, in his own well-worn style. Though his presence in the film is a bit of a red herring.
The film is worth persevering with, as the final twists are excellent. The film finally gets into high gear in the final few minutes after spending the preceding hour at a slow trot.
