With having recently gotten back from a week long mountain climbing holiday,I decided to kick start my movie viewing by taking a look at auteur film makers Russ Meyer's last ever "Soap Opera" film.
The plot:
Taking advantage of a growing thirst in the black market for marijuana,a local politician called Mr.Franklyn decides to use his powers to sort out a deal with small time sheriff Harry and police officer Enrique which allows for the drug to be illegally driven through the boarder.Initially enjoying the fruits of their success,with the politician getting very friendly with a number of the small town women,Franklyn is caught by surprise,when Enrique announces that he is leaving the partnership,and going into business for himself.
Fearing that Enrique is going to unleash all of the details about their dirty partnership,Franklyn quickly arranges a secret meeting with the loyal,but dimwitted sheriff Harry.Pulling Harry's focus away from his long-legged girlfriend just about long enough for him to get a grasp of the potential threat that Enrique is to their business,Franklyn orders Harry to go on a hunt for Enrique,so that he is stopped from giving anyone a whiff of the illegal activates which have been taking place in the town.Agreeing to Franklyn's demand,Harry soon begins to discover that tracking down Enrique may be much more difficult than originally expected.
View on the film:
For what would be the final title in co-writer/ (along with Tom McGowan) co-producer/co-editor (along with Richard S. Brummer)/cinematography/director Russ Meyer's overlooked "Soap Opera" era,Meyer and McGowan appear to be largely focus on the visual aspect of the movie.Meyer and McGowan's focus on the visual side,sadly leads to some of the great whip smart exchanges that Harry and Franklyn have with each other being ones which don't deliver the full sparks that they seem to promise,due to Meyer and McGowan giving the movie a plot,which despite one or two good sharp turns (including an unexpected murder) never feels that it is building to a dramatic,natural conclusion.
Whilst the screenplay sadly fails to light up in the way that it initially appears,Russ Meyer and co-editor Richard S. Brummer reveal an astonishing eye on making the movie one which marks the beginning of a new era for Meyer,and the end of another.Giving the film a delightfully surreal atmosphere,Meyer separates the main sections of the films plot with a number of snappy,and off-beat dream like severance's,which thanks to the sharp editing of Meyer and Brummer helps to give the movie a surprisingly colourful Fantasy element.
Rubbing abrasively against the Fantasy element,Meyer also gives the movie a strong Film Noir mood,with Meyer showing the desert based town to be one where morals can be brought at any price,which along with allowing Meyer to display the most amount of flesh that he had ever exposed in a vivid manner.Along with the Noirish side,Meyer also show a tough,aggressive Horror edge,thanks to the scenes of Harry closely chasing after Enrique having a chilling Supernatural feel about them,with Meyer also letting bright red blood flow for the first time in any of his movies,as Franklyn and Harry begin to wonder about how far they will have to go to keep their business partnership from fading into a puff of smoke.
The plot:
Taking advantage of a growing thirst in the black market for marijuana,a local politician called Mr.Franklyn decides to use his powers to sort out a deal with small time sheriff Harry and police officer Enrique which allows for the drug to be illegally driven through the boarder.Initially enjoying the fruits of their success,with the politician getting very friendly with a number of the small town women,Franklyn is caught by surprise,when Enrique announces that he is leaving the partnership,and going into business for himself.
Fearing that Enrique is going to unleash all of the details about their dirty partnership,Franklyn quickly arranges a secret meeting with the loyal,but dimwitted sheriff Harry.Pulling Harry's focus away from his long-legged girlfriend just about long enough for him to get a grasp of the potential threat that Enrique is to their business,Franklyn orders Harry to go on a hunt for Enrique,so that he is stopped from giving anyone a whiff of the illegal activates which have been taking place in the town.Agreeing to Franklyn's demand,Harry soon begins to discover that tracking down Enrique may be much more difficult than originally expected.
View on the film:
For what would be the final title in co-writer/ (along with Tom McGowan) co-producer/co-editor (along with Richard S. Brummer)/cinematography/director Russ Meyer's overlooked "Soap Opera" era,Meyer and McGowan appear to be largely focus on the visual aspect of the movie.Meyer and McGowan's focus on the visual side,sadly leads to some of the great whip smart exchanges that Harry and Franklyn have with each other being ones which don't deliver the full sparks that they seem to promise,due to Meyer and McGowan giving the movie a plot,which despite one or two good sharp turns (including an unexpected murder) never feels that it is building to a dramatic,natural conclusion.
Whilst the screenplay sadly fails to light up in the way that it initially appears,Russ Meyer and co-editor Richard S. Brummer reveal an astonishing eye on making the movie one which marks the beginning of a new era for Meyer,and the end of another.Giving the film a delightfully surreal atmosphere,Meyer separates the main sections of the films plot with a number of snappy,and off-beat dream like severance's,which thanks to the sharp editing of Meyer and Brummer helps to give the movie a surprisingly colourful Fantasy element.
Rubbing abrasively against the Fantasy element,Meyer also gives the movie a strong Film Noir mood,with Meyer showing the desert based town to be one where morals can be brought at any price,which along with allowing Meyer to display the most amount of flesh that he had ever exposed in a vivid manner.Along with the Noirish side,Meyer also show a tough,aggressive Horror edge,thanks to the scenes of Harry closely chasing after Enrique having a chilling Supernatural feel about them,with Meyer also letting bright red blood flow for the first time in any of his movies,as Franklyn and Harry begin to wonder about how far they will have to go to keep their business partnership from fading into a puff of smoke.