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Torticola contre Frankensberg (1952)
Torticola contre Frankensberg (1952)
A spoof of Gothic horror films by Paul Paviot, a Parisian director specializing in short subjects, Torticola contre Frankensberg (1952) contains by turns clever and silly situations matched with marvelously eerie scenes of castles, graveyards and mist-shrouded seaside cliffs.
The mad Doctor Frankensberg plans the obligatory mad operation, preparing to extract blood from his imprisoned young niece to make mortal his hulking man-made monster Torticola who, in between his enthusiasm for Sigmund Freud texts, alternately satisfies his hunger with sardines and body parts from the nearby cemetery.
Some appropriately spooky sets are the backdrop of hit-and-miss humor, including a meowing man with a cat's brain, and a running gag of hooded monks roaming the countryside alternately chanting the ominous "Dies Irae" and the less-menacing "Frère Jacques."
Reportedly greeted with enthusiasm by French audiences, "Torticola" was later reissued along with two other Paviot genre spoofs as a theatrical feature.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Final Escape (1985)
Taut remake of a classic Hitchcock Hour that betters the original
This half-hour adaptation of a well-remembered episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) is a standout from the revival series' excellent first season, and it improves on the original.
The 1964 version of "Final Escape" concerned Perry, a convict in a prison work camp who is notorious for his previous escape attempts. A fellow prisoner-- the elderly "Doc," a trusty who tends to sick and dying inmates and ultimately to their burial-- presents Perry with what seems to be a perfect escape plan. In exchange for some of Perry's ill-gotten gains, Doc will secrete him in the next available outgoing coffin along with the next decedent, to be disinterred from an offsite grave a few hours later. The plan, of course, goes awry in a memorable twist.
The 1985 version, in addition to tightening the story to fit the plot (and the time slot) more satisfactorily, depicts the convict-- this time a scheming woman named Lena Trent-- as a thoroughly despicable murderer facing life imprisonment. In replacing the original's repeat-offender bank robber, the ultimate fate of the main character is made much more satisfying.
My only criticism is with the depiction of the character of Doc, the fellow convict who tends to the dead inmates and their interment. In the previous version, Doc's chronic health issues and alcoholism are made plain, making his final lot-- if not his reappearance-- unsurprising. In the remake, Doc suffers from cataracts but otherwise seems in satisfactory health. It's a minor reproach to a first-rate entry.
Crowhaven Farm (1970)
Unintentionally funny FARM
I just dug out a 20-year-old tape of CROWHAVEN FARM and re-watched it. I must say it hasn't aged well (the movie, that is, not the tape cassette).
Hope Lange glides through the proceedings like a Stepford wife, her motivations vague and her emotions muted. About an hour through the movie she gives birth to a baby (trauma-free, while asleep!) and becomes the most inattentive mother imaginable, carrying it around like a doll for the rest of the running time.
The only really effective sequence in the movie is a scene in which Lange hears crying at night and follows the sound into the woods. This has an eeriness that the rest of the film lacks.
Like many others posting here, I had fond, frightened memories of this TV movie. I think perhaps CROWHAVEN FARM fares better as a haze of 1970s reminiscence. A 21st century viewing will show that this farm has definitely crossed into camp ground.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973)
The OTHER Jekyll & Hyde musical
Kirk Douglas co-produced this videotaped NBC production through his Bryna Productions, and cast himself in the lead. It's rumored to feature castoff songs from Lionel Bart's OLIVER! If so, they've been shoehorned somewhat inappropriately into a truncated but serviceable version of the Stevenson tale.
The cast and performances are good-- particularly Susan George, Judi Bowker and Donald Pleasence (who displays an impressive singing voice).
Some of the songs are fine-- the one Michael Redgrave sings at the engagement party is beautiful-- but others are cringe-making. One may watch this show wincing in dread that another one will start.
Despite this, it's an interesting version-- certainly a curiosity-- and worth a look.