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E! True Hollywood Story: Last Days of Sharon Tate (1999)
A great program...if you can find it
It's very unfortunate that this program is not currently available on VHS or DVD. I was fortunate to get a copy from someone who had taped it off their TV. Actually, it's more like a copy of a copy, so the quality is poor. Nevertheless, "Last Days" goes into great detail about the life and death of actress Sharon Tate, and is a real treasure if you can get your hands on it. Vintage photos, home movies, and gobs of interviews are just some of what's here. There are interviews with celebrity biographers and historians, including the very knowledgeable Greg King, author of the excellent book, "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders". There are several re-enactments of the events surrounding Sharon's murder, but nothing tasteless or exploitative. Noteworthy is the participation of William Garretson, caretaker of the Cielo Drive property at the time of the murders.
As some consolation, a shorter biography of Sharon Tate is available on-line titled "Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence". It'a about half as long as "Last Days", but still has quite a bit of information, along with photos, home movies, etc.. "Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence" was produced by A & E (Arts & Entertainment).
Biography: Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence (2002)
An informative program!
A big "+" about this particular biography on actress Sharon Tate is that it's readily available on-line. "E!" also produced a biography that was much longer (The Last Days of Sharon Tate), but it's currently out of print. "Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence" was produced by A & E for their "Biography" series, and gives a very well-rounded view of this tragic 60's beauty. Tracing her humble roots as the oldest of 3 sisters in a very mobile military family, the program follows Sharon through her high school years, including photos, some footage of her as a cheerleader at Vicenza American High School, and some insightful interviews with former classmates. Roman Polonski, Mia Farrow, Martin Ransohoff and others in the television/film industry also discuss their experiences and first impressions of Sharon. In spite of the dark title, "Murdered Innocence" doesn't dwell overly long on Sharon's tragic murder, but gives equal time to the positive aspects of her life. The last part of the program chronicles efforts by Sharon's mom and sisters to preserve Sharon's memory, to keep her killers behind bars, and to protect the rights of families of murder victims. Packed with interviews, vintage photos, home movies, film clips and a few trailers, "Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence" is a very satisfying video for fans of Sharon Tate...and very affordable.
The Wrecking Crew (1968)
A closer look at Sharon Tate
If Matt Helm is the world's last hope in recovering one billion in stolen gold, then we're in big trouble. The aging Dean Martin is pathetic as a Bond-esquire government agent that women somehow (?) find irresistible, even those who aren't trying to use him in some way. Austin Powers (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) is most often compared to James Bond, but he's clearly more like this version of Matt Helm than he ever was to 007. Like Austin Powers, Helm's cover is that of an international fashion photographer/playboy. He is, in reality, only slightly sexier than Don Knotts character in "The Love God?". He seems on the edge of sobriety throughout the film, and in the scenes where he's up close and personal with his lovely co-stars, I couldn't help wondering if they were fighting the urge to throw up from his rank cigarette-booze breath! Talk about suffering for your Art! I probably feel the worst for the other actors in the film, because the whole project could have been better than it was. Yes, it was a parody of the secret-agent genre of the 1960s that peaked several years earlier, but I guess the picture is so disappointing because it seems to be built instead around the person of Dean Martin, and his real life image as that of a heavy drinking swinger. Please, I'm not completely disregarding his acting ability, because he did in fact make some pretty good movies before this one. I liked him in the films he did with Jerry Lewis, but Martin just seems to be taking it way too easy in this one, and not really even trying. Perhaps when you're an established "star", you don't have to.
The legendary Bruce Lee choreographed the fight scenes in "The Wrecking Crew", but I can't imagine him bragging too much about it. Tina Louise (Gilligan's Island) goes through the same kind of seductress routine she worked so hard to perfect with Bob Denver all those years on the "uncharted desert isle", and is as lovely as she ever was. Elke Sommer is convincing as a menacing moll, but Nancy Kwan is forgettable as a stereotyped Asian. I've seen that Chuck Norris was in the film as well, but I've never been able to spot him. Nigel Green is just plain annoying as the "Count" who's responsible for stealing the gold. Just try counting the number of times he says "schedule". Aaargh! He comes off as a poofy, snobby aristocrat. Alright, maybe that's how he was supposed to be.
Goofs: Although the film supposedly takes place in Denmark, everyone, including the cops who drive Ford automobiles, speak English with no accent whatsoever! There are a few shots near the beginning of Matt Helm driving through a Danish city, but that's it! The driving scenes with Matt Helm and Freya Carlson are obviously California. The scenes involving the train may be Europe, but I'm not sure. I'm in Germany now and have been in Europe for the past 4 years, and I have seen many areas that resemble the terrain in those shots. At various times in the film, characters watch video screens to see the train speed through the countryside
how? Has the evil Count placed cameras along the track? Does he have tiny flying robots equipped with cameras to follow the train? I guess I'm looking too deep. The most glaring blunder has got to involve the astro-turf used in several shots to make the outside of the Count's estate. Matt Helm throws an exploding hanky (????) at a door seconds before he dives over a hedge onto the "grass". As he hits the grass, it compresses because of the extensive padding beneath, and a large area of the astro-turf kicks up. Come on, editor (Maury Winetrobe).
And now, Sharon Tate
she is probably the one reason to watch this film. She plays Freya Carlson, and got the most screen time in this film than in any other of her previous works. The only other movie she made after this one was called "12 + 1" in which she also had a major role. Sharon Tate was beautiful. She also came across as a very sincere actress in all of her roles, but "The Wrecking Crew" gave her the chance to be more that just a pretty face. She had said in an interview early in her career that she knew she could never do Shakespeare, but would like to try light comedy. She went on to say that she realized that comedy was very difficult because "you have to be so serious". I'm so glad that Sharon got the opportunity to do both this and "12 + 1" before her life was taken. She proved that she did in fact have very real potential as a comedic actress. Sharon really shines every time she's on the screen, and I really came away feeling like I had a much better concept of what she must have been like as a person than from any of her other films. Why on earth the director had in a red wig is beyond me. She had such beautiful blonde hair at that time in her life. I highly recommend this film to any fan of Sharon Tate. 8 out of 10 because of her.
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
Pretty scary...if you're in 2nd grade.
Remember seeing some movie on television when you were in elementary school and being so creeped out that you carry that memory into adulthood? When I was in second grade, I saw this film on TV one night under its US title, "Five Million Years to Earth". I had not seen the film since that night in 1971, until I recently purchased it. I must say that the beginning was just as cool as I remembered. The producers gave such a visceral feel to the opening scenes of workmen digging through the rich, ochre colored clay beneath London that you could almost smell the earthiness of it all. I was right back in '71! Alas, the plot seemed to lose steam pretty quickly after that. Perhaps growing up with Spielberg, Lucas, and other really great Sci-Fi storytellers has made me expect more from the genre. The film definitely has a mid-60s feel to it, but doesn't deal with the mod aspect of London during 1966-67. Speculation about human origins has been dealt with repeatedly in films like "2001", "Mission to Mars", and many others, but it could be that "Five Million Years to Earth" was one of the first to pose the question. I'm not sure. I imagine the best way to enjoy this film is to not expect too much, and just appreciate it for what it was. Oh, yes...watch it with a 2nd grader!