Kubrick's space flight, and beyond

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

In my early childhood, two images stayed with me and frightened me. One was the Mona Lisa, a reproduction that was hanging in my bedroom wall. The other was the Star Child from "2001: A Space Odyssey." I am still not sure why the latter frightened me so but I think a giant baby inside a shimmering, circular sphere would be enough to impress any 6-year-old. "2001: A Space Odyssey" has many memorable images and, in my mind, it is still the best science-fiction film ever made - the only one to truly capture the essence of space travel, from Jupiter to the infinite where the ineffable mysteries of what lies ahead holds a certain fascination for many of us here on Earth. I think that we tend to forget that we're a small point of interest in the universe and "2001" makes us feel how insignificant we are.

Based on Arthur C. Clarke's short story, "The Sentinel," "2001" begins with the famous "Dawn of Man" section where numerous apes are seen living in cavernous surroundings. Leopards are predominant and hungry in the horizon. The apes shield themselves from other animals or fellow apes by mostly growling...but their peaceful existence is out to be demolished in one swift stroke. One particular ape, the Moonwatcher, develops the intelligence to realize that a bone can be used as a weapon - not only to eat meat by means of hunting and killing animals, but as a defense against other irate apes. And so, while his group of apes growls at the others, Moonwatcher strikes one ape with a bone. The peaceful, vegetarian apes have learned that violence can be instrumental in establishing order and change. And so the slow-motion shot of the Moonwatcher triumphantly throwing the bone up in the air segues to a magnificent transitional cut to the Orion spaceship of the 21st century - man has evolved and now space, which was a sight for the apes who gazed at the bright moonlit sky, has become the new frontier for more discoveries and perhaps new signs of intelligence.

It is the year 2001, as we see ships gracefully travelling through space. One of them carries Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester), an American scientist travelling from earth to a lunar space station. At the station, Floyd discusses with other Americans about the discovery of a monolith at Clavius, a station on the moon. There is a wonderfully subtle scene where, prior to the meeting, Floyd is reluctant to discuss the situation at Clavius to a couple of curious Russian scientists - he claims to know nothing about it yet admits he is unable to discuss it.

The Clavius excavation is followed by the mission to Jupiter where astronauts Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) are travelling in the Discovery ship. On board are three scientists who are in deep hibernation for the length of the trip and the HAL 9000 computer (voiced by Douglas Rain), who is the brains and the eyes of the ship. Bowman and Poole are unaware of the purpose of the mission but HAL knows - unfortunately, HAL may have committed an error in judgment on a supposedly malfunctioning antenna. Bowman and Poole feel nothing is wrong with the ship's antennae, according to their thorough observations as well as that of another HAL 9000 computer's test from the U.S. Mission Control. Is HAL wrong, or are the astronauts erroneous in their calculations? Can a supercomputer like HAL make a mistake or are the humans at fault?

The final half-hour of the film is one of the most superbly suspenseful, thrilling, visionary moments in the history of film. After Bowman realizes that HAL has intent to kill before letting anyone jeopardize the mission, he quickly disconnects HAL and begins a journey into the infinite when a floating monolith makes contact with him. Thus, Bowman sees a dazzling array of formations of geometric shapes of lights, clusters of stars, an infinite number of colored rays and, finally, an eighteenth century bedroom where noises and laughter are heard bouncing along the corridors of the unique decor. It is here where Bowman sees himself as a dying old man and, ultimately, becomes the Star Child - the last evolutionary step for mankind.

Most audiences and critics were understandably puzzled by the film since more questions are drawn up than answers (imagine how poorly this film would have fared if it played in theaters today where implication is always eroded in favor of explicating). Does Dave Bowman become the Star Child? Is the monolith an alien intelligence or an evolutionary step in mankind, or both? In answer to that question, I interpret the monolith, as I always have, as the next step in the evolutionary ladder and a sign of evolving intelligence, as demonstrated in the Dawn of Man sequence. Strangely enough, I never thought of it as an alien intelligence, despite the fact that scientists in the film allude to it as such. Heck, they could be wrong since scientists do make errors.

Did HAL 9000 plan to fool Bowman and Poole with the faulty mechanism in the ship's antennae or did HAL really think there was a malfunction, thus making us believe that computers can make errors? I am willing to go with the latter since computers can make errors. Why? Well, they are man-made, aren't they? Humans make errors all the time so it is conceivable that a computer, like HAL 9000, could make an error. Ironically, as Kubrick seems to indicate, HAL is about as human and compassionate, to some degree, as most of the human characters in the film. Of course, HAL is also a murderer but he can express emotion - consider his final lines in the film where Dave is frantically unplugging his memory units ("Just what do you think you are doing Dave? Dave, I am afraid.")

"2001" was once considered the ultimate acid trip back when it was released in 1968. There are also some who felt the film was too slow-paced and boring (Although I have heard the quote that Kubrick wanted to show that space travel was boring). I must disagree with the slow-pace - sure, it moves slowly but it needs to. This is not the kind of story that requires the fast-paced, action-per-minute theatrics of "Star Wars." Instead, Kubrick moves his story leisurely to show the beauty and mystery of space, the vastness of it, accompanied by the waltzes of composer Richard Strauss. Also noteworthy is the soundtrack, which is silent when Poole and Bowman investigate the antennae on the Discovery - occasionally you'll only hear them breathing which heightens the suspense.

"2001" is not my personal favorite of Kubrick's (that honor would go to "A Clockwork Orange") but it is an extraordinary film of sights and sounds, and certainly the purest, most poetic and electrifying science-fiction film ever made. In its story of the vastness of space and beyond the infinite, we realize that in the end, our planet Earth is only a microcosm of the big picture. 

Heinz 57

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Manchurian Candidate" is one of the strangest, eeriest Hollywood films ever made, all the more so for starring Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh and the late Laurence Harvey. I can't say for sure what it is ultimately about but I will say that it is about as paranoid and nightmarish as any film on politics I've ever seen.

Frank Sinatra is Major Bennett Marco, a member of the Korean patrol that has just arrived in the United States. The Korean War is over yet a new war seems to be brewing in the United States, specifically Communism. Marco's superior, Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), has just won a Congressional Medal of Honor though he does not seem appreciative of it. Instead of working with his stepfather, Senator Iselin (James Gregory), Raymond opts to work for a newspaper in New York. You see, Raymond hates his mother, Mrs. Iselin (Angela Lansbury), and the Commie-hating senator. But Raymond can't seem to get away from the war or his own nightmares, especially one where he is hypnotized to kill members of his patrol. This just might seem a surrealistic nightmare drawn from repercussions of fighting in a war, but the other members of the patrol are having the same nightmare. Maj. Marco wants to investigate further, realizing that he feels hypnotized for having called his superior the warmest, kindest man ever - a man he clearly detests.

It turns out that Raymond is a trained, brainwashed assassin, and when he plays Solitaire and sees the Queen of Diamonds, he is instantly in a robotic, killing phase. To add even more complexity, Ray's mother, Mrs. Iselin, is behind it all - she wants her son to kill the Democratic presidential candidate and continue the war on communism. The mother is the grand manipulator, even convincing her husband, the McCarthy-like senator, to arrive at a reasonable figure of how many Commies are in Congress. 57 is the most likely number, thanks to a Heinz ketchup bottle.

The most famous sequence in the film is the actual nightmare, shown three different times. We see the Korean patrol seated, all looking dejected and listless. We also see the Chinese Communist hypnotist telling the soldiers what acts of murder to commit. A host of party officials are seen in the audience. But then director John Frankenheimer does a clever thing - he crosscuts between the hypnotist and a gardening lecture full of women, as if both are in the same room speaking the same words to the same patrol. If anything were to suggest the antecedents to the surreal world of David Lynch, this would be it.

There is also another strange sequence between Maj. Marco and the mysterious Rosie (Janet Leigh). They meet in a train headed to New York. He is unable to light a cigarette. She offers to help and they start a conversation about different states like Ohio and Delaware. At one point, he asks her, "Are you Arabic?" She says no. Huh? This is supposedly explained in the Richard Condon book, but I think it pinpoints Marco's own declining sense of reality, maybe increased disorientation. After all, can Raymond be the only one who was truly brainwashed?

The first-rate performances all lend the necessary credibility to the proceedings. Frank Sinatra, in his most powerful role, is a commanding presence, always direct and authoritative as the major. Janet Leigh lends a touch of class and something almost preternatural as Rosie. Laurence Harvey is like some sickly, grow-up Catholic schoolboy, unaware how he is being used and abused. But it is truly Angela Lansbury who rises above as the frigid, domineering, stifling Mrs. Iselin, completely understated and chilling in her demeanor. She is certainly one of the great villainesses of American cinema.

"The Manchurian Candidate" was released in 1962 but was then pulled out of circulation by Frank Sinatra, who was one of the producers, because the film barely made enough profit. It was then re-released in 1988. Some have alluded this film to the Kennedy assassination as proof that maybe Lee Harvey Oswald did act alone. I find it is a polemic of its times, yet it is also as relevant today as it was then. Yes, communism is no longer a threat and assassinations of presidential candidates are certainly not as common as they were forty years ago. What we have today is a world of nightmarish paranoia, seeking the enemy who remains elusive and invisible and fighting a war on terrorism that seems possibly unwinnable. In the 1960's, the soldiers were brainwashed. Today, as possibly evidenced by the 2004 remake, it is the people who may be brainwashed.

The Kiss of Death

CAT PEOPLE (1942)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I imagine the youth of the 2010 era are so jaded and numbed by excessive violence in horror films that they forget the crucial tool that put horror in the map in the first place - imagination. Imagination needs implication, needs shadows and, in some cases, ambiguity to survive. "The Exorcist" is still the top favorite in my supernatural horror diet despite having the occasional gross-out moment - the violence in that picture was essential so we believed that a spirit was really inside a little girl. Among my favorite horror flicks ever pre-1973 are: "The Bride of Frankenstein," "Dracula's Daughter" and the eternally frightening 1922 German Dracula version, "Nosferatu." I love most Universal horror flicks of the 1930's but a true nail-biter in this genre is the vivid, quixotic and touching "Cat People," a 1942 Val Lewton production that is classy, vastly spooky and romantic. It is the kind of picture where mood is everything.

Simone Simon is Irena, a Serbian fashion designer who is drawn to Central Park Zoo. She sketches the panthers in the cages, and nothing else. One gentleman's interest is piqued by this woman and he decides to talk to her. He is Oliver Reed (Kent Smith), a marine engineer who is invited by Irena to her apartment for tea (it is amazing how times have changed since 1942). He is quite intrigued by her and his heart melts at the sight of her, especially when she talks about her homeland of Serbia, devil worship and cats being a symbol of evil. All this emanates from Irena's King John of Serbia statue where the monarch is shown impaling a panther with a sword.

Irena and Oliver get married but their first night together shows them sleeping in different beds. Irena is afraid of intimacy and Oliver tries to get her to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Louis (Tom Conway), to peel away at her fears. Oliver seeks intimacy and advice from his best friend and co-worker, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph) since he doesn't have a clue on how to handle timidness. If all this sounds intriguing enough, consider why Irena is incapable of intimacy - she might turn into one of the "cat people."

Fluidly directed by Jacques Tourneur and brilliantly shot with deep shadows by cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca (the shadows are so stark that you might think you are seeing the color red), "Cat People" is an extraordinary, breathless journey that says so much in just under 75 minutes. Sympathy develops for Simone Simon's Irena, a woman who means no harm and is aware of what she is. Her tragic family stories alone resonate and hang over her like a halo dripped with blood (the actress was far more evil and sinister in 1941's "The Devil and Daniel Webster"). And when Irena turns into a panther (a transformation we never see), we hear the roar, the snarl, without seeing too much of the wild animal. Two scenes stand out and are amazingly effective in this regard: the Central Park sequence (interrupted by a transit bus, known as the "Lewton bus") and the swimming pool scene that left me shivering with fright. I will say no more because they have to be experienced.

Smith's Oliver Reed also cuts a sympathetic figure, a man who wants nothing more than to love the most forlorn woman I can recall of the 1940's cinema (this was the age of Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis, two women who could never be called shy). We wonder why Oliver didn't match up his love with Jane Randolph's Alice sooner, but then we wouldn't have a movie. It is clear that Oliver might sense a hellcat of a woman in Irena waiting to pounce (perhaps in the bedroom), or maybe he thinks foreign women are not as guarded as some American women.

"Cat People" is a frightful little masterpiece in every sense of the word and, sadly, a film that probably could never be made today, at least not in the same manner or style. I love some gross-out horror movies too but what "Cat People" accomplishes is finding fear in the everyday. That is part of its charm and part of its everlasting impact. I can't imagine a more thrilling way for a horror fan to spend 73 minutes.

An aerobic, sashaying Gill Man

THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Ostensibly a run-of-the-mill creature feature, 1954's "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" is among the best in the genre it inspired. It is loaded with enough thrills, chills and spine-tingling moments to warrant that old phrase - a delightful Saturday afternoon matinee showing. "Black Lagoon" fits the bill and it has an awesome, iconic monster to boot, later known as Gill Man.

An expedition of scientists are given a rare discovery from the Amazon thanks to Dr. Maia (Antonio Moreno) - a prehistoric, fossilized, severed amphibious hand. This naturally leads them to the Amazon, which leads to the ominous Black Lagoon. In this lagoon is an amphibious living creature that kills anyone trying to meddle in its watery paradise, though our crew is unaware what lurks in these waters. Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson) leads the expedition, determined to study the creature. Kay (Julie Adams) is his fiancee, who comes equipped with a one-piece bathing suit (remember this is a 50's B-movie). Mark Williams (Richard Denning) is the greedy boss who sees dollar signs everywhere - he rather kill the Gill Man with a harpoon.

Shot in 3-D and released as such, "Creature from the Black Lagoon" scored well at the box-office and saved Universal-International Pictures from bankruptcy. "Lagoon" has all the elements in place for a 50's B-horror movie, but what it contains that few of its ilk contain is lucid, almost poetic lyricism in its underwater scenes. Watching the Gill Man swim underwater as it sashays from one end of the lagoon to the other is truly hypnotic. And though there are the cliches of the Gill Man's webbed hand or face appearing out of water accompanied by striking musical chords, it still brings a chill to the spine. What is fascinating is that the Gill Man subtly moves its mouth and its gills - you are scared by it and hope everyone gets out alive. Its resistance to killing Kay makes the monster sympathetic, though I can't figure out why this creature spares her life and carries her around a damp cave. Watching, however, Julie Adams swimming gracefully and aerobically above the surface, from the Creature's point-of-view, is chilling and evokes the thrills that Spielberg no doubt adopted for his own "Jaws" twenty years later. Maybe that is why the Creature can't kill her - it might think she is an amphibian too.

The characters are stock and one-dimensional at best (a silly fistfight might make some groan), and Julie Adams shows some intelligence but you know her existence in this movie is to make the guys swoon. The Gill Man, though, is the real star and it never seems anything less than a prehistoric creature (the studio didn't give credit to the two actors who played the Gill Man - Ricou Browning in underwater shots and Ben Chapman on land - for fear that the public might think it is an actor in a suit, according to the late Ben Chapman who didn't receive credit till 1992). "Creature from the Black Lagoon" is not great art but it is pulpy, juicy, frightfully good pop art. At the end of the film, I guarantee your spine will tingle a little.

Those damn fire ants...

 THE NAKED JUNGLE (1954)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

For my level of interest in pure adventure tales, Byron Haskin's "The Naked Jungle" fits the bill to a tee. It is a jungle melodrama with all the trappings of a pulpy B-movie, complete with a firm, tough, pistol-packing Charlton Heston, a beautiful flame-haired dame, lots of stock Indian natives, a luxurious house on a South American plantation, the cliched jungle creature sounds, and lots of nasty fire ants (yes, Indiana Jones fans, this is the genesis of the hungry fire ants attacking humans in the last Indy flick).

Heston, never a great actor but a towering, raging, full of gusto and self-important kind of actor, plays Christopher Leiningen, a plantation owner of cocoa fields who gets a mail-ordered bride from New Orleans. The problem is that he might have expected a brainless bimbo and instead he gets a cultured woman named Joanna (Eleanor Parker), who knows several languages and can play the piano. Christopher is an impotent man who spent too many years in the jungle without a woman. Thus, he is immediately scornful of her due to her independence and ability to stand up to him, yet he slowly begins to like her. Of course, this couple is mismatched and so he is ready to send her home until fire ants, known as the Marabunta, are scurrying their way through his plantation and cocoa fields. Chris, the man of action, is ready to destroy these ants with dynamite and this makes him potent and ready to kiss his leading lady without compromise. Nope, she is not headed back to New Orleans.

Crisply directed by Byron Haskins ("War of the Worlds), "Naked Jungle" spends a lot of time on the developing relationship between Chris and Joanna. Precious little time is devoted to Chris's imperialist attitude and his acceptance of these natives, whom he doesn't abuse which is why they work for him in the first place - all they might do is shrink a head or two. It is a typical adventure movie of the 50's where the white man is the savior among a supposedly inferior race. The feminists are likely to fret over Chris's machismo that is rejuvenated by a woman of taste and elegance. At least she is ready to give up her white umbrella to the natives.

Pulp is never meant to be taken seriously, nor is this movie, originally based on a Carl Stephenson short story. A truly terrifying climax and a supple supporting acting turn from a less hefty William Conrad as the Commissioner are major pluses. A highlight is seeing Chris apply ointment to Joanna's skin so as to protect her from the ants, and another highlight is watching Chris violently douse his own plantation-made perfume on her. As I said, if you know what to expect, prepare to be entertained. As a sheerly high-pitched melodrama that they don't make any more, it works. Those seeking political correctness, stay far away (though Joanna is smarter than most of her 50's counterparts). Either way, watch out for those creepy fire ants that will make your skin crawl and itch.

Sleepy Brooklyn Noir

TEENAGE GANG DEBS (1966)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Halfway through the incredibly short running time of 73 minutes, "Teenage Gangs Debs" has one or two endless montages that feature gang members harassing a young woman by literally riding their bikes in circle formation around her. Then we get two eternal dance numbers where young men and women do the jig to some instrumental pop number. I would think that it means we are left with less than an hour devoted to any sort of story.

Somewhere in Brooklyn, a new girl in town from Manhattan named Terry (Diane Conti) is looking to become part of the "Rebels" gang. She enters an exclusive bar where the members hang out and asks for a soda. Why she wants to be a member, I can't say. Johnny (John Batis) is the leader of the pack. If you become Johnny's girl (a "deb"), then he must have his initials carved into your chest. Terry isn't having it and conspires with Nino, Johnny's second man (Joey Naudic), to betray and kill Johnny. It almost seems as if Terry wants control of the gang but then the movie sputters and tanks with excessive padding to make it past the one hour mark.

"Teenage Gang Debs" commits the unfortunate sin of occasional boredom. An exploitation tale like this should have verve and some energy but it operates on sluggishness, with one too many dance numbers and some street violence that seems to have emerged from an unrelated documentary. Terry's demands and her manipulative methods are the best thing about this film - she is aching to get the gang a higher status by getting into rumbles. The nagging question is why does she care and what does she expect to get out of it? It is also nice to see Eileen Dietz (known in the credits as Eileen Scott) in her first major role as a teen girl who wants out - this is long before she got to be known as Pazuzu's Ghost face.

Some have termed this picture "sleaze noir." It is sleepy noir.

Viva the dim Elvis money pit

VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

An Elvis Presley movie has to be approached as entertainment, nothing more. His best films, "King Creole" and "Jailhouse Rock," offered more than simple-minded entertainment - they had meaty stories and well-drawn characters. "Viva Las Vegas" is one of Elvis's most popular movies but, when all is said and done, its mere novelty is that it is nothing more than a picturesque travelogue with Elvis and Ann-Margret chewing up the screen with their songs and dance moves.

Elvis stars as Lucky Jackson, a cocky race car driver with aspirations to race at the Grand Prix in Las Vegas. The trouble is that there is a powerful engine he needs to buy for his precious car. Lucky tries his luck at a Vegas casino and actually wins the money. Unfortunately, the engine is bought by someone else and, through a series of misadventures, namely falling in a pool while making courtly advances to a fellow employee, Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret), Lucky loses his money and finds himself working as a waiter at a hotel.

In the meantime, there are a series of montages involving Lucky and a rival driver, Count Elmo Mancini (played by Cesare Danova), who spend about twenty minutes searching for that pretty redhead Rusty at every single Vegas casino and showplace on the Strip (which only leaves about another one hour of more repetitive montages). There are also the requisite songs sung by Elvis and Ann-Margret - my favorites are the title tune, "The Lady Loves Me," and "Appreciation.

To criticize "Viva Las Vegas" is to ask for trouble. How can you argue against a movie that hardly has a story or credible characters, and is just concerned with being silly and fluffy nonsense? The movie is mostly an advertisement for Las Vegas, offering scenic beauty and plenty of helicopter shots of the horizon in Cinemascope color. And there is Elvis and Ann-Margret, two dazzling, sexy, charismatic stars who unfortunately have little in the way of chemistry. And the final race car competition results in two deaths (though one of them survives relatively unscathed if you check out the final wedding sequence), and apparently starts at midnight though it seems to last through the next day!

There are some electric moments with the dynamic Ann-Margret, a fabulous singer and dancer and an overall better actor than Elvis. Elvis himself has one high comedic point where he splashes champagne all over Cesare, who is trying to woo Ann-Margret. Beyond that, I expect much more than pretty scenery and a few good songs, but why carp? People seem to love this movie, so be it.