The Oval Portrait - 1973 - Mexico

The Oval Portrait - 1973 - 4/10

 
“Ah, Rebecca as I painted her, wasn’t she lovely?”
War Between The States over, Confederate soldier Joseph returns to his Yankee bride.
Too late, as she has died during childbirth / miscarriage.
Such is the extended backstory.  The bookends are the relatives coming for the will.
Experiencing the haunting of the manor.
So much is so wrong in this Mexican production filmed in Canada.
Interiors too modern, one of the heroines much too old, bad hair, intrusive music by Les Baxter, scenes milked for every drop of melodrama, over-acting, poor directing, bad editing.
This has NOTHING to do with the 2-page Edgar Allen Poe story.
I liked the two lovers and Mrs. Warren.  Otherwise, this is a so-bad-it’s-fun movie.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370780

The Loreley’s Grasp - 1973 - Spain

The Loreley’s Grasp - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Las Garras de Lorelei

The first girl was murdered on the eve of her wedding.
Next one, a few days later.
The girls boarding school is alarmed, so a hunter is placed as protection.
Soon enough, he sees and follows a strange female near the marsh.

 
Yes, he knows she is unnatural, something more than human.
Nevertheless, she tempts him.  Shall we say, he is distracted.
The boarding school is a wall of flesh, but no nudity.
Gore, blood and entrails, but nothing to disturb the squeamish.
Weird horror outing referencing Wotan and Valhalla and full moon transfigurations.

Hanzo The Razor: Sword Of Justice - 1973 - Japan

Hanzo The Razor: Sword Of Justice - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Goyôkiba  // 御用牙

 
Introducing law enforcement’s most innovative interrogator.
Hanzo is a righteous Edo officer, incorruptible, in pursuit of a prison escapee.
He tracks him by employing various S&M techniques on females who know “something”.
Oh, and his Razor nickname has to do with his terrifying schlong.
Nudity, torture, geysers of blood, misogyny, and a funky Blaxploitation soundtrack.
A wild film that would be surpassed by the sequel, The Snare.

The Cat Creature - 1973 - USA

The Cat Creature - 1973 - 6/10

 
During a rather odd insurance appraisal, middle of the night, no power, an adjuster is murdered.
A few precious items are stolen, leading the police to believe burglary gone bad.
Only the killings continue, and central to each is a missing Egyptian amulet.
Attributed to Bast, the cat god.
So-so TV movie.  Hokey script (Robert Bloch).  Old school cast (Sondergaard, Carradine, Kent Smith) mesh with new.  Lesbian angle muted, replaced with short-stature prostitute.
For cat lovers, likewise cat haters.  Best advice, avoid trailers and ad-slicks.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown - 1973 - USA

The Town That Dreaded Sundown - 1973 - 5/10

 
Odd mix of docu-drama and slasher.
The initial attack, victims were bludgeoned, yet survived.
Next, both were killed.  Law enforcement took note, and Texas Rangers send a specialist.
So what?  Two more.  The serial killer was now dubbed The Phantom.
Based on a true – unsolved – spree in Texarkana in 1946.
Tension lowered by narration, and the comic relief is witless.
Lot of good here, if one can overlook the shortcomings.

Horror Hospital - 1973 - UK

Horror Hospital - 1973 - 6/10

 
Jason, on break from the music scene, heads to a woodland retreat.
Enroute, he meets Judy, who is going likewise to meet an aunt.
Once there, the vibes are bad, dude.  Like Bummer City.  Ain’t no way out either, man.
Horror spliced with mad science, with a scene chewing Michael Gough.
Funny at times, and Vanessa and Robin make a sexy couple.
(Why, oh why, did no one ever cast Robin Askwith as Rolling Stone Brian Jones?)

Eugenie de Sade - 1973 - Liechtenstein

Eugenie de Sade - 1973 - 6/10

 
Eugénie’s stepfather, Albert, writer of erotica, initiates her into a world of seduction, torture, murder.
She proves a willing, even eager accomplice.
At first, they are careful, covering their tracks, creating alibis.
Gradually, more experienced, confident, they grow careless.
Jess Franco’s film of sexual gamesmanship, based on de Sade, is well composed and structured.
Plus, he is blessed with Soledad Miranda, whose presence is palpable throughout.
The stars were aligned for her at this point (1970), and a bright film future loomed.

Linda - 1973 - USA

Linda - 1973 - 6/10

 
Oh, she has her claws in him, dug in tight.
Not only did Linda murder Jeff's rich wife, but she also framed her own husband, Paul.
Paul either does the time or hangs, while Linda and Jeff live happy.
Pretty good TV Noir, over reliant on Ed Nelson.
John McIntire almost steals the film as the crafty defense attorney.
The real draw, however, is Stella Stevens, who was simply born too late for classic Noir.
Vixen Stella makes a coaxing femme fatale.

Lost Hearts - 1973 - UK

Lost Hearts - 1973 - 6/10

 
“None of us are given much time.  Lifespan, a mere flicker.”
Declares Mr Abney to Stephen, his much, much younger cousin.
Young Stephen is still trying to settle in, asking questions about children who preceded him.
Abney, a most sinister man, yet admired by servants, masks his guile with smiles.
Gothic suspense based on M. R. James, holds up well and is an effective thriller.
Informative commentary by Kim Newman seems a bit too jolly for the subject.

World At War - 1973 - UK

World At War - 1973 - 8/10

 
Good companion to The Great War which covered WWI.
Massive amounts of newsreel and combat footage.  Talking heads include veterans and historians.
Chronological, with numerous detours into specific campaigns or nations.
Burma, for example, is not always included in docs. Nor is Holland.  Both are here.
Focus more on common soldiers or airmen or seamen, rather than brass, save for generals who were actually field generals, out there.
Deaths from the war = 55,000,000.
One quote stayed with me, “There are a great many soldiers who take great pleasure in destroying people, wasting things.  This aspect of human nature is not discussed enough, but it is surely one of the causes of warfare.”
I don’t see us evolving much.

Westworld - 1973 - USA

Westworld - 1973 - 710

 
Saddle up, pardner.  Or more likely … draw.
High tech amusement park, Delos, with realistic androids.
Depending on which section one chooses, diversions include centurions, knights, gunslingers.
Along with comely wenches, gargantuan amounts of food, and beverages.
Visitors indulge all manner of appetites, including bloodlust.
Wouldn’t you know it?  Technical malfunctions, followed by real bloodlust.
A rare SciFi / Western, reverent, funny, exciting, thoughtful.
There would be a sequel, which tried, but this was magic in a bottle – or brothel.

The Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob - 1973 - France

The Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob

 
Pivert witnesses the attempted murder of a revolutionary.
Assassins are in pursuit, followed by uncomprehending police.
His wife is badgering him, too.  Their daughter’s wedding is tomorrow.
Mind you, Pivert, who is bigoted against all save Catholic French, will impersonate a rabbi.
The first ten minutes load the narrative, and well as the pace, which is frantic.
French comedy roars into farce without blinking.
Silly by every definition, almost nonstop with gags and jokes.

Ward - 1973 - Yugoslavia

Ward - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Štićenik

 
Young man Mihael, on the run in a bleak countryside, seeks refuge in an asylum.
Steadily pursuing is a man in a black cape.
Mihael begs for, and is granted, shelter, where his paranoia and violence escalates.
The mysterious hunter could be a guardian, could be Death.
Yugoslavian film mixes supernatural hints in obscured mystery.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subscene/155246

The Reincarnation Of Isabel - 1973 - Italy

The Reincarnation Of Isabel - 1973 - 5/10
AKA - Riti, Magie Nere e Segrete Orge nel Trecento...

 
Isabel, a witch burned, is resurrected (by reincarnations of those who killed her).
No reason why or how they summon Isabel is given.
From here, the story slips, careens in varying directions.
The narrative feels like fragments of dreams, stitched loosely together.
Style over substance, yet for style points this is gorgeous.
Attractive females, kaleidoscope colors, a seedy, decadent tone.
Note: Years ago, I bought the Redemption laserdisc.
I was thrown by countless characters and random plotting.  I am still confused.

Charley Varrick - 1973 - USA

Charley Varrick - 1973 - 7/10

 
“The last of the independents,” states crop-duster Varrick, who now adds bank robbery to boost earnings.
Most recent one, in  a podunk, one-horse town, nets $750 K.
Which Varrick (a droll Walter Mattheu) realizes is laundered Mafia money.
And they‘ll be coming, with more persistence than local police and the FBI.
The mob dispatch “Molly” (Joe Don Baker), charming, polite, brutally terrifying.
A great heist flick, where amazing luck becomes the worst luck of all for the thieves.

The She-Butterfly - 1973 - Serbia

The She-Butterfly - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Leptirica

Vule makes the fourth miller that year to be murdered.
Villagers curse their bad luck, wonder if a vampire is among them.
More importantly, who will mill their grain?

 
Wait!  There’s young Strahinja, who desperately wants to marry the village beauty, Radojka.
Radojka’s father refuses, however, as Strahinja is poor.  So, he accepts the perilous miller job.
Like males in general, he fails to see the depths within the girl he desires.

 
Superstition with scattered pratfall comedy.
An hour film that packs several themes, history, village lore.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356785

They Call Her … Cleopatra Wong - 1978 - Philippines

They Call Her … Cleopatra Wong - 1978 - 6/10

Near-perfect counterfeit currency is flooding several Asian countries.
Police and government agencies are stymied.
Interpol contacts their best agent: hard living, hard loving, Cleopatra Wong.
Who, following the trail, zeroes in on the convent.
You got it.  Nuns.  And yes, a new subgenre for me, nuns with guns.

 
For lazy travelers, Cleo scuttles from Singapore to Hong Kong to Manila.
Accompanied by kitschy, action stock music.
Dubbing is a parody of clichéd stereotypes.

 
Lots of martial arts, long chases (one on Singapore’s cable car.
Of course, nuns with guns.  Who’s going to resist that?

The Maiden’s Tune - 1973 - Yugoslavia

The Maiden’s Tune - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Devicanska Svirka

The coachman drops Ivan off in rural oblivion.
No one is willing to carry him further, so Ivan begins to walk.
Until he is transfixed by the castle, the eerie music and haunting song.

 
Circumstances unfold and Countess Sibylle begs his help.
Her enters her coach, enters the castle, and is soon dazed.
Sibylle is seductive, kittenish, fragile, neurotic.

 
While repressed, one gathers she is also sexual and dangerous.
Ivan, the young gallant, is caught between the eyes, the heaving breasts, and desire to help.
Glacial pace, excessive closeups, yet the ending, inside  the music chamber, will linger.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356533

The Obscene Mirror - 1973 - Spain

The Obscene Mirror - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Al Otro Lado del Espejo //  Inside A Dark Mirror

 
Mother died early, and Ana was raised by her father.
The pair are close, very close.  After she announces her betrothal, he kills himself.
Afterward, she joins a Jazz ensemble and drifts from man to man.
Moody Jess Franco study of a damaged soul.
The surface is sheer gloss, even the rich idlers who drink, sun themselves, do nothing all day.
Underneath, the waters are choppy, although one might never guess from Ana’s placid expression.
Interesting psychological film.  If curious, find the Spanish original.  French and Italian edits had hardcore added.
English subtitles = https://subsource.net/subtitle/al-otro-lado-del-espejo-1973/english/10091946

Night Watch - 1973 - UK

Night Watch - 1973 - 6/10

 
Yes, it is raining.  Pouring down hard, actually.
Nonetheless, Ellen spies a corpse in the empty house.
Sitting in a chair, throat slashed.
Police arrive.  Body, what body?  Conclude Ellen is overt-anxious.
And she is overwrought.  Her husband, best friend, and doctor want to place her in “a home”.
Roiling thriller pushed by Elizabeth Taylor’s neurotic performance.
Probably overlooked, and worth watching.
English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3351397