Who Framed Roger Rabbit [coming soon]

Jaws [1975] Please note this is still being updated

Fan made wallpaper of our fims brave men

The 26 year old Steven Spielberg was not the first  Richard D Zanuck had considered to direct this cinematic masterpiece,John Sturges who had Old Man In The Sea under his belt was the first,and thank God never transpired as this has been would not have brought the Midas touch Spielberg delivered,would probably turned out to be in the same dated genre as 1956's Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck,the Melville novel was Benchley's inspiration. The same error was made choosing Franklin D. Shaffner to take the director's chair for the 1968 version of Planet Of The Apes,this should have been placed in the hands of a younger director like Coppola or Rod Serling who wrote the screenplay so it didn't look so antiquated

Jaw's the novel one year before the films release was 1974's best seller,when Spielberg read the novel he was excited to take the directors chair under the stipulation the novel would have dormant scenes removed as reference,Robert Shaw [Quint] who also penned 2 novels himself shared his tour de force in script changes.Spielberg had only 1 theatrical film to his name,1973's The Sugarland Express,this laudable box office bomb was a masterpiece,but it's audience thought otherwise,Steve also directed the 1969 Nigh Gallery anthology episode called ''Eyes'' with Joan Crawford in which he developed a longtime friendship with the veteran actress.I had the pleasure of viewing it's premier while in a Chicago hospital room all alone,a terrifying experience for an 8 year old. My T shirt pictured below,this is similar to the one sold in 1975.

Now for the cast,Zanuck initially wanted unknowns as to keep with the film's budget,enter Richard Dryfuss,Richard was referred to Spielberg by friend George Lucas who would visit the set,Dryfuss never a leading man at this point in his career had only American Graffiti under his belt that was a box office sensation a year before. The contentions between Dryfuss and co star Robert Shaw are legendary,shame Shaw isn't alive to give his side. Richard was very cocky and often whined on the set,this is just one element that provoked the much more experienced Shaw who was not only a fabulous character actor,but superb writer who shared his expertise in re writing part of the script. Below is the headlines from a Philly newpaper covering several shark attacks at the New Jersey shoreling Benchley based Jaws the novel on.

Shaw let Dryfuss have it verbally several times while filming. Spielberg's next choice would be the underrated Roy Scheider to play the naive but gentle spirited chief Brody,a [role Jeff Bridges was also considered for,but think he would have been too young at that time,Charton Heston was another,but Spielberg felt was too prominent an actor,plus salary was the issue so Universal declined him] who's nose gave prominent evidence of what years of being an amature boxer can do to one proboscis,Schieder's performances included his role as Sonny Grosso in The French Connection and 1973's The Seven Up's,ironically his role as Chief Martin Brody would be his most remembered,but his hatred for Universal would force him to get out of the contract,so Jaws 2 was his last film with this studio.There were 2 other actors considered to play the ''Ahabish'' Quint,Lee Marvin and Sterling Hayden were both considered before Robert Shaw.

 

 

 Other actors chosen would be Murray Hamilton who was relatively unknown aside from a few bit parts as a character actor was perfect as the impassive and greedy Mayor Larry Vauhgn,and stunt woman Susan Blacklinie as Chrissie Watkins who had the toughest role in the film as the girl on the beach our film's star would devour before our eyes as her drunken admirer passed out. This effect started with Spielberg himself pulling her under the water than later hired a few divers. Blacklinie was attached to a board and then cables when it appeared the shark was yanking her from side to side,a very affective technique years before CGI would dominate moviemaking,her burping noise added to the effect I found quite horrifying and made her fate more credulous. Blacklinie's only other claim to fame prior was a layout in Penthouse magazine and would later star in a Jaws swipe called Day of the Animals.

Composer John Williams genius has or never will be surpassed,his score to this film is the most recognized in film history,he and Maurice Jarre remain my favorites. Dolby surround invented in 1970 was unfortunately not used in Jaws do to it's budget and short time frame given to it's release and most theatre owners could not afford the sound systems required to accommodate this luxury,a fate 1974's Earthquake would further deter due to damage to theatre walls because of the rumbling of the huge speakers required to evoke the effect of actual earthquake. Jaws was remarkably digitally remastered in5.1 on it's premier DVD release,a remarkable and painstaking task turning it's original mono soundtrack into incredible sound specially at the films opening when you here the fire crackling during the beach party scene,though there aren't too many rear channel occurrences with the exception of a few.Jaws would have been a lot more effective has Universal opted for a surround sound recording while it was filmed. Jaws opened June 20,1975,

I saw the film around 5 days after it's release in a Wayne New Jersey theatre at age 14 to a packed crowd ,the film left a permanent impression on me and did indeed leave many theatre goers too afraid to go to the beach,even swimming pools in some cases,lol,Spielberg himself reputably never swam in another ocean to this date. The novel was based loosely on the Jersey shore shark attacks of 1916 I believe were provoked by the German U-Boats errantly distributed in that region during this era,though Great Whites rarely attack humans,this was the perfect Shark to choose with it's ferocious teeth and Juggernaut size,the Bull Shark is much more aggressive. Jaws often called Flaws,and appropriately so was loaded with errors,this was largly due to post production,after all Universal did not have confidence in the subject matter,title of the film or intrusting the young Spielberg to take the helm as director,were they ever wrong. Steven was way over budget,Steven even put his own money into one scene.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [1974 original]

Forget the abysmal remakes and sequels to this Tobe Hooper masterpiece,this is horror at it's best as the art has succumbed to young greenhorns who's offered us such bathetic portions like The insipid Saw series and the pathetic Hostel 1&2. Only films like 2000's Gingersnap  and even the computer animated Monster House are worthy of being called films as today's young filmmakers think that perpetual bloodbaths make an intelligent horror.

Like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho released 14 years earlier,Tobe Hooper based his story on true accounts of serial killer Ed Gein's horrific murders in the 1950's and even opens the film with the caption/narration ''The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy that befell a group of five youths......'' a brilliant marketing strategy similar to Hitch not allowing audience members into the theatre after 5 min of Psycho's opening.

Texas chainsaw is modest with it's showing of graphic violence,leaving a lot to the audience's imagination.a cognitive attribute I salute Hooper for as today's filmmakers can seriously learn from.

The film opens with grave robber/hitchhiker [Edwin Neal] removing decomposed bodies from their graves,placing them in bizarre poses and snapping Polaroids with the most disturbing reverberation added after the pictures are shot,a sound you won't forget..

Hooper shot this for $ 300.000 that would be over a mil today using relatively unknown actors including the lovely Marilyn Burns [Sally Hardesty]. Gunnar Hanson would spend time observing the mentally challenged to make his Leatherface character more credulous. Night court's John Larroquette offered his pipes as the opening narrator.



The lovely Marilyn Burns

TCSM premiered in Austin Texas on Oct. 1 1974 and was banned in the United Kingdom and Australia and understandably so as this film broke all the rules for it's time,two theatres in Canada withdrew the film,while shown in San Fransisco many theatre goers left in disgust.The film grossed $30 million at the theatres and $14  milin rentals.

I first viewed the film in 1984 while living in Dallas,the film was shown uncut on a local station with a warning,graphic violence caption before it was shown.This was a common attempt for TV stations to compete with HBO,I was enamored after viewing,and consider Silence Of The Lambs and Halloween tame compared to this shocker.The film depends more on nauseating sound effects then it does graphic violence,such as the scene where Leatherface slams the cooler door,or impales his victims skulls,Hooper uses these effects quite effectively.

So,the verdict?,this is the greatest horror film ever made hands down! For the record,both remakes are absolutely pointless,and just moneymakers to greedy directors.

All in the family,lol,horror's most motley crew

An American Werewolf In London

One year before John Landis made headlines with the 1982 Twilight Zone tragedy he offered this 1981 horror masterpiece. An American Werewolf in London easily takes the crown as being the most effective horror film ever made,and this was made way before the sometimes implausible CGI makeup effects became a film making standard today.Rick Baker dazzles us with his incredible tour de force as a makeup artist employing new techniques such as hydraulics that still dates very well,an art that unfortunately fell victim to the computer.Landis insinuated this was nothing more than a college level Porky's style film by it's theatrical teaser,as no clue was given even on the films poster this was a horror film.

 The movie opens with two American college students David Kessler played by wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too actor David Naughton who got his feet wet with the 1980's Dr. Pepper commercials,[it's implied but never divulged that David is of Jewish heritage,this comes into play during the demonic Nazi scene later in the film]and Griffin Dunne as Jack Goodman.As both are backpacking in the dark of the night through the English countryside they stumble opon a seedy English pub called the Slaughtered Lamb equipped with a pentagram used by the locals to ward off the evil spirit of a werewolf.  Both Jack and David are warned by the pub regulars about venturing out at night but neither take head and laugh it off .Landis now employs the classic CCR song Bad Moon rising that effectively sets the scene for what's coming.


Publicity still of Jenny Agutter as Nurse Alex Price

 As they audaciously leave the safety of the pub,both hear a wolf's howl in the distance that closes in with each step,David is then mauled by the beast,his intestines spewing out as he lay lifeless on the ground and awakens in a London hospital were he is under the care of Nurse Alex Price played by the lovely Jenny Agutter. Agutter,a remarkable actress never had any truly leading lady roles. David and Alex become romantically involved, David is convinced he was merely a victim of a wild dog attack as his listeners are incredulous to his Werewolf story.

The film is inundated with horrifying nightmare scenes,one where David is in the woods,stumbles upon a deer he then mames and devours,a scene that will most defiantly release some adrenaline.Another scene,David is watching cartoons when he is visited by a motley crew of demonic Nazis who proceed to cut his throat,though the makeup applications in this scene are very dated,it was enough to compel my brother to exit the theatre when I dared he and friend Joe to sit through this,lol.

Frank Oz of Muppet fame,who also voiced Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back makes a small appearance as Mr. Collins. The climax of the film keeps building as David is visited by the apperition Jack he had mauled earlier who is merely a rotting corps complete with hanging flesh,a horrifying but hilarious scene done in Landis style comedy,David then takes to the streets mauling Londoners primarily in The Piccadilly Circus division decapitating one bystander,then meets his demise by the MET [London Police Service] where he is brought down,and transforms to back to human. SO,how effective are the scares?,well,today's audience who consider the insipid Saw series,and the just plain sick Hostel 1 and 2 may be disappointed,to me,these two lame offerings are not true horror. I remember I was scared through the next day,were even my dog was an object of fear,lol.

The transformation scene by the great Rick Baker,and truely more advanced makeup then The Howling and Wolfen.In order to evoke growing hair,Baker pulled it through the skin of the application,and reversed the film,an ingenious idea long before CGI.

I would love to see this released as a Criterion DVD,with extras not shown on the standard version.So here's my take,the most horrifing film ever made hands down.
Cheers,
Paul Davison

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

After the success of 1981's Road Warrior,director George Miller gave us the third installment 1985's Beyond Thunderdome,a marvelous post apocalyptic vision rivaling both sequels again starring Mel Gibson  as Mad Max,a ruthless crusader and Tina Turner as the impassive and heartless Auntie Entity who I think was perfectly cast. The soundtrack was composed by the great Maurice Jarre who's Midas touch also gave us the gorgeous music in 1985's Witness,and Lawrence of Arabia I consider film's greatest score.

The film begins with Max entering the fictional Bartertown who depends on the methane gas derived from pig flatulence and feces to generate energy,the soul source of the seedy town's power.Max encounters The Collector who introduces him to Aunt Entity while being held at gunpoint,Entity is impressed by Max's fighting skills and preps him for The Thunderdome

The Year Of Living Dangerously

Mel Gibson gives his greatest performance to date in this 1983 Peter Weir film masterpiece as Guy Hamilton,a tenacious but immature Australian journalist covering the overthrow of  Jarkata President Sukarno set during the 1965 Indonesian coup.

Filmed in Australia and the Philippines was the first film where dwarf Linda Hunt  won best supporting actress playing a male photographer Billy Kwan who was also Guy's contact. Sigourney Weaver gives a commendable performance as British embassy officer Jill Hunt,though it's rather perplexing that she drops the Brit accent in some scene.

Both actors evoke a marvelous onscreen chemistry,Weaver even quiped of the much shorter Mel ''The sexiest man I ever met''.The only flaw is why Weir didn't employ a surround soundtrack which would have given the film more spark.The films soundtrack could easily be construed as  a Vangelis composition and indeed sounds very simular to his Chariots of fire released two years earlier,but was veteran film composer Maurice Jarre [King of Kings,Lawrence of Arabia] and laudably executed.