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Planet
of Blood
aka Queen
of Blood. Starring Dennis Hopper, John Saxon &
Basil Rathbone. Directed by Curtis Harrington.
PLANET
OF BLOOD, aka QUEEN OF BLOOD (1966) is a forgotten
minorpiece. An early effort by genre director Curtis Harrington
(whose credits include the earlier NIGHT TIDE also starring
Dennis Hopper), it was another Corman "patchwork" job. That
is, all the majestic effects shot you see liberally use throughout
actually came from such Soviet flicks as PLANET OF STORMS.
Creative youngsters like Harrington were then given 40 minutes
of 'best of' special effects footage and told to build an
entire narrative around the shots. The resulting flicks were
often tedious and largely forgotten save for their inclusion
of the Soviet effects footage. But PLANET
OF BLOOD is a bold exception.
 Harrington's skillful
intercutting of the truly alien stock shots with his limited
sets at the Corman complex is truly astonishing, especially
given the usual "we only had a week to make it" production
history. The narrative is sometimes given a nod as an inspiration
for ALIEN, and there's something to that. More important is
that the flick manages to have a successful narrative, which
is quite accomplished given the director was forced to shoot
around effects shot that pre-existed.
Another plus is the acting talent on hand. Dennis Hopper and
John Saxon are at the beginnings of their respective careers,
while Basil Rathbone is literally ending his on screen (as
he would die soon after making these  series of Corman Soviet SF  adaptation
movies). Florence Marly is especially effective in a mute
role as the evil Queen of blood that is like a sly hommage
to Elsa Lanchester and the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN; with her
sly nonchalance but calculating gaze, Marly is completely
effective as a space femme fatale.
The lurid set design and effective costuming help sustain
a mood the no-frills budget clearly would have otherwise been
lacking. Garish colors ala STAR TREK bathe the dry wall sets
but never completely light them either, creating a film noir
look aboard a spaceship that is visually captivating. When
Marly goes on the prowl through the ship's dark corridors,
you get a real sense of the horror of confinement aboard a
space craft. In this respect, the movie's slowly mounting
psychological tension is again unexpectedly successful given
the movie's modest production costs and Burroughs-esque cut-up
film technique.
Never beyond simple entertainment but effectively done as
such, PLANET
OF BLOOD is a minor  cult
discovery waiting to happen for those who enjoy their spaceship
flicks straight up on the rockets, with a twist or two on
the side. Harrington's work is underrated overall, and though
there is the occasional DEVIL DOG: THE HOUND OF HELL on his
resume, more often than not he's made what he's had to work
with better than the material demanded. PLANET
OF BLOOD is the proof. -- Notes
by Major Matt Mason.
 What
Critics Say:
"Genuinely
effective and creepy." -- ROCKETSHIP VIDEO
"Great science fiction." -- DVDLASER REVIEW
Like this flick? See also:
PLANET
OF STORMS; TERROR
IN SPACE
|
Planet
of Storms
aka Planeta
Burg. Directed by Pavel Klushantsev.
PLANET OF STORMS (1962), aka PLANETA BURG,
is often cited as one of the finest Russian SF 'rocketship'
films ever made. That may sound like a dubious distinction,
but consider: the Soviets were at the time of this movie's
release at the very least 'ahead' in the 'space race' by a
Sputnik's length or so, arguably more. The fact their cinema
was freed from total commercial restrictions (since the state
sponsored all production and distribution costs, attendance
costs were so nominal as to be free) but restricted by the
need to propagandize communist state ideals (there's lots
of talk about the superiority of the red way, comrade!) makes
for an interesting tension not unlike their American brethren
of the era's ceaselessly  pro-American jingoism.
Propaganda aside, PLANET OF STORMS
works because of the unique Soviet approach to SF. Whereas
American rocketship flicks always had the buck hero deal with
any situation ray guns blasting until Kubrick and 2001, the
Russian approach was vastly more in line with the speculations
and fictions of the day. In other words, more intellectual
(gasp!). The difference is at times sobering but never less
than entertaining, particularly when you realize how effectively
the filmmakers have evoked your actual landing on an alien
planet (in this case Venus) for the duration.
 This
applied not only to their SF films conceptual ideas but also
the production design. Again, the American counterparts were
always ready and eager to forsake realism for sensationalism
and (more typically) as a cost-saving option -- after all,
stock footage of rockets blasting off is always cheaper than
a model and effects photography! The approach used by PLANET OF STORMS
is much more refined and stylistically cohesive. Take for
example the robot John, one of the truly most underrated cinematic
robots ever created. To this day he should rank in the top
ten of all-time greats in terms of believability and actual
 screen
impact right alongside his American counterparts. The fact
this movie is relatively obscure is the only reason John does
not enjoy the true cult recognition he deserves. With his
massive girth and uber Soviet design mechanics, John's impact
is as memorable as Robby's in FORBIDDEN PLANET, an admitted
influence. Watch as the mighty iron man falls trees, climbs
dangerous mountain passages,  and
even braves a Venusian river of lava to save his human masters.
He is the rare embodiment of Asimov's benign Laws of Robotics
in SF film.
The film's bold sense of adventure helps it survive relatively
watchable 'as is' despite the occasional lapses into propagandspeak.
So much happens in the short running time, from meteors destroying
spaceships, to giant dinosaurs on Venus, to man-eating tentacled
plants, to an attack by a flying reptile, underwater scenes
on the alien planet, and even a volcanic eruption to end it
all, that it's easy enough to drop the 'fast forward' remote
and let the flick wash over you.
Though it's influence was indirect on such current filmmakers
as James Cameron and the Skotak Brothers (in that they saw
the two versions Corman made of it with inserts of American
actors like Basil Rathbone in the end of his career),
it was the Soviet part of the efforts that captured their
young imaginations. In other words, the production design
and use of miniatures, as well as the overall effects photography.
No joke, you can vividly see the influence in early Cameron
pictures like GALAXY OF TERROR and THE TERMINATOR.
Many folks remember bits and pieces of these flicks despite
the fact they've rarely if ever been aired in America since
their Corman-ized release back in the late 60's. That's because
they made the usual rounds as cheap syndicated fodder for
late night local t.v. slots eager to use such sensational
 sounding
A.I.P. titles like ATTACK
OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE, et al. But it's a tribute
to the Russian filmmakers who toiled in near obscurity that
today these flicks are highly prized and sought after for
their historic cinematic value. The value is not merely retrostalgic,
but truly deserved, as these movies advanced SF cinema as
surely as BLADE RUNNER and other more well-regarded efforts
albeit in a less spectacular way.
-- Notes by Dr. Heywood Floyd.
What
Critics Say:
"Well-done
and interesting. "-- ROCKETSHIP VIDEO
"The only truly well made and visually exciting Russian space
travel film." -- OVERLOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORROR
& SF |
Pulgasari
Starring Chamg
Sun Hwi, Jong Guk & Satsisu Kembachiro. Directed by
Shin
Sang-ok & Chong Gon Jo.
The
great appeal of many cult flix lies in the life stories
not of the onscreen characters , per se, but the folks behind
the scenes who were guiding them. Think of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER
SPACE or GLEN
OR GLENDA? and you cannot help but conjure
images of a tortured Lugosi literally dying for a fix between
life-sustaining Wood projects or the hellish existence Wood
himself endured -- particularly the latter years -- to create
his 
special blend of anti-art.
PULGASARI (1985) is just such a flick.
The story line,
production and characters are as bad as they come , not
unlike an Ed Wood effort in its own respective genre in
that regard.
So why set
PULGASARI apart? The life
stories behind the flick are more interesting than what's
onscreen, which -- perversely -- makes subsequent viewings
of PULGASARI
actually much "deeper" with political sub-text
(if you're willing to wade beyond the obvious monster vs.
society surface; not advised, by the way, in most giant
monster flix).
The twisted, sinister tale of PULGASARI's
origins begin with the kidnapping of South Korean director
Shin
Sang-ok by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il (left). According
to Mr. Shin, he was gassed, bagged and delivered into North
Korea one night, only to find himself at the personal behest
of his 'host' Kim Jong, a self-admitted movie
fanatic with one of the world's largest private flix collections.
In fact, his Daddy let a younger Kim Jong Il actually write
the film production primer that all North
Korean flixmakers must 'adhere' to... or else. In North
Korea, you see, all film production is state funded so therefore
state controlled; flixmakers are routinely paid 'unexpected'
visits by government goon squads checking up on them and
the content.
 Turns
out that the now middle-aged dictator not only grooves on
kaiju flix, but now wanted to make one that was
equal parts GORGO and MAJIN himself. Jong's vision: a towering,
iron-eatin' behemoth intent on overthrowing the capitalist
exploiters who've been subduing the beloved
home land. Despite his intent only to return to South Korea,
Shin was now under 'contract' on terms he literally could
not refuse: make PULGASARI or die trying,
'comrade' (and you thought Hollywood contracts were Machiavellian!)
The production process went on for years. Kenpachiro
Satsuma -- the famed actor who has played
Godzilla for many years now (though not the original actor)
-- was brought in to play Pulgasari. Obviously, Kim Jong
knew his kaiju. Alas, while the effects are occasionally
good, most of the time they are distinctly on par and sometimes
sub. This has as much to do  with
the mish mash of production as any intent or lack thereof
on Shin's part.
For you see, Shin was actually plotting (along with his
wife who had also been kidnapped) to defect to America and
soon the grateful couple did so. But though infuriated at
the loss, the North Korean
dictator decided the show must go on (kind of like his discredited
state philosophy), rest/west of the
world be damned. So he appointed a new
stooge director named Chong
Gon Jo
to complete his epic.
That 'rest/west be damned' bit sounds eerily familiar as
of late coming out of North Korea, eh? But what else do
you expect from a post-Stalinist
monster save hard love and fast rockets? That's the weirdest
irony of all about this giant monster who devours iron and
then every bit of metal before it: hidden in the subtext
is a clear perversion  and
rejection of the peasants of not only capitalism but also
later the
liberating communist monster Pulgasari itself.
Wow, no wonder Mr. Shin was ready to risk life and limb
to escape. After all, if you think what the NeoConneds recently
did to CBS over the Ronnie Raygun "bio-pic" was
brutal, imagine what Kim Jong Il would've done to Mr. Shin
if Jong
had been wise enough to detect the subtext before Shin's
defection?
In this sense, Shin's heroic escape and his ability to forever
imbue PULGASARI with an undeniable "bite
the hand that force feeds you" subtext is pretty remarkable,
especially given how frantically Kim Jong Il was probably
editing it later to remove anything too overt once he realized
he'd been 'had.'
Not that
PULGASARI ever mounted to a hill
of beans outside the Korean peninsula, Northern latitudes,
that is. There, it was a huge hit, and since most of the
attendees were probably ordered to show up, hell, I'm sure
the numbers at the box office were impre$$ive. Maybe Ahnuld
should consider a similar act, ordering lazy Americans to
attend one
of the usual bland Hollywood by-product 'plex 
offerings? --
Notes by Magilla Gorilla.
What
Critics Say:
"The
same team that made GODZILLA 1985 did PULGASARI's
special effects. So while the rest of the movie looks rather
budget impoverished, the suit is quite good... a wonderful
primer on Korean culture... Shin moved to America a few
years back, changed his name to Simon Sheen, and helped
produce an American version of PULGASARI
called GALGAMETH... If only more bad movies were so loved
by their creators." -- STOMP TOKYO
 "How
many times in your life do you get to see a monster movie
produced by a living, breathing Stalinist dictator? Hopefully
only once." -- TABLOID.net
"GODZILLA rip-off that made Kim Jong Il proud."
-- SALON
"It’s amazing that after fifty years of monster
movies, the technology has not changed... rear screen projection
is replaced by people actually running in front of a drive-in
movie screen. Who would have even thought there was a drive-in
in North Korea?" -- FILM  THREAT.com
"BRAVEHEART meets GODZILLA... functions as a fine demonstration
why totalitarian governments are a bad thing. Any society
which would even bother to ban an artifact this innocuous
is one capable of making us grateful for even the worst
movies ever aired on cable television." --
SCI-FILM
"A monster movie with bite. It has romance, tragedy,
sacrifice, action, memorable special effects and on top
of all that – a powerful political message...better
than the Hollywood remake of GODZILLA it should keep the
viewer in stitches right to its baffling end (can’t
reveal the shock ending). A must see for all monster movie
aficionados." -- THE HOT SPOT
"Rumours abound about Mr. Kim's favourite movies...
they include the FRIDAY THE 13TH slasher films and gangster
pictures like SCARFACE and THE GODFATHER." -- BBC
NEWS
"Those of us who grew up on the dated FX movies and
the Godzilla stuff will like it just because, in it's own
different way, it seems to work, but I'm at a loss for words
to describe the appeal, as it must be seen to be experienced...
3 out of 5 stars." -- SEVERE SINEMA
Like this flick? See also: BAMBOO
SAUCER;
THE
DARK;
THE EYE CREATURES;
HUMAN
VAPOR; | | |
Reviews:
P,Q
