Rudolph Grey - Nightmare Of Ecstasy: Ed Wood

[ripper]

Jul 23, 2020 15:02:39 GMT helrunar said:

It was those stupid Medved brothers who pushed the idea of Plan 9 as the "worst movie ever made." I don't think they understood much about film and its varieties and they certainly knew nothing about art. But they cleaned up trashing other people's work. The latter activity has been a thing since a certain point in the later 20th century.

Always a delight as is Robot Monster--both films make life bearable when one is in need of a warped switch of perspective and some good old fashioned laughs.

H.

I bought both of the Medved's books before I had the opportunity of seeing Plan Nine and Robot Monster. I view a 'bad' movie as one which bores me, and Plan Nine and Robot Monster don't do that, whereas a blockbuster like Titanic had me bored stiff within 15 minutes. The title 'Fifty Worst Movies of all Time' makes no sense. I doubt if the Medveds had seen every single film ever made, so how can a particular film be rated the worst when you have only seen a very small subset of films?

[bluetomb]

Jul 24, 2020 11:07:13 GMT ripper said:

Jul 23, 2020 15:02:39 GMT helrunar said:

It was those stupid Medved brothers who pushed the idea of Plan 9 as the "worst movie ever made." I don't think they understood much about film and its varieties and they certainly knew nothing about art. But they cleaned up trashing other people's work. The latter activity has been a thing since a certain point in the later 20th century.

Always a delight as is Robot Monster--both films make life bearable when one is in need of a warped switch of perspective and some good old fashioned laughs.

H.

I bought both of the Medved's books before I had the opportunity of seeing Plan Nine and Robot Monster. I view a 'bad' movie as one which bores me, and Plan Nine and Robot Monster don't do that, whereas a blockbuster like Titanic had me bored stiff within 15 minutes. The title 'Fifty Worst Movies of all Time' makes no sense. I doubt if the Medveds had seen every single film ever made, so how can a particular film be rated the worst when you have only seen a very small subset of films?

Am I just imagining it or do they claim Last Year in Marienbad as one of these 50? I'm not an "anyone who doesn't like the avant garde is a Philistine" sort, and can appreciate even a critic not being that into even a generally regarded classic film of the sort, but that does seem like a pretty shameless populist crack. 

[bluetomb]

Jul 23, 2020 12:29:09 GMT ripper said:

As yesterday--22 July--was the 61st anniversary of the release of Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space, I thought I would watch it again, and as 'bad' movies always need to be viewed as a double bill, I dug out my copy of Robot Monster and watched that as well.

Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959)
I first saw Plan Nine when Channel 4 screened a season of 'bad' movies just before Christmas one year--1982 or 1983 I think. It was made for very little money, even by the standards of 1959, and that is apparent in the production values. From the dodgy flying saucer effects to wobbly tombstones and bare bones aircraft cockpit set, it's tiny budget is on display. The script is poor, with some classic lines of b-movie dialogue. Acting is overall below par, with performances too often wooden or over the top. Wood himself is not a good director. In fact, I can't think of anything in Plan Nine that is above average, or even touching average. So, you might think my opinion is that the movie is junk. Nope. For all its faults, Plan Nine is never boring. There's always something happening on screen to entertain the viewer. Wood might not have had much talent as a film-maker, but it is obvious that he loved making films and did the best he could with the very limited skills and resources at his disposal. He gave work to Bela Lugosi at a time when Hollywood didn't want to know. He had the talents of pioneer horror host Vampira--such a pity that she does not have a larger role, but I read that she didn't like the script and wanted a non-speaking role. Dudley Manlove is very entertaining to watch as the head of the aliens. Gregory Walcott had parts in a number of films and TV series. Ex-wrestler Tor Johnson is not too bad as Inspector Clay--he's not much of an actor but gives an entertaining performance. Critics may scoff and sneer at Plan Nine and other Wood movies, but he did what he loved to do, and I have no doubt that people will be watching Plan Nine in another 61 years time, and I don't think we can say the same for today's $100m so-called blockbusters.

Robot Monster (1953)
Also screened by Channel 4, I think that is where I first saw Phil Tucker's Robot Monster. It is generally viewed as a 'bad' movie, comparable to Plan Nine. It does, however, appear to have a smaller budget than Plan Nine, with threadbare production values. The film was filmed in 3-D at the height of the craze, though I don't know if 3-D prints still exist. The film was made in Bronson Canyon, not too far from Los Angeles, a favourite location for low-budget SF films of the 1950s. Tucker filmed Robot Monster in just 4 days with a cast fewer in number than Plan Nine's. Some cast members such as George Nader and Selena Royle had careers in secondary feature films--Nader won a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer. However, it is George Barrows that usually gets the lion's share of attention as Ro-Man. Barrows starred in Robot Monster as a favour to Tucker. Barrows had a gorilla suit and with the addition of a ladies stocking and diving helmet Ro-Man was created--Tucker didn't have the money for a proper robot costume. Barrows had a long career, often featuring as a gorilla as late as 1978. It must have been sweltering in that suit and helmet in the heat of the Californian desert when filming Robot Monster. Barrows also played The Great Guidance, Ro-Man's superior, while waving apparently a violin bow. Popular radio actor John Brown provided the voices for Ro-Man and The Great Guidence, and it is the dialogue of those two that provides some truly classic moments. One aspect of the film that puts it above the usual B-movie fare is its music score, which was written by Elmer Bernstein. After making Robot Monster and being in dispute with its distributor, Tucker fell into depression and attempted suicide. Thankfully, he was found in time and went on to direct a number of other films. He went on to become a successful film editor, working on the 1976 version of King Kong appropriately enough. Robot Monster is by no means a 'good' film, but like Plan Nine it is never boring, and Tucker, like Ed Wood, made films from a genuine love for the medium. Like Plan Nine, I am sure Robot Monster will be watched for decades to come. It is a shame that Wood and Tucker could not have lived into the 1990s; both would have been in great demand on the B-movie festival circuit.

I first heard of Plan 9 From Outer Space and Robot Monster in a tome called The World's Worst Movies, which also included such classics as Frogs, I Drink Your Blood, Caligula, and kaiju cinema collectively after the first Godzilla. I'm quite fond of Plan 9, it may be incompetent and silly in so many, many ways, but it has an innocent elan, a good message and a smattering of fun atmospheric or trippy moments. Far from the worst movie ever made, in fact not even the worst Tor Johnson movie ever made (I'm a fan of droning mind bender The Beast of Yucca Flats but its appeal is a bit niche). As andy notes, there are worse Jess Franco movies (I think Franco was something of an outsider genius when he was on form but off he could be wretched), and there have been other Euro-hacks who did worse, and fellow old time cheap horror/sci-fi purveyors. I prefer Plan 9 from Outer Space to Eegah for instance. I ought to dig it out again actually. I have the DVD release with a rather nice feature length documentary about its legacy. I should give Robot Monster another go as well actually, I remember thinking it ok but had made the possible mistake of watching it on it's own on a whim one night when it may be better taken during more of a binge. I am always in support of old timey gorilla suit monsters, especially fishbowl helmet gorilla suit monsters.

For me the very worst of older fare is probably found among the lower reaches of 70's adult fare, and more recently late 90's through probably now straight to multipack DVD shot on video and then digital no budget horror, with The Black Witch Project (2001) taking my personal biscuit.

[helrunar]

Thanks, ripper. The documentary sounds cool. I unfortunately can't stream films on a certain popular retail site, but at my advanced age, sometimes it's just nice to know that these things are out there.

cheers, Helrunar

[helrunar]

Yes, Marienbad was on their list. And I'd seen the film when the book was out and saw a reference in a review to the fact that the Robbe-Grillet/Resnais film was in there. And I let fly a big old "what the hell???" I'm about the opposite of a film snob but I did think it was so unusual, and beautifully photographed--Delphine Seyrig was compelling. I've wondered if how he shot her might have influenced some of Fassbinder's work with Hanna Schygulla later on in the 70s.

I seem to recall the Medveds made films themselves but don't remember anything beyond that and really do not feel like checking Wikipaedia.

cheers, Hel

[andydecker]

These populist - or maybe snobish - trashing of movies is so dumb. It takes movies out of its context. Technically inept things in a production is one thing, but whining about movies like Last Year at Marienbad just reveals ignorance. Bullys can mock everything. Easiest thing in the world.

[cauldronbrewer]

Jul 24, 2020 11:07:13 GMT ripper said:

I bought both of the Medved's books before I had the opportunity of seeing Plan Nine and Robot Monster. I view a 'bad' movie as one which bores me, and Plan Nine and Robot Monster don't do that, whereas a blockbuster like Titanic had me bored stiff within 15 minutes. The title 'Fifty Worst Movies of all Time' makes no sense. I doubt if the Medveds had seen every single film ever made, so how can a particular film be rated the worst when you have only seen a very small subset of films?

Another fun film that pays tribute to one of the Medveds’ targets--in this case William Castle--is Joe Dante's Matinee, which features John Goodman as a Castle-like producer making a radioactive insect film titled Mant during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[bluetomb]

I've not seen Matinee or indeed much Castle, but I did rewatch House on Haunted Hill recently and it struck me as a perfectly good knowingly fun, darkly comic b picture.

I have a faint memory of there being some film in particular that made the Medved's give up on their ambition of working in the industry and turn to criticising it instead. Some trash horror or exploitation or possibly adult, but all I can really remember about the claim is that I was keen on the film and I figured it made them realise their own efforts would be forever futile.

[ripper]

Jul 24, 2020 17:34:13 GMT bluetomb said:

I've not seen Matinee or indeed much Castle, but I did House on Haunted Hill recently and it struck me as a perfectly good knowingly fun, darkly comic b picture.

I have a faint memory of there being some film in particular that made the Medved's give up on their ambition of working in the industry and turn to criticising it instead. Some trash horror or exploitation or possibly adult, but all I can really remember about the claim is that I was keen on the film and I figured it made them realise their own efforts would be forever futile.

Assume you are talking about the Vincent Price version of House on Haunted Hill. It has some wonderful dialogue between Price and the actress playing his wife. It also has a scene that used to terrify me as a kid...when the secretary and pilot are exploring. She is on her own and a creepy old woman sneaks up behind her.

[bluetomb]

Jul 25, 2020 15:22:21 GMT ripper said:

Jul 24, 2020 17:34:13 GMT bluetomb said:

I've not seen Matinee or indeed much Castle, but I did House on Haunted Hill recently and it struck me as a perfectly good knowingly fun, darkly comic b picture.

I have a faint memory of there being some film in particular that made the Medved's give up on their ambition of working in the industry and turn to criticising it instead. Some trash horror or exploitation or possibly adult, but all I can really remember about the claim is that I was keen on the film and I figured it made them realise their own efforts would be forever futile.

Assume you are talking about the Vincent Price version of House on Haunted Hill. It has some wonderful dialogue between Price and the actress playing his wife. It also has a scene that used to terrify me as a kid...when the secretary and pilot are exploring. She is on her own and a creepy old woman sneaks up behind her.

That's the one. Some great tart dialogue, and that scene as well as others are better scares than many a modern film that takes itself entirely seriously.