CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER--The Comic Book

Titan Comics and Hammer Films have started a new comic book series based on the 1972 film CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER. For those not familiar with the movie, it tells of the adventures of a soldier who travels throughout 17th Century Europe seeking and destroying the undead. Written, produced, and directed by Brian Clemens, it is one of the best Hammer features from the company's early 1970s period.

Clemens once said in an interview that he felt Kronos was very much like a comic book hero, so it is fitting that the character is facing new adventures in this medium. The first issue begins with Kronos and his companions Professor Grost and Carla battling a vampire named Porphyr and his zombie horde. Kronos & Co. then travel to the village of Serechurch to face a new threat.

The comic was written by Dan Abnett, with art by Tom Mandrake. It's unrealistic to judge a comic series based on the very first issue, but I thought the story was more than satisfactory. The tone of this issue is a bit darker than the film--it also somewhat reminded me of the FLESH AND BLOOD series of graphic novels created by Robert Tinnell and Neil Vokes. Tom Mandrake's artwork is excellent, but his renderings of Kronos, Professor Grost, and Carla, who were played in the film by Horst Janson, John Cater, and Caroline Munro, have a vague resemblance to the actors instead of being perfect reproductions.

The one major difference between the comic book and the film is the character of Carla. In the movie Carla is a naive gypsy girl who Kronos takes along with him in his travels. The comic portrays Carla as having spent some time with the vampire hunter on his journeys, so now she herself is a dedicated and effective destroyer of the undead (she also has a far more impressive wardrobe than she did in the film). I have a feeling that this upgraded version of Carla was meant to bring a 21st Century strong female sensibility to the series. (The comic book Carla is still just as buxom as the typical Hammer leading lady, however.)

I have to admit that if I had not seen the alternate cover of the CAPTAIN KRONOS first issue (see above) when I walked into my local comic book shop, I probably wouldn't have purchased it. The picture is of course of Caroline Munro, and I'm sure some will point out that it's not even a photo from the CAPTAIN KRONOS movie--it's a publicity still from DRACULA A.D. 1972. But hey, the cover got me to buy the issue--so it did its job. (The first issue also has a couple other covers that feature traditional comic book art.) The issue also has a two-page spread detailing the origins of the Captain Kronos character, written by Hammer historian Marcus Hearn. The alternate cover and the two-page spread are a canny way to get Hammer Film fans interested in the comic.

It will be interesting to see happens in future issues of the comic. The first issue reiterated that in Captain Kronos' world, there are several different types of vampires who have different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. This variety will be useful, since readers may tire of having the same characters kill vampires over and over again.

DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE

Today is the birthday of actress Martine Beswicke. Nearly every movie Martine appeared in has a cult status attached to it, and she herself holds a high place among fans of genre cinema. With her unique exotic looks, you couldn't confuse Martine for any other performer. She also exuded a sense of danger about her--you felt that she could beat the crap out of you if she had to. She certainly wasn't the girl next door, and while this might have helped her obtain particular roles, it also may have limited her choice of parts as well.

I've always felt that despite the many memorable productions she was attached to, Martine's abilities were never fully taken advantage of. She was in two different James Bond films--FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL--but her roles in them were almost glorified cameos. She should have been a Bond leading lady, or a main Bond villain--heck, I think would she have been great as James Bond. When I watch all the big-budget comic book/action spectaculars of today's cinema, I'm constantly recasting them in my mind with the actors who were in the classic horror and science-fiction movies that I love. I can't help but think, "What if Martine Beswicke had been the Black Widow? Or what if she had been Wonder Woman?" The mind reels at such an enticing prospect.

For my money the 1971 Hammer film DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE contains Martine Beswicke's best movie role. She's Sister Hyde, of course--the alter ego of Dr. Jekyll, played by Ralph Bates. DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE also happens to be one of the best Hammer productions from the early 1970s, a time when the company was undergoing major upheaval.

Ralph Bates and Martine Beswicke as Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde

In late 1800s London, Dr. Henry Jekyll is obsessed with coming up with a universal cure for various diseases. Jekyll's friend, Professor Robertson (Gerald Sim), tells him that with all the testing and research that must be done to combat each individual disease, the doctor will be dead and buried by the time any real results happen. This bothers Jekyll so much that he shifts his researches into finding a way to prolong human life. Jekyll focuses on female hormones, since women live longer lives than men. He successfully changes a male fly's sex to female, and Jekyll eventually transforms himself into a female, but only for a short time. The doctor needs more female hormones to continue his experiments, but his "suppliers", who are none other than the notorious grave robbers Burke & Hare, are attacked by angry citizens. Jekyll starts killing prostitutes himself to obtain what he needs. Sister Hyde becomes more powerful each time she returns, and "she" complicates Jekyll's relationship with his upstairs neighbor Susan. Jekyll winds up being suspected of the Jack-the-Ripper like killings, and he tries to destroy the influence of Sister Hyde--but she winds up destroying him.

DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE was written by Brian Clemens, and produced by Clemens and Albert Fennell. The two had worked on the famed British TV show THE AVENGERS during its most memorable seasons, and this film has much of the sly, witty attitude of that TV program. Clemens' clever reworking of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous tale goes beyond the typical Hammer formula. The writer integrates the legends of Burke & Hare and Jack the Ripper, but this factor doesn't seem contrived at all. The sexual aspects of the shift between Jekyll and Sister Hyde are portrayed subtly and effectively. There are violent murders here, but director Roy Ward Baker uses suggestion more than blood--DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE is nowhere near as gory as most other horror films made around the same time. Baker and cinematographer Norman Warwick use a number of unusual camera set-ups to bring visual variety to a movie that has very few sets.

The transformation between Jekyll and Sister Hyde is handled very simply, without the use of complicated special effects. Some critics of the film have complained about this, but I believe any available FX of the time would have not held up very well (besides, Hammer probably couldn't have afforded a major FX sequence of this nature). What is important isn't so much the transformation, but the difference between Jekyll and Sister Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll, in this story, comes off as a misanthrope, far more interested in his experiments than in the humanity he is supposedly trying to help. His best friend Professor Robertson even calls him "a remote sort of fellow". Ralph Bates was an excellent actor, but he may have been too good--all of the characters he played for Hammer were very unlikable, and Dr. Jekyll is no exception. Jekyll is indecisive and morose, and when he engages Susan into a discussion about the morality of doing harm to individuals in order to effect greater good for the masses, he appears to be begging for an excuse to kill prostitutes in order to further his experiments. It's very hard to feel sympathy for this Jekyll.

As for Sister Hyde, she's confident, determined, and assured. She definitely wears the pants in the family. When Sister Hyde goes out to "collect" female hormones, she strides about the fog-shrouded streets with her head held high, and she even chooses to wear a magnificent red dress--there's no hide in this Hyde. Martine Beswicke obviously has the showier role here, but she makes the most of it. She's sultry, sexy, and devious, and she commands one's attention whenever she's on the screen. Poor Jekyll winds up looking unpleasant and uninteresting compared to his "sister". Hyde even seduces upstairs neighbor Susan's brother Howard, making one of the most bizarre relationship triangles in movie history. Susan (for whatever reason) is taken with Jekyll, and constantly goes out of her way to attract his attention. Sister Hyde seems to regard Susan with a mixture of contempt and jealousy--there are all sorts of theories one can discern from this, and I'll leave it to the readers to come up with their own ideas on it. (It does have to be pointed out that Ralph Bates and Martine Beswicke do bear a certain resemblance to each other, as you can see in the picture above.)

Sister Hyde in all "her" glory

There's more to this movie than just a gimmicky double act, though. It has a different feel and tone from the usual Hammer product. We don't see the expected supporting players, such as the Michael Rippers, etc. Gerald Sim does a very fine job as Professor Robertson. The Professor is the antithesis of Jekyll--he's a man who enjoys a good time, and he's always dressed rather smartly, and he's a bit of a rogue. Considering Brian Clemens' background with THE AVENGERS, I can't help but see a bit of John Steed in the character of the Professor. Despite his charm, the Professor is serious in trying to stop the Ripper-like murders--but he winds up getting seduced and killed by Sister Hyde, who knows how exactly to deal with her "brother's" friend. David Whitaker's music score has a very un-Hammer like feel to it as well--it has a romantic lushness to it, and at times it even sounds jaunty.

The one problem I do have with DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE is the ending, which has Jekyll fleeing from the police and taking to the rooftops. Jekyll winds up hanging on the edge of a building, much like Jimmy Stewart at the beginning of VERTIGO. Jekyll begins to change into Sister Hyde, and he/she falls to the street below and is killed, with a face showing a grotesque combination of the doctor's two personalities. I personally would have preferred a more exciting climax...say Susan and Jekyll trying to have a personal moment and Sister Hyde bursting through and causing havoc. (Martine really should have been given a more notable exit.)

Nevertheless, DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE is one of the better Hammer movies from the latter days of the company. One wishes that Brian Clemens had been involved in more features for Hammer--the only other production he did for them was CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, another highly entertaining and underrated film that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves.

One also wishes that Martine Beswicke had been involved in more features for Hammer as well. She held her own alongside Raquel Welch in ONE MILLION YEARS B.C., and as for PREHISTORIC WOMEN/SLAVE GIRLS? Well....she looked spectacular as the Queen of the Amazons, but she didn't get to really do much in that movie. (The publicity stills of Martine for PREHISTORIC WOMEN are far more exciting than anything in the film.) Sister Hyde is from my viewpoint her signature role.

In the last few years Martine has become the immortal muse of my good friend, independent filmmaker Joshua Kennedy. The two have collaborated on a series of music videos that must be seen to be believed (they can be accessed on Josh's YouTube page). In 2018 Martine is scheduled to appear in HOUSE OF THE GORGON, to be written & directed by Josh and produced by Mark Redfield.

Suzan Farmer (1942-2017)

In the last twelve months three women associated with Hammer Films have passed away--Valerie Gaunt, Yvonne Monlaur, and Jennifer Daniel. Unfortunately another must be added to the list: Suzan Farmer. The English actress appeared in four films for the company--THE CRIMSON BLADE, THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES, DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK. She also starred in American-International's 1965 H.P. Lovecraft adaptation DIE, MONSTER, DIE!, with Boris Karloff and Nick Adams.

Suzan's genre roles were all basically similar--a pretty young girl menaced by strange and dark forces. These parts may not have been very substantial, but Farmer brought a fresh-faced innocence to them that made her a perfect damsel in distress. She was the subject of Christopher Lee's sinister designs in three different films, most memorably in DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS. The scene where Lee's Count tries to initiate Suzan's Diana Kent into the habits of the undead is a major Hammer highlight.

I've always had a fondness for DIE, MONSTER, DIE!, mostly because I first saw it on Svengoolie's show back in the 1980s (when Sven was known as the Son of Svengoolie). It's not a great film, but it's perfect example of a Saturday afternoon monster flick. In her other genre roles Farmer looked fantastic in period costume, but DIE, MONSTER, DIE! allowed her to wear a more normal, contemporary wardrobe. She plays something of the equivalent of a Marilyn Munster role, since she's the daughter of Boris Karloff and Freda Jackson (how did those two have an offspring that looked like Suzan?). Farmer's beauty and nice girl attitude made her stick out like a sore thumb among the dour surroundings of this movie.

Most of Farmer's acting career mostly consisted of appearances on British TV in the 1960s and 1970s (I don't think she would have fit in very well with the more explicit Hammer productions made in the early Seventies). She had stayed out of the public eye for a long time, but she did participate in an audio commentary for an Anchor Bay DVD of DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, along with her co-stars Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, and Francis Matthews. (The commentary is also available on the Millennium Blu-ray of DPOD.) Farmer was definitely the quietest one of the quartet, but she seemed to enjoy the experience.

I don't particularly relish writing these posts on the passing of Hammer performers--I hope this is the last one I have to do for a while. This does make me treasure even more the encounters I have had with some of the Hammer ladies over the years.

Trinity Twin Pack--Blu-ray Review

Hen's Tooth Video has released THEY CALL ME TRINITY (1970) and TRINITY IS STILL MY NAME (1971) on Blu-ray as a twin pack set. These are two of the most famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Spaghetti Westerns ever made.

Italian actors Mario Girotti and Carlo Pedersoli (better known under the names Terence Hill and Bud Spencer) had already been paired before in Euro Westerns, but it was the Trinity films that made them international stars. The blond Terence Hill, with his leading man looks, and the physically imposing Bud Spencer made a great team, and they would continue to make movies together into the 1990s. The writer and director of the Trinity films, Enzo Barboni (working under the name of E.B. Clucher) wanted to send up the Western format, and the movies were massively popular, especially in Europe. Many blame the Trinity films for starting the downward spiral of the Spaghetti Western, but the fact is that by the early 1970s the genre was already being hurt by over saturation of product.

Terence Hill plays ne'er-do-well Trinity, and Bud Spencer is his grumpy brother Bambino. In both movies the two men try to con and scavenge their way across the Old West, but their schemes fall flat as they wind up reluctantly coming to the aid of various folks instead. In THEY CALL ME TRINITY, Hill stumbles upon his brother posing as a sheriff in a backwater town. (The real sheriff was trying to bring Bambino in, but Bambino shot him and usurped the lawman's identity.) The brothers decide to help a group of peaceful religious settlers from being driven out by the town boss (played by Farley Granger, a long long way from STRANGERS ON A TRAIN).

TRINITY IS STILL MY NAME has the brothers visiting their parents (Harry Carey Jr. has a small role as the boys' Dad). The visit prods Bambino into trying to train Trinity as a "proper" criminal, but the duo become mistaken for a pair of federal agents, and they attempt to waylay the plans of a devious gun-runner.

The Trinity films have a legendary reputation, but I must admit that from my perspective, they don't hold up very well when viewed today. I find the movies more amusing than flat-out funny. Terence Hill does have huge screen presence, and while some might find his antics ingratiating, others may consider him exasperating. It's hard to get excited about a character whose main goal in life is to avoid any type of responsibility whatsoever. The main joke about Trinity is that while he's incredibly lazy, he has almost superhuman powers with a gun. Despite this the Trinity movies have very little gunplay (both films are rated G!). Most of the action, such as it is, involves the brothers getting into fistfights with numerous opponents. These fights are almost on a Three Stooges-type of level (the mountain-like Bambino beats up several men at once). I was actually more impressed with Bud Spencer than Hill--especially Spencer's Oliver Hardy-like reactions to all the events happening around him.

The style of the films are very much like the main characters themselves--they sort of meander along, without seeming to be in any of a hurry to get anywhere. Both movies have a running time of nearly two hours, and that's very long for material such as this. Enzo Barboni had been a cinematographer on a number of other Spaghetti Westerns, such as the original DJANGO, but for the Trinity films he leaves the camera on Hill and Spencer and lets them carry the load.

Hen's Tooth Video has put each of the two films in this set on its on disc. Each movie is presented in HD 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and the transfers look fantastic. The audio on both films is in English (it sounds like it is the original English dubbing). There is not an Italian audio track on these discs, which will no doubt disappoint purists. Both discs feature a short photo gallery for each film. Both discs have an original trailer--the one for TRINITY IS STILL MY NAME is German. It's too bad that audio commentaries for the films were not included. The movies appear to be uncut--but when it comes to Euro Westerns, one can never be too sure.

The Trinity films are certainly not on the level of Sergio Leone--or Sergio Corbucci, or Sergio Sollima, for that matter--but Spaghetti Western fanatics will appreciate having official fine-looking Blu-ray versions of them.

ERIK THE CONQUEROR On Arrow Blu-ray

Arrow Video delves once again into the work of the Italian Maestro of cinematic fantasy with their release of Mario Bava's 1961 Viking epic ERIK THE CONQUEROR.

A number of Viking adventure films were made in Europe during the 1960s, at the height of the sword & sandal genre known as peplum. Mario Bava had a great deal to do with the development of the peplum film due to his work on the original HERCULES movies, so ERIK THE CONQUEROR was more in accord to his stylistic tastes than one would initially assume. What at first glance this seems to be nothing more than a cheap imitation of the Kirk Douglas vehicle THE VIKINGS becomes a tale worthy of note thanks to Bava's visual talent. Tim Lucas calls ERIK THE CONQUEROR the director's most underrated film, and I'd have to agree with that assessment.

The story begins with a raid on a Viking settlement on the coast of England in the 8th Century. During the raid, the Viking king is killed, and his young sons Eron and Erik are split up--Eron is taken back to his homeland, and Erik is found and adopted by the English Queen Alice. Twenty years later, Eron (Cameron Mitchell) and Erik (George Ardisson) come into conflict with each other, with the added complication of a pair of beautiful vestal virgins, played by the Kessler sisters (German-born twins who were famous in Europe for their cabaret act). 

ERIK THE CONQUEROR has plenty of the action one would expect from the usual peplum film--the opening raid on the Viking village, a battle at sea, and a climatic attack on a English castle. What makes these sequences even more impressive is how little time and budget Bava had to make them. Bava was not just the director here, he was also the cinematographer and co-writer. His visual flair is imparted in every scene in the film, and the result is some truly outstanding widescreen compositions. I could give you several examples of how Bava brought this story up a notch by his staging and lighting, but the main one I will use is what he does with the Vikings' subterranean main hall. Bava turns it into a phantasmagorical realm set next to the roots of a giant tree--the set is more expressive and emotionally stimulating than most of the cast.

Arrow Video has released ERIK THE CONQUEROR on Region A Blu-ray with a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative. ERIK THE CONQUEROR was released on DVD by Anchor Bay a few years ago, and I've always thought that version looked pretty good--but this Blu-ray blows it out of the water. This disc features rich, saturated colors and increased detail throughout the film. It's a stunning display, and a prime showcase for Bava's artistry.

This Blu-ray has Italian and English mono audio and newly translated English subtitles. Bava biographer Tim Lucas has revised his audio commentary that was presented on the Anchor Bay ERIK THE CONQUEROR DVD and it is featured here. Lucas does his typically excellent job, and he works in snippets of an interview he conducted with Cameron Mitchell (the entire interview is provided on the disc as a separate extra). A 24-page booklet is included, with a number of stills from the film and an essay on the production by Kat Ellinger. The author makes the case that Bava's forays into the peplum genre have very much in common with his more renowned horror films.

Another fine extra is a short featurette from Michael Mackenzie detailing the similarities between THE VIKINGS and ERIK THE CONQUEROR. The disc package features a reversible sleeve with art from Graham Humphreys--one side uses the Italian title of the film: GLI INVASORI.

I've highly complimented every disc I've bought from Arrow Video, and that is because they are deserving of such praise. ERIK THE CONQUEROR isn't BLACK SUNDAY, or PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, but this Blu-ray is a must-buy for anyone who admires the visual brilliance of Mario Bava.

Jennifer Daniel (1936-2017)

Another actress who was associated with Hammer Films has passed away recently--Jennifer Daniel, who starred in THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE and THE REPTILE for the company.

Daniel was born in Wales and spent most of her performing career appearing on stage and television in England. She will be most remembered for her Hammer roles. My devotion (and weakness) for the Hammer ladies is well known, and Daniel was one of my favorites. Many of the Hammer ladies were so spectacular looking that it was hard to even conceive of them doing normal everyday things, but in her two roles for Hammer Daniel exuded a kindly, down-to-earth realism. You could say that she was the domesticated Hammer Scream Queen.

In THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE Daniel plays Marianne Harcourt, a young wife travelling in Central Europe with her husband Gerald (played by Edward de Souza). The couple's automobile breaks down and they become the prey of Dr. Ravna (Noel Willman) and his "family" of vampires. Daniel's Marianne is not the usual all looks no brains female in danger, despite the fact that she is absolutely stunning in the red dress she wears during a party at Ravna's castle. Daniel firmly establishes Marianne as a sensible, loving wife and a decent person--which makes the scene of her spitting into Gerald's face while under the spell of Ravna all the more shocking. Daniel makes Marianne into someone the audience can truly care about.

In THE REPTILE Daniel plays another loving, sensible wife--Valerie Spalding, who moves to Cornwall with her husband Harry (Ray Barrett). Harry's brother has just died mysteriously, and the couple's investigations lead them to the menacing Dr. Franklyn and his strange daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce). Daniel ably portrays Valerie's care and concern for Anna's plight, without realizing that the girl turns into a snake-human hybrid (this is a Hammer movie, after all). THE REPTILE could even be seen as a kind of sequel to THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE--the relationship between Valerie and Harry is very much like that of Marianne and Gerald, and once again Daniel is put in danger by Noel Willman.

Jennifer Daniel and Jacqueline Pearce in THE REPTILE

The only Jennifer Daniel interview I have ever read was published in Richard Klemensen's LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS issue #10/11. In it she seemed to appreciate her time at Hammer. A few years ago a Region B Blu-ray of THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE was released, which had an audio commentary featuring Daniel and Edward de Souza. I do not have a multi-region Blu-ray player so I have not heard this commentary, but I would certainly have loved to know what she said during it. Jennifer Daniel was married to actor Dinsdale Landen for over forty years until his death in 2003.

Jennifer Daniel may not have the huge cult following that some of the other Hammer ladies, but she definitely made an impression on me. I'm mystified as to why she didn't have more of a big-screen career, and I'm disappointed that most of her TV work is unavailable in America.

THE 13TH MAN

Not too long ago I met up with my friend Steve Zalusky at a Chicago White Sox game (needless to say, they lost). Steve is a huge film buff, and he suggested that I seek out a 1937 film called THE 13TH MAN. This 70 minute potboiler was the first release from the "new" Monogram Pictures, one of the most famous makers of B movies in the Classic Hollywood era.

A crusading District Attorney is running for re-election, and part of his campaign is a promise to add to the list of 12 public enemies he has put away. The D.A. promises to announce the indictment of a "13th Man" while speaking on newspaper columnist Swifty Taylor's (Weldon Heyburn) radio show. The D.A., along with Swifty, attends a prizefight...and seated in the audience are several folks who are candidates to be the 13th Man. The D.A. drops dead during the fight, apparently from heart failure...but the prosecutor was hit by a poisoned dart in the neck. Swifty is determined to find the killer, especially after his right-hand man, ace reporter Jimmy Moran (Milburn Stone) is also murdered during the investigation. With support from his long suffering secretary Julie (Inez Courtney), Swifty exposes the killer live on his radio show.

THE 13TH MAN features a number of elements that will be recognizable to movie buffs. The leading couple act like they can't stand each other, but they are really in love, there's a seemingly impossible murder, the story includes gangsters, goons, and scenes set in a swanky nightclub, etc. What hurts the film the most is the leading man, an actor by the name of Weldon Heyburn. In the book B MOVIES, the author Don Miller refers to Heyburn as a "Gable look-alike". Personally, I don't think Weldon looked much like the King of Hollywood--he certainly doesn't have Gable's natural charisma. Heyburn's Swifty is far too glib and obnoxious--the actor didn't have much of a movie career after this, and that's understandable.

Inez Courtney comes off far better as Julie. She's very cute and also funny, which makes it even more puzzling why her character would have major feelings for a lug like Swifty. (Courtney played a much dizzier dame in the 1935 THE RAVEN, alongside Karloff & Lugosi.) A very young Milburn Stone, who of course would go on to be best known as Doc on GUNSMOKE, does very well as the doomed Jimmy--Stone would have been a much better choice to play this film's lead. The script drops all sorts of hints that Jimmy is going to get offed--he's scheduled to get married to his secretary, and because the couple constantly talk about their bright future together, you just know that something is going to happen to the guy. (This subplot is a variation on the "police detective getting killed with one week left to retirement" trope.) The rest of the cast is made up of generic character actors that even I'm not familiar with.

THE 13TH MAN isn't an outstanding film, but it does have a few interesting quirks. The best scene by far is the D.A.'s death during the prize fight. As the prosecutor begins to feel the effects of the poison, the referee is counting out one of the fighters in the ring. Every time the ref says a number, we see one of the faces of the D.A.'s enemies who are sitting in the vicinity. When the ref gets to 10, the D.A. slumps over and dies. It's a finely edited sequence that stands out in this type of low-budget fare. THE 13TH MAN was directed by William Nigh, who cranked out dozens and dozens of these types of pictures during his prolific career--his name is mentioned several times in the FORGOTTEN HORRORS series of books. As a matter of fact, THE 13TH MAN is covered in FORGOTTEN HORRORS 2: BEYOND THE HORROR BAN.

The other notable thing about THE 13TH MAN is the climax, which has one of those "Gather all the suspects in a room and reveal the killer" scenes. This one stands out due to Swifty's announcing the murderer live on air in the same room. I actually guessed correctly who done it--but don't worry, I won't give out the culprit's name here. I watched THE 13TH MAN on YouTube--the quality wasn't too bad, but the main titles were missing.

I don't think THE 13TH MAN deserves major reevaluation, but it did remind me of the many TV crime drama episodes I saw as a kid in the late 1970s-early 80s. It's not meant to be an outstanding epic--it was designed to be program filler, and reliable entertainment. For what it is, it's not bad--but Weldon Heyburn and Inez Courtney won't make you forget William Powell and Myrna Loy.

CROSSPLOT

One of the things about being a film buff is that you have a tendency to pay more attention to the cast & crew of certain movies than you do to the movie itself. A perfect example of this is the 1969 British feature CROSSPLOT, starring Roger Moore.

I saw this film for the first time on television a few days ago, and what struck me was the number of actors in the cast that had cult associations, particularly with Hammer Films. CROSSPLOT has the lovely Veronica Carlson, Francis Matthews, and Bernard Lee, all of whom have co-starred with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee at one time or another in their respective careers. Toni Gilpin, who was the very first victim of Hammer's THE GORGON, has a very small role, and David Prowse--the future Darth Vader--is an extra in a wedding scene! So there is an obvious incentive to view CROSSPLOT from a geek standpoint....but the movie itself is a fun, fast-paced thriller that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Roger Moore plays advertising executive Gary Fenn, and we are first introduced to him as he is making out on the couch with Veronica Carlson. Fenn's alarm goes off, and he realizes he's late for work, so he leaves Veronica rather abruptly, which makes the young lady quite mad (you can understand her frustration when you find out she doesn't have another scene in the entire picture). Fenn is preparing a big ad campaign, and he plans to use Veronica's character as the main spokesmodel. Before Fenn's presentation, Veronica's photo is switched with someone else's, and since the ad campaign is approved, Gary now has to find this mysterious beauty. He does track down the woman--a gorgeous Hungarian named Marla Kugash (Claudine Lange). Gary gets more than he bargained for when he finds out that Marla is unwittingly involved in a vast conspiracy--her Aunt Jo (Martha Hyer) belongs to one of those secretive international groups that cause chaos throughout the world. Gary's investigations lead him to be accused of murder, and while the ad man and Marla are on the run, they unravel a plot to assassinate an African leader in Hyde Park.

The story of CROSSPLOT may seem like a James Bond tryout for Roger Moore, but for me it is more like a lighthearted Hitchcock film. It's very reminiscent of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, though nowhere near that film's scale. Roger Moore has a very Cary Grant-like way about him in CROSSPLOT. He's an ad man, just like Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill was in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Moore, like Grant, has a wry sense of humor concerning his situation, and he's rather resourceful in dealing with professional killers despite the fact he is not a secret agent. One of the most famous sequences in NORTH BY NORTHWEST has Grant elude his pursuers by acting as obnoxious as possible during a high-class auction--in CROSSPLOT Moore does the same thing at a wedding, but he goes Cary one better by driving off in the couple-to-be's car! In another scene Moore takes a shower fully dressed, just like Grant did in CHARADE, a film very much along the same lines as CROSSPLOT. The "Wronged Man on the run with an uncooperative female" plot is one of Hitchcock's most basic stories, and the climax of CROSSPLOT, which has Gary and Marla trying to stop an assassination in Hyde Park that is timed to coincide with cannon fire, can't help but remind you of the climax of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.

This is not a publicity still from a James Bond movie--it's from CROSSPLOT

There are some elements in CROSSPLOT which do anticipate Moore's future as 007. The relationship between Moore and Claudie Lange as Marla--a mixture between flirtation and frustration--is very much how Moore's Bond would behave toward his leading ladies. Gary Fenn is very much the ladies man--whenever he walks into a room all the ladies take appreciative notice of him, even the conniving Aunt Jo. Moore plays Gary Fenn very much like he would Bond--he gets out of jams through a combination of natural charm, wits and sometimes dumb luck. One could say that Moore played all his roles that way--but that was his persona, and when it came to that, nobody did it better than Roger Moore (pun intended). Moore had a likable screen presence that made you buy into whatever situation he was in. If CROSSPLOT does remind you of an elongated episode of Moore's TV series THE SAINT, it is no coincidence--the producer of THE SAINT, Robert Baker, also produced CROSSPLOT, and the movie is very much tailored to Moore's strengths.

Director Alvin Rakoff keeps things moving at fast clip, and he doesn't dwell too much on the plot inconsistencies. The one major action sequence in the film has Gary, Marla, and a associate in an antique car being chased by a helicopter. (It appears to me that some of this sequence was filmed in Black Park--another of the film's connections to Hammer.) The sequence is good, but it is hurt by too much reliance on rear screen projection, and this effect is prevalent throughout the film. One of the movie's subplots deals with a group of peace protesters that Marla is friends with. The attempted injection of Swinging London/Flower Power elements into the plot is one of the movie's weak points--it's fairly easy to discern that none of the cast or crew had any real knowledge of the hippie generation.

Overall, though, CROSSPLOT is a enjoyable film that shouldn't be analyzed too extensively. It's more of a light dessert than a full meal, but it is diverting entertainment with a interesting and notable cast, and it gives Roger Moore one of his best screen roles other than James Bond.