Matinee (1993)

   All my previous posts have dealt with classic films that helped pave the way for both modern horror and the lower budget “B movies”. I have always found “B movies” to be great movies in their own right because they deal with ideas and concepts that the mainstream movies do not explore. No matter how absurd these ideas may be. The culture and mindset for people who enjoy these films vary from person to person. Some of us treasure the enjoyment we get of seeing the on screen characters afraid of an idea that is so far from what we would consider rational and logical. We are automatically transported back to that childhood mindset where anything could be possible. These ideas show us things that if they were real would frighten us to death; I use that phrase in the most literal since. Maybe the reason is because the basis, for many of the great horror, is often structured in reality then taken to extremes. It seems that every day in the real world someone is talking about the end of the world these films give us a window into how insane these ideas can become. This is why those of us that are fans of the craziness known as horror hold these experiences so dear.

   The film Matinee staring John Goodman is a great example of the escapism that the horror genre provides. Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) is the ultimate depiction of the schlocky B-movie creator; who is premiering his new film MANT at a local theater in Key West, Florida during the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis. MANT uses the average B-movie plot and acting combined with Woolsey’s new gimmick “Atomo Vision”. We see the stir that MANT causes in the community through the prospective of Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton). Also we see the panic of the early days of the Cuban Missile Crisis as Gene lives with his younger brother and mother on the local Navy base. Gene’s father is deployed out at sea during the length of the film. Because of Gene’s worry for his father and the state of the impending crisis he, and his younger brother, bury their thoughts into film and in particular the horror genre.

   Due to Gene’s well versed knowledge in the horror genre he sees the crazed panic of the public as nothing more than average and at times entertaining. A great example of this is during a scene in a local grocery store where his teacher and another patron are fighting over a box of Shredded Wheat cereal. The store clerk has to step in take the cereal from the men, who are having a “tug of war” with it, to tell them that they will have to go the apocalypse without any Shredded Wheat. Horror films have always shown that the best way to deal with impending doom is by remaining calm, and actually using your knowledge to the best of your ability. Woolsey points out to Gene that sometimes adults can forget this, “You think grown-ups have it all figured out? That's just a hustle, kid. Grown-ups are making it up as they go along, just like you. You remember that, and you'll do fine.”

   Escapism in the, what at times can be called, absurdity of horror films blends very well into real the real life fears presented. Matinee is truly an underrated film. It is thick with plot while also being lighthearted enough to be an easy watch for anyone interested in the mentality and appeal of the B-horror film. All of this truly speaks to this crazed writer.

"Freaks" (1932)

Some films when viewed today can be looked at in a very different context than when they were first released. Freaks, from 1932 is such a film. The DVD version of this movie included a great documentary and commentary that helped me understand why I didn’t see the film as outrageous or grotesque.
This film is a drama. There is a bit of a love story between two little people. Hans and Frieda are engaged to be married, but when Hans see the, rather “normal” looking trapeze artist, Cleopatra he falls in love with her beauty. Along with the carnival’s strong man, Hercules, Cleopatra proceeds to lead on Hans in an effort to gain his inheritance. The plan was for Cleopatra to marry Hans, and then poison him.  During the wedding banquet for Cleopatra and Hans, the rest of the “freaks” in celebration proclaim Hans’ new bride as one of them by chanting, “We accept you, one of us! Gooble Gobble! Gooble Gobble!” Cleopatra runs in disgust of the “freaks”, and her plan is found out. Soon she is hunted down by the “freaks”; who make her into a new attraction at the circus.
Many people who saw the test screenings and the even premier of the film were shocked by the look of the carnival attractions. There were reports of people running out of the theater screaming and even a woman experiencing a miscarriage due to the “shocking” deformities.  Film historians’ now acknowledge that these were most likely marketing ploys to play on people’s fear of deformities. The pre-roll of the film sets up the deformities in a historical context; children born to people who have committed some grave injustice against humanity or a god of some sort.
Now with a more intelligent understanding of physical and mental deformities the fear of seeing such things in this film can be stripped away to reveal a very emotional human story. One were people who are considered different from what is socially acceptable have banded together to form a community and find happiness. Every person within the circus freaks are presented as genuinely good; whereas the normal looking people are bad deep down. The “freaks” are driven by their pursuit of “normality” and happiness; the “normals” are driven by greed and perfection.  For those of us that have felt like outsiders for any reason we can easily relate to the “freaks”. The important thing to see about the performers in this film is that they are all individuals with human emotion, something that sadly couldn’t be seen until many years after the release of the film.
I have always had a fascination with early carnival side shows. To the extent that I have worked at learning how to do a couple of things that would have been part of the side show a hundred years ago. I am also proudly different than what is socially acceptable. Along with my writing this gives a good explanation as to why I’m sitting in the car as one crazed writer. 

Metropolis (1927)

   In 1927 German director Fritz Lang made the, at the time, most expensive silent film. This film inspired many future film makers and story tellers within the science fiction and horror genres with its high concepts and gritty depictions of such. This film is was a huge leap forward for the days of early film. In a time when most movies were content with capturing everyday happenings, staged plays, adaptations of classic novels, and simplistic stories; this film showed the how beautiful art and complex story telling can be shown on screen. This film is the masterpiece that is, Metropolis.  
    The world of Metropolis is that of the rich living in a beautiful and technologically complex city; the poor were forced to slave away underground to keep the city running. We see the workers marching in and out during the shift changes like drones. Their heads hung low, dirty, tired, and sad, the workers march as a unit to and from work. A beautiful woman comes from below and is met by the son of the most powerful man in Metropolis. After she is forced below the son questions his father as to why they live in extravagance and do nothing, while the workers are forced to live in horrible conditions and keep the city running. The son is then sent below to work.
    The machines and structures below might be some of the earliest artistic depictions of style that is now known as “steampunk”.  The clock-like machine that the workers have to constantly move the hands to line up with the lights is one great example of this. Many of the other scenes could also be looked at as a mix between contemporary (in the 1920’s) modernism and art deco. The laboratory shown in the film could be considered art deco because of the lighting and industrial machinery used.
    For all the great things that this film represented including ideas very ahead of its time there were many sad perils that it this piece has had to endure over the years. The original cut of this film was much longer than the 153 minute version that premiered in Berlin. After that version was shown it was cut and edited again before it left Germany. This is the beginning of the reasons that most people outside of Germany never saw the film that Lang had originally created. Part of the reasons for these cuts is that theater managers of the time did not believe that people would be willing to watch a film longer than ninety minutes. The original showing of this film in America and Europe was a financial flop due to the film having important scenes cut making some scenes illogical. The American version was the more obscured of the versions as it was edited by playwright Channing Pollock. Pollock took the film as nothing more than a weak attempt at the classic Frankenstein story. Due to his misunderstanding of the film he cut and pieced together a shortened version of the film with rewritten title cards, mixed up scenes, and new music.
    Because of all the different versions edited together much of the film had been lost for many years. Over the past couple of decades people have been attempting to find the original cut of the film. The film was obviously very influential because in 1984 a new restoration and edit of the film was made by Giorgio Moroder.  This edit restored the story and many of the original lost scenes. The film is a total of 80 minutes long, mostly due to the title cards being taken out and subtitles being put in their place. The most notable thing about this cut is the pop soundtrack recorded for the film. This soundtrack included performances by Pat Benatar, Bonnie Tyler, Jon Anderson, Adam Ant, Cycle V, Loverboy, Billy Squier, and Freddie Mercury. This release came out the same time as Queen’s music video “Radio Gaga” that contained scenes of the film.

   In 2010 Kino released the most complete version of Metropolis to date. This version is a 148 minutes which means to date only five minutes are still missing. This is an amazing thing that Kino has accomplished as the previous version released in 2001 was 123 minutes long. To celebrate the restored 2010 release there were many festival showings of the restored film with a live orchestra to play the original score.
This film stands to show the creativity of Fritz Lang and is an inspiration to future artists. The values displayed are evident and beautiful. All of this is just the opinion of one crazed writer.