17.2.12

bride of the gorilla (1951)


"He's like a beast, with animal instincts."
A plantation owner sacks his manager Barney Chavez (Raymond Burr), giving Chavez yet another reason to get back at his employer, for he coverts his bosses young wife (Barbara Payton). So when he fights with his boss, and a snake appears Chavez does nothing to save him. Unfortunately for Chavez a native witnesses the crime and curses Barney to slowly become a gorilla. Meanwhile local police chief Taro (Lon Chaney Jr) tries to unravel what is going on.
A less engaging creature feature, due to the amount of talking, and lack of creature, who turns up only briefly.

the ghost train (1941)


"It is haunted."
It's the height of World War II and a motley group become stranded in an isolated train station. They then learn about a phantom train that prowls the line...
This quickly becomes the arthur Askey show as he eats each scene he's in with his hyper active comedy.

the phantom express (1932)


"A train is either a train or it ain't."
Trains are being derailing when the drivers keep seeing another train approaching on the same track. These unexplained and phantom trains threaten the existance of the train company, so the owner's feckless son (William Collier Jr.) goes undercover to find out what is really happening with these wreaks.
Poverty row thriller, but what sets this apart is the model work and amount of exterior sets.

16.2.12

the camp on blood island (1958)


"You are useful people, when you behave..."
A remote and brutal Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II, where the allied inmates battle to survive, whilst also trying to prevent the sadistic commandant finding out the Japanese have lost the war, fearing that once he knows they will be slaughtered.
With a certain realism, this was one of the first films to approach the touchy subject of Japanese brutality in their POW camps, without the sensationalist slant the title would have you believe.

a promise of bed (1969)


aka This, That, and the Other.
"Exactly what did happen in your suite?"
A trilogy of stories. In 'This' Susan (Vanda Hudson), a fading sex symbol seduces a young man (Denis Waterman), whom she believes is the son of a film producer, in an attempt to win the lead in a movie. 'That' features George (Victor Spinetti), a depressed loner, who is attempting suicide, but is interrupted by a girl (Vanessa Howard) who believes he's having a party. 'Other', has Harold (John Bird), crashing his taxi when he is distracted by his sexy passenger. He then spirals in to an hallucinogenic world where he is chased by nubile young girls.
This succeeds in being neither funny, or sexy, quite a feat as it features a number of capable actors, and nude women! One of those films that all concerned is quite happy to forget.