The Raiders of Steven Spielberg: Part Three

 

                                          

                                  The Phantom (1996) Dir. Simon Wincer

“For those who came in late…” reads the text on screen during the opening narration that relates the secret mythology of The Phantom (1996). Created by Lee Falk for the newspaper comic strips in 1936, The Phantom a.k.a. The Ghost Who Walks, is a purple clad hero who is the latest in a long line of men raised to fight crime from his jungle base in the fictional African country of Bangalla. Created after The Shadow and before Batman, the Phantom was the bridge between the early reality-based pulp heroes and the fantasy comic book heroes which were to dominate fandom in the ensuing decades. Directed with a breezy panache by Australian Simon Wincer (Free Willy) and starring a hunky tongue-in-cheek Billy Zane (Titanic), this Indiana Jones homage delivers all the required action-adventure elements including a spunky heroine, exotic locales, death defying stunts, the search for magical artifacts, and a show stopping femme fatale that introduced Catherine Zeta Jones to the big screen. Slightly let down by some lumpy plotting and a forgettable film score, this was the last major attempt to poach on Spielberg and Lucas’ ground before they came back with another sequel themselves. This year we will see Harrison Ford retire his hat and whip under the direction of James Mangold (Logan) with a finale that I hope lives up to the earlier films and their imitators.

The Raiders of Steven Spielberg: Part Two

 

                                       The Shadow (1994) Dir. Russell Mulcahy

 From the pages of the old pulp magazines of the 1930s came 1994's The Shadow, one of the most original and mysterious fantasy characters ever brought to the silver screen. A reformed criminal who is redeemed and taught the secrets of the mind by a Tibetan holy man, the Shadow is a one-of-a kind anti-hero who manipulates and terrorizes both villains and friends alike to serve his own ends as well as the scales of justice. Who better to embody such a handsome and egotistical hero than Alec Baldwin at the height of his Hollywood fame. Transformed by facial makeup partially hidden under a wide-brimmed slouch hat and brandishing nickel-plates .45s under his dark cloak, Baldwin with his sonorous deep voice personifies the duality of this deadly hero of the dark. John Lone (The Last Emperor) makes for a deliciously evil antagonist while amusing supporting performances are provided by Jonathan Winters and Tim Curry. Composer Jerry Goldsmith provides a suitably menacing musical accompaniment to the sumptuous art deco production design. Although Australian director Russell Mulcahy (Highlander) was a good choice to visualize such an effects driven project, he fails to bring the film’s contrived romance to life due to the miscasting of a stiff but sensational looking Penelope Ann Miller. Screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park) went onto much bigger success with Mission Impossible (1996) and even wrote the unfairly despised penultimate sequel Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). The idea to go back to the original pulp origins of The Shadow seemed sure fire at the time but audiences were just not ready for the off-beat humour Koepp brings to this fantastical tale of vengeance.

The Raiders of Steven Spielberg: Part One

 

The Rocketeer (1991) Dir. Joe Johnston

Is there a more seminal film for the Eighties generation than Raiders of the Lost Ark? Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas captured lightning in a bottle with this homage to the cliffhanger serials of their youth. They continued to mine this profitable vein for three subsequent sequels with mixed results. After the third and what was presumed the last Indiana Jones film Indiana Jones and Last Crusade (1989), Hollywood tried to find new stories with pulp characters who could substitute for Harrison Ford’s indelible hero with a hat. None enjoyed the success of their inspiration but each are entertaining in their own way. 

1991 saw the film The Rocketeer, featuring Dave Steven’s 1980s comic book hero who fought the Nazis with his golden helmet and jetpack. Directed by Joe Johnston (Jumanji, Captain America) this 1930s era adventure captured much of the jokey fun and rip-roaring excitement of the Indy trilogy but sadly failed to achieve classic status due to a lackluster advertising campaign that needed a star as leading man to sell its outlandish premise to a skeptical audience. Handsome Bill Campbell brings all the necessary charm and energy to the role of the young pilot who becomes The Rocketeer while sharing romantic on-screen chemistry with his girlfriend played by a sparkling Jennifer Connelly. Former James Bond Timothy Dalton clearly relishes his role as the swashbuckling Nazi villain who comes complete with a hulking henchman sporting a Rick Baker facial makeup inspired by 40s horror legend Rondo Hatton. Lavish costume and set design, together with charming pre-CGI special effects are all propelled by James Horner’s majestic score making this feel-good franchise seem like it couldn’t miss. Shockingly it failed at the box office and despite various new adaptations long promised by Disney, over 30 years later Rocketeer fans are still cheering for this unique hero to return to the skies.

THE GUISES OF GUINNESS: Part Two

 

                                    H.M.S. DEFIANT a.k.a. DAMN THE DEFIANT!

                                                             (1962: Dir. Lewis Gilbert)                                      

After his Oscar winning role in David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Alec Guinness had finally become an international star without leaving Great Britain. The 1960s would be the decade where he capitalized on this success in big budget historical epics that would be some of the most popular films of his career. Just months before the release of his triumphant collaboration with Lean  in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Guinness would make his most unfairly overlooked costume picture. H.M.S. Defiant or Damn The Defiant! (in North America) was made during the 15 month shoot of Lawrence when Guinness had a two month hiatus. Set during the Napoleonic wars, his role as the humane Captain Crawford is a rare example of Guinness not relying upon heavy make-up or eccentricities to create a character. Guinness's own naval experience during WWII helped him to portray a totally believable and stalwart leader of his crew whose authority is challenged by sadistic first lieutenant Mr Scott-Padgett, played with effete self loathing by Dirk Bogarde. Their clash and the resultant effect this has upon Crawford's own son who is serving as midshipman under him is the stuff of great melodrama. Director Lewis Gilbert (Alfie, You Only Live Twice) is that unique British breed of craftsman at home with both intimate drama and comedy as well as spectacular action. Here he demonstrates his talents by balancing the on-board tensions amongst the crew with rousing battle scenes of ships at sea,. Featuring breathtaking miniatures courtesy of special effects magician Howard Lyedecker (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV Series), these startlingly beautiful tableaux of naval warfare, as photographed in Cinemascope by Christopher Challis (Battle of the River Plate, Sink the Bismark), are like watching a painting by Turner come to life on screen. So successful are these sequences that a later film Bequest to the Nation aka The Nelson Affair (1973) recycled them in place of an inferior re-staging. Following this unpretentious endeavour, Guinness would have both his biggest failure of the decade in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and his biggest success to date in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1966), ironically in roles whose quality are inversely proportional to their fame. The 1970s would see his triumphs in a variety of different genres but the great film performances would continue to be in the box office disappointments rather than the blockbusters. (Blu-ray)