Alfred Eaker's Fringe Cinema

TOD BROWNING’S THE BLACKBIRD (1926)

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The Blackbird (1926) is a typically deranged underworld melodrama from the Tod Browning/Lon Chaney canon. It has, lamentably, never been made available to the home video market, even though the restored print shown on TCM is in quite good condition and, surprisingly, is missing no footage. The Blackbird is also one of the most visually arresting of Browning’s films, which makes its official unavailability doubly unfortunate.

Still from The Blackbird (1926)Browning opens the film authoritatively with close-ups of Limehouse derelicts fading in and out of the foggy London setting. Lon Chaney plays dual roles, of a sort. He is the debilitated cripple Bishop who runs a charitable mission in the squalid Limehouse district. Bishop’s twin brother is Dan Tate, better known as the vile thief The Blackbird. Actually, in this highly improbable (and typical, for Browning) scenario, Bishop and the Blackbird are one and the same. The Blackbird feigns the role of his own twin brother as a front, which means contorting his body as he acts as if he’s in excruciating pain (shades of Chaney, behind the scenes).

The Limehouse district unanimously loves the Bishop and dreads the Blackbird, save for the Blackbird’s ex-wife, Limehouse Polly (Doris Lloyd, the only one of the principals players who did not die young). Polly inexplicably still loves and believes in Dan. In a vignette, Browning does not hesitate to show the ugliness of the Blackbird’s racist side (an extreme rarity for the time), but the Blackbird has a slither of a soft spot himself for French patroness and music hall marionette performer Fifi (Renee Adore).

Dan is competing for Fifi’s attention with his partner in crime, West End Bertie (the amazingly prolific silent actor Owen Moore). At times, Bertie resembles a virile, monocled Bond villain. The suave Moore makes a worthwhile nemesis for the grimy Chaney. Unlike the Blackbird, Bertie is willing to convert from the dark side, for the love of a classy woman. Of course, this turn of events arouses jealousy and leads to intensified competition between the former partners, a frame-up job, and an ironic twist of fate when the two “brothers” will merge into a third, ill-fated persona.

The scenes of Chaney frantically changing identities with constables from Scotland Yard waiting below are deliriously incredible. The constables buy it, and so does an audience open to allowing the capered stream to wash over it.

Browning spins his elastic yarn a bit like Albert Finney’s Ed Bloom in Big Fish (2003). Aided enormously by Chaney’s energetic conviction, and with his penchant for a tenebrous, commanding climate, Browning pulls the ultimate con job on his audience. During its running time we are so drawn into the commanding perversity of  Browning’s fable that the inherent haziness of the narrative’s essence rarely obscures his inclusive vision.

The Blackbird

The Blackbird
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Canonically Weird (The List)

84. TOTO THE HERO [TOTO LE HÉROS] (1991)

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“I often have that strange and penetrating dream, of an unknown woman whom I love and who loves me. And every time, she’s neither quite the same nor completely different…”–Toto the Hero

Recommended

DIRECTED BY: Jaco Van Dormael

FEATURING: Michel Bouquet, Jo De Backer, Thomas Godet, Sandrine Blancke, Mireille Perrier, Peter Böhlke, Didier Ferney, Hugo Harold-Harrison

PLOT: Thomas firmly believes that he was switched at birth with his next door neighbor, Alfred: that Alfred’s parents are really his parents, that Alfred’s toys should be his, that his destiny was appropriated by Alfred. He’s also romantically attracted to his sister, and jealous of the attention she shows the neighbor boy; this obsession pursues him to adulthood, when he finds a woman who reminds him of his sister so much that he fears it may actually be her. Now an old man in a nursing home, Thomas plots to kill Alfred and take back the life that was stolen from him.

Still from Toto the Hero (1991)

BACKGROUND:

  • Writer/director Jaco Van Dormael was a circus clown before turning to filmmaking.
  • Despite critical praise for each of his movies, Van Dormael has only made three features in 20 years: Toto the Hero, The Eighth Day [Le huitième jour] (1996), and Mr. Nobody (2009).
  • It took Van Dormael five years to write the dense script (working with three credited collaborators).
  • Toto won the Camera D’or (a prize recognizing the best debut feature film) at Cannes in 1991.
  • Paramount Pictures apparently owns the distribution rights in the U.S., but has not shown any interest in releasing the film on Region 1 DVD (it was released on VHS). Toto is available on DVD in Region 2.

INDELIBLE IMAGE: Toto the Hero relies on its elaborate narrative structure rather than visuals for its effect, but the movie’s iconic image is young Thomas clutching his toy airplane; appropriately, it’s only memorable due to the point in the story where it occurs. (If you must have a weird scene instead of the most memorable one, pick the image of Thomas’ dead father and sister appearing to him on the back of a moving truck, playing a piano and trumpet duet).

WHAT MAKES IT WEIRD: The story structure, which dives in and out of narrative wormholes, emerging at different points in Thomas’ life. There are flashbacks inside of flashbacks, with a liberal sprinkling of fantasy sequences mixed in—some obvious, some more ambiguous.  And all the incest stuff—with a beloved sister who seems not to stay dead—doesn’t hurt the movie’s weirdness one bit, either.

Clip from Toto les Heros (in French)

COMMENTS:  At some point in all of our lives, we will inevitably fail to land that job or Continue reading 84. TOTO THE HERO [TOTO LE HÉROS] (1991) →

Capsules

CAPSULE: SUBLIME (2007)

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Sublime is currently available for VOD rental.

DIRECTED BY: Tony Krantz

FEATURING: Tom Cavanagh, Kathleen York, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs

PLOT: The day after his 40th birthday, George Grieves enters Mt. Abaddon Hospital for a routine colonoscopy.  Waking after the procedure it rapidly becomes apparent that something has gone seriously wrong.  George and his only ally, a nurse called Zoe, attempt to discover the truth in an increasingly nightmarish hospital of horrors.

Still from Sublime (2007)

WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST:  It really isn’t weird enough.  Certainly there are periods of scary oddness, but none that haven’t been depicted before in other, better films.  I hesitate to call the plot twist a “twist” as any regular weird film fan will see it coming over the hill a mile away, waving its hands to attract your attention (Zoe the stripper-gram nurse, I’m looking at you love!)  It has some serious and troubling points to make about fear, prejudice, white middle class guilt and health care systems in general, but it makes them in a long-winded, repetitive way.

COMMENTS: I practically leapt at the chance to review this film, having heard nothing about it, and being fond of “weird hospital” movies. About half way in I began to regret my decision, and this was the first film that I nearly pulled out of reviewing.  This is not because it’s a bad movie—though it is long-winded and really could have used the editor’s hand clipping away twenty minutes or so—but because the uncomfortable issues the movie raises hit close to home.

I’ve grown up in the occasionally stony but generally reliable bosom of the British National Health Service and felt I should perhaps have watched this with my wife who, as an American, has now experienced heath care on both sides of the Atlantic.  Procedures occurred in Sublime which seemed odd to me, even taking into account the national differences.  I mean, that was an awful lot of laxative!  Are American colons so different?

Protagonist George is an upper middle class, able-bodied (at least initially), straight, white male and his attitudes, prejudices and fears were in many respects different from mine.  But even if the specifics are different, fear, prejudice and guilt are common to everyone.  When Continue reading CAPSULE: SUBLIME (2007) →

Capsules

CAPSULE: POOR PRETTY EDDIE (1975)

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DIRECTED BY: Richard Robinson

FEATURING: Leslie Uggams, Michael Christian, , Ted Cassidy, Slim Pickens, Dub Taylor

PLOT: Traveling alone in the Deep South, a black singer’s car breaks down and she finds herself the “guest” of an obsessive wannabe country singer and a town full of redneck oddballs.

Still from Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)

WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: This drive-in “hicksploitation” movie features eccentric characters, one or two moments of deliberate surrealism, and a few other scenes that may be unintentionally surreal, but ultimately it doesn’t rate as much more than a curiosity.  Those who like their 1970s exploitation movies on the sleazy and offbeat side will want to take a flyer on Poor Pretty Eddie, but it’s not quite the lost cult classic it’s being advertised as.

COMMENTS: In its opinion of Southern hospitality, Poor Pretty Eddie falls somewhere between Deliverance and 2000 Maniacs. The flick plays on urban prejudices about backwards bumpkins, and on fears of being a stranger in a strange land with inscrutable customs where tribal loyalties are more important than justice. An interesting, colorful cast adds flavor to the sordid (but not graphic) scenario, which revolves around rape and racism.

As Liz Weatherly, future TV actress Leslie Uggams is, unfortunately, about as appealing as her last name. In the beginning she projects the persona of an urban snob rather than a harried celebrity seeking privacy; by looking down her nose at the hicks, she threatens to move our sympathies towards her future tormentors. When she turns victim she becomes unforgivably passive, becoming a symbol of oppression rather than someone we identify with. Michael Christian, who also found steady work as a TV character actor, does a fine job as the deluded Eddie, dressing like Elvis in a powder-blue leisure suit with rhinestone spangles for an awkward “audition” for an unappreciative Uggams. Acting as a foil to Eddie is hulking handyman and dog breeder Ted Cassidy (“Lurch” from the Addams Family); he’s smarter than he appears and, since he fights back, he becomes more Continue reading CAPSULE: POOR PRETTY EDDIE (1975) →

366 Distribution

SELF-PROMOTION SATURDAY!

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It turns out that several behind-the-scenes projects have come together at the same time, so rather than dragging out the announcements over several self-serving posts, we’re putting everything together in one mega self-serving post.

First up, contributor Alfred Eaker’s first movie, Jesus and the Gospel of Yes (2004), is now available on Amazon Video-on-Demand ($1.99 rental—producer James Manaan points out that’s cheaper than a tab of LSD, though I haven’t personally scoped out prices—or $9.99 for a full digital download).  From the product description: “Jesus is a woman, Moses is a cross-dresser, and Judas is a crack addict in this retelling of the New Testament narrated by a hopped-up beatnik poet and played out in front of a constantly shifting series of eye-popping surrealist canvases. Mixing Star Trek references with fine art, absurd wordplay with lesbians, and superficial blasphemy with deep reverence, Jesus and Her Gospel of Yes is a psychedelic gauntlet thrown down at the feet of fundamentalists of all stripes.” You can see the first 2 minutes free at Amazon by clicking the link to the right.

Next up in the plug-a-thon is the highly-anticipated, long-delayed ““366 Weird Movies 2010 Yearbook.” The 2010 Yearbook should appear on Amazon very shortly, and we’ll be working on putting out an affordable e-book version as well. It comes in at a ridiculous 116 pages (versus a mere 53 pages for the necessary-to-complete-your-collection 2009 Yearbook), yet the price has only risen a paltry $0.50 to $6.99!

Since many of you will doubtlessly, and quite sensibly, ask yourself “why should I buy a book when I can read the damn website for free?,” we reprint our top 5 answers to that question from this time last year:

  1. Unlike the digital version, you can take the paper “Yearbook” into the “can” with you.
  2. If you unexpectedly run out of toilet paper in said “can,” the “Yearbook” can do double duty.
  3. This site may not always be here in the current form. (That’s not a hint, it’s a scare tactic).
  4. It’s distinctly within the realm of possibility that this Yearbook will become a collectible worth thousands/hundreds/a few cents over what you paid for it in five years. Collect them all! In the very near future, anything printed in ink on paper will be a valuable antique!
  5. Each copy sold will contribute a few cents towards paying our hosting/domain registration bills.

Buy 366 Weird Movies T-shirtWe should be finished there, but there’s actually more… because now you can confuse your friends and mystify strangers with the official 366 Weird Movies t-shirt! I wanted one of these for myself and it costs nothing to offer it to others, so here it is. I have “street tested” a prototype garment, and I can confirm that the product 1). effectively covers the human torso when correctly sized, and 2). is guaranteed to elicit responses like “Hey, isn’t that Count Orlock from Nosferatu?” from would-be hipsters. T-shirts come in two varieties: one with the logo on front and the ever-growing, ever-changing List printed on the back ($19.49—buy a new one every couple of months!) and one with just the logo (only $16.49—one-sided printing is significantly cheaper). You can choose from a variety of colors but I would stick with white, as none of the others have been tested.

Buy 366 Weird Movies Coffee MugFor anyone for whom a t-shirt is too expensive but who would nonetheless like to spread the 366 brand, there’s the 366 Weird Movies coffee mug at just $10.49—what weirder way to start your day than with Conrad Veidt’s glassy-eyed stare accosting you as you gulp down your morning joe?

All available at the seldom-visited, never-equaled 366 Weird Movies Merchandise shop! All items subject to predatory shipping & handling charges outside of our control. Reseller handles all returns and complaints.

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