Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 17, 1991 TAG: 9104160191
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Lately, he has been on the road promoting "Guilty By Suspicion," but has also been talking about his earlier work. At one stop on the media tour, he told a fascinating story about one of my favorite films, John Boorman's "Point Blank."
The film was reviewed here when it first appeared on home video a year or so ago, so a full write-up would be a little redundant. If it has escaped your attention, find a copy as soon as you can.
You'll see that "Point Blank" is a remarkably influential film noir. But it almost didn't get finished.
Boorman began his career making documentaries for the BBC and in 1967 had only one feature to his credit, "Catch Us If You Can," an ambitious vehicle about a British rock group, the Dave Clark Five.
So when producer Winkler approached Boorman with the idea of making a film adaptation of a Donald Westlake mystery novel, Boorman accepted. Boorman persuaded Lee Marvin to star in the film and came to America to make it.
The director didn't trust Hollywood studios, so he shot very little footage. Winkler said that "with the average film, you shoot 300,000-400,000 feet. John shot 67,000 feet. He cut the film in the camera."
When the studio executives got a look at the unstructured bits of action, they didn't know what to think. Boorman's work made no sense to them. But Winkler understood his director was taking an unusual approach. They put together a sample scene to show the studio people what they were trying to accomplish. But the organization men remained uneasy about the work until a Hollywood legend came to the rescue.
"The head of the editing department at MGM at the time was a woman named Margaret Booth who was Irving Thalberg's editor. She's now in her 90s, still alive, a great historic figure." After she took a look at Boorman's work, she overrode the reservations of the studio executives.
"Margaret Booth says, `Nobody's touching this. This is really a special film; nobody's going to put their gloves on it.' She preserved the film for us."
The wonderful irony behind the story is that Margaret Booth rose to such an important position at the studio because she was a master of conventional editing. She started working in the business when movies were silent, and made her reputation on films like "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Camille." "Point Blank," with its jarring experimental cuts, goes directly against the polished grain of traditional MGM pictures. Nonetheless, Booth could see exactly what Boorman was trying to do.
\ "Detour" is another unusual and often-overlooked film noir. Made in 1945 by Edgar G. Ulmer, it begins with an uncertain hero who is alone on the road. The story eventually involves two murders, but it's so nutty and bizarre that you shouldn't know anything more about it.
Surprise is everything with this one. The movie was made on a threadbare budget with only a few sets, props and characters. But the sheer weirdness of the action - even by noir standards - overcomes the flaws. "Detour" isn't as memorable as the best '40s crime movies but if you like that kind of murky, edgy, heavily shadowed story, take a look.
\ "Driven To Kill" is a contemporary video original that handles similar material with less satisfying results. Again, knowing too much about the loopy story would spoil the fun. The key elements are an alcoholic dentist, his wife, $4 million in stolen cash, an unreliable station wagon and two rival gangs. All of them collide on a lonely desert highway. The conflict is half thriller, half comedy, with considerable overlap.
New release
`MArked For Death' 1/2
Starring Steven Seagal. Directed by Dwight Little. CBS/Fox. 90 min. Rated R for extremely graphic violence, profanity, brief nudity. In this full-tilt martial arts/revenge picture, the pace is quick, the violence is excessive - even by the permissive standards of the genre - and star Seagal is his usual impenetrable self.
He plays a burned-out D.E.A. agent who is dragged back into the drug wars when a vicious Jamaican gang attacks his family in a Chicago suburb. The thin script is merely an excuse to string together a series of increasingly graphic action scenes.
Those take place while Seagal and his childhood friend (Keith David) pursue the evil villain Screwface (gloriously overplayed by Basil Wallace). This one is so violent it's not recommended for children.
THE ESSENTIALS:
\ Point Blank 1/2 MGM/UA. 89 min. Unrated, contains some graphic violence and sexual scenes.
\ Detour IEI. 69 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.
\ Driven To Kill 1/2 PM Entertainment. Time not listed, about 90 min. Unrated, contains violence and profanity.
by CNB