profitability of former employer Al Adamson’s endlessly retooled productions) directed reshoots inspired by the then-current wave of blaxploitation. Retaining 20 or so minutes from the original, Clark added approximately an hour of new material to arrive at the final incarnation. The older scenes center around Jim’s rela- tionship with fiancée Nancy (SA- TAN SADISTS’ Jacqueline Cole, who later became Mrs. Greydon Clark) and a continued disagree- ment over her desire to make their relationship “official.” Bear- ing little in common with the new storyline, the footage provides some minor character enhance- ment and contrasts the lives lead by the two protagonists, but mostly distracts from the main narrative. The film’s political and racial commentary is sincerely presented and fairly daring for the era, though, in this version at least, both are ultimately subser- vient to the exploitation elements. Aldo Ray is convincing in the sort of disreputable role that made up of the balance of his film credits; the other performers are mostly unpolished, but there are few overtly bad line readings. As with HI-RIDERS, THE BAD BUNCH is a slight step above similar drive-in fare without being notable enough to have much staying power. They’re disposable entertainment, but moderately interesting as pe- riod pieces and well-matched up on this release. Al Adamson regu- lars Al Richardson, William Bonner, and Bambi Allen (whose very unnatural looking, silicone- enhanced breasts sadly contrib- uted to her death from cancer at age 34) have supporting roles, and producer Mardi Rustam also appears briefly.
Both features are offered in passable interlaced presenta- tions. Lensed in Todd-AO 35, HI-RIDERS unspools at its in- tended 2.35:1 dimensions with
anamorphic enhancement, mak- ing this an automatic improve- ment over the cropped tape editions issued by VCI and, ear- lier, Force Video. The image (ap- parently pulled from an old 35mm print) is fairly soft and overly murky in sections, but manageable, as is the flat but coherent audio. Clark provides a low-energy but informative talk on the players (he had originally cast Paul Newman’s son Scott as T.J., but the troubled man dropped out just prior to shoot- ing at his father’s insistence), the stunts, and the corners he had to cut to stay on budget. The movie’s soundtrack strays way out-of-sync midway through, which becomes vexing as there are a number of long stretches where Clark does not talk, but his commentary delivers enough useful content to justify giving the disc another spin. Stars Hilton and Peterson appear in two featurettes totalling just over 30m, relating their memories in lively fashion. The two clearly enjoyed the shoot and have fun with this mini-reunion in spite of an unidentified interviewer who says “you guys” and “you know” so many times, you’ll wish you could smack him. Clark also has his own segment, discussing how he tried to break into the busi- ness as an actor, how he met and befriended Al Adamson, and how economic necessity encouraged him to start making his own mov- ies. While it is mentioned that Peterson did stuntwork on the previous year’s GRAND THEFT AUTO, no one confesses that the car-crashing-into-the-house gag she performs in the final minutes imitates the closing stunt of that Ron Howard picture. THE BAD BUNCH is non-an- amorphic 1.85:1 and looks like an old fullscreen tape master matted to its theatrical ratio. The result is watchable enough, but
some set-ups are now overly tight, and colors and resolution are variable; the audio is hissy and occasionally distorted. Clark’s commentary does not spend much time on the patchwork nature of the production, but it does cover the cast members and how Clark shot in downtown Los Angeles without permits. The director also relates how a pos- sible distribution deal with MGM (which ignited the blaxploitation craze in 1971 with SHAFT) was squelched by the realism of the scene where Makimba is beaten by the police, blames the mostly outdoor shooting on not having enough money for interiors, and mentions that the film’s big pool party scene (which provides the lion’s share of the nudity) was filmed at the home of actor Severn Darden. There are periodic dead spots, but Clark imparts enough of interest to make this talk also worth your time. Theatrical trail- ers for BLACK SHAMPOO and SATAN’S CHEERLEADERS (an- other Clark effort) can be viewed, as well as one for the forthcom- ing exploitation movie documen- tary MASTERS OF THE GRIND. Incidentally, THE BAD BUNCH
got a sixth theatrical release in 1981 through 21st Century Film Corporation as one of the films that company acquired from the by-then bankrupt Dimension. Not bad for a movie that nobody would initially touch! At least the title wasn’t changed again.
INVITATION TO THE DANCE
1956, Warner Archive, $19.95, 92m 46s, DVD-R By Michael Barrett
With this undersung film, di- rector-choreographer-star Gene Kelly proposed something new: a modern dance feature of clearly told stories in classic Hollywood style, dialogue unnecessary.
61
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
