Legend Of The Lost 1957 Screenplay by Ben Hecht and Robert Presnell, direction by Henry Hathaway. Hathaway worked with Wayne on 6 films, the last of which was True Grit in 1969.
The film was shot by Jack Cardif, he'd filmed some entertaining pictures is his 50 year career, The Red Shoes for Powell and Pressburger, The African Queen for John Huston, War And Peace for King Vidor, Death On The Nile for John Guillermin and Conan The Destroyer for Richard Fleischer.
Cardiff directed 14 pictures, the first of which never got finished. I know I've seen My Geisha with Shirley MacLaine, Yves Montand, Edward G Robinson and Bob Cummings but I'm not sure of any other except for his last film, The Mutations from 1974.You might know it as The Freakmaker.
While I was looking for the above films on YouTube I found Jack's 1968 film The Girl On The Motorcycle with Mary Anne Faithful and Alain Delon. It was the first film to receive an X rating in the US where it was retitled Naked Under Leather. I haven't seen it yet so who knows what to expect.
That's John Wayne, Sophia Loren and Rossano Brazzi in the Libyan desert near Tripoli, it's substituting for Timbuktu, which is in Mali. John is a desert guide, Sophia is a prostitute, Rossano is a man who wants to travel deep into the desert to find his father. John and Rossano leave, just the two of them with a half dozen donkeys. Sophia follows, despite being told no when she offered to go with them, she's infatuated with Rossano's spiritual ways. She admires his plan to use the treasure to fund a home for the poor, something his father envisioned. On the trip it comes out that Rossano's father had found a treasure in a lost city. He's hoping to find the treasure which his, most likely late, father found. John doesn't believe in the gold but he's taken Rassano's money so he sticks it out.
They have some small adventures in the desert and find some ruins. There's a romantic subplot with Sophia and Rossano but that doesn't go well. He's not a man of the world. John and Sophia develop an attraction on the trip and that stirs up mixed emotions in Rossano. They do find the treasure and that complicates things further. Rossano steals the treasure and strands the others in the ruins with no donkeys or supplies. They follow his tracks.
That's the ruins are Leptis Magna, it's pretending to be the lost city. It's really close to the Mediterranean in real life but not in the movie. It's a nicely kept up ruin. The trio have a confrontation in the desert, Rossano dies in the fight but not before stabbing John. Luckily Sophia spots a passing caravan and help is seen coming when the movie ends.
I liked most of the movie but thought some of the romantic melodrama could go. Plenty of cool desert scenery, something I like to see filmed so I can stay home where it's safer than the valley of the spiders. I enjoyed it but I'm not thinking much of getting the Blu-ray for myself. I might not get around to it again.
Hysteria 1997 Written and directed by Rene Daalder.
Michael Maloney psychiatric hospital headed up by Patrick McGoohan. Patrick has been implanting control devices in the heads of the patients and turning them into a sort of group mind. Micheal has fallen for his patient, he brings her to Patrick and he pops a device in her head. Michael isn't too pleased with the level of crazy going on in the place nor is he happy with the treatment on his patient. He's generally in a bad place, mentally and physically yet he gives into Patrick putting the device in his head.
Michael leaves with his patient but finds she's only mentally alive because of the group mind. He returns to the hospital to witness Patrick dying. He gives into the group mind idea and takes over the hospital. Implanted patients are sent home to drum up new candidates for the treatment.
It's fairly entertaining, very weird, and not much better than average. Another I'll pass on the disc thinking I won't get back to it again. Nice to see a film with Patrick I hadn't seen before.
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