Review #1,349: 'Cat-Women of the Moon' (1953)

The 1950s and early 60s produced countless low-budget sci-fi movies that depicted women as a strange and dangerous race who used their feminine wiles to lure poor unsuspecting men into their deadly traps. The Wild Women of Wongo and Mesa of Lost Women are two unfortunate examples, but none really come close to the shameless sexism demonstrated in Cat-Women of the Moon, which is surely one of the worst movies ever made. If you've ever seen the fantastic Mad Men and wondered whether or not the misogyny on show is as a little far-fetched, then think again. This is a movie in which the square-jawed hero flirts with the line "You're too smart for me baby, I like 'em stupid!", and the leading lady enjoys being man-handled by her colleague at every opportunity.

We open in space, with the crew of the first manned mission to the Moon waking up from some kind of dream state before they finally touch down at their destination. Even for a 1950s movie, the science is utter nonsense, with the cardboard-looking spaceship decorated with what looks like outdated military equipment and lots of pointless nobs and buttons. Things get even worse when navigator Helen (Marie Windsor) insists that they touch down on the dark side of the Moon, to which the crew agree to despite not having a clue what lies there. Helen is joined by captain Laird (a sozzled Sonny Tufts), saggy-faced, trigger-happy tough guy Kip (Victor Jory), young rookie Doug (William Phipps), and mustachioed engineer Walt (Douglas Fowley). After entering a dark cave, the crew soon discover that the air is in fact breathable, and press on to explore this strange new world. What mysteries lie in waiting for them?

Giant rubber spiders and women dressed in leotards, that's what! Yes, not only is the Moon populated with arachnids (what do they eat?), but its most intelligent inhabitants is an ancient civilisation of cat-women who dwell in their Aztec-like palace and posses the ability to teleport and transmit thoughts telepathically. They hope to steal the rocket and take over Earth, but this is all the film's way of warning men of the dangers of the opposite sex. The cat-women start to systematically seduce the men, even luring one with the promise of a mine full of gold, as well as poisoning Helen's mind with their seductive ways. I usually find movies as cheesy and poorly-made as Cat-Women of the Moon amusing and oddly charming, but I became increasingly angry as the painfully long 64 minutes dragged by. It is the cinematic equivalent of calling a female work colleague 'sugartits' or patting their behind as they wait at the photocopier. On top of this, the rest of the film is so inept that its offensive for a completely different reason. It's no surprise that director Arthur Hilton never made another feature after 1953.


Directed by: Arthur Hilton
Starring: Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory, Marie Windsor, Susan Morrow, Douglas Fowley, William Phipps
Country: USA

Rating: *

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,308: 'Peter Pan' (1953)

For their fourteenth entry into the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the kid-friendly studio adapted the hugely popular 1904 play and 1911 novel by J.M. Barrie Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Barrie's story was a huge success, and continues to delight children and adults alike even today. There have been many adaptations both on film and television (the first was a 1924 silent movie), but none quite as popular as this 1953 version, which is now considered the definitive imagining of Neverland, Tinker Bell and the titular hero himself. Despite some glaring problems that will no doubt make many modern viewers watching it for the first time rather uncomfortable, Disney's Peter Pan still looks absolutely gorgeous and delivers a pretty fun ride.

You already know the story, but I'll regurgitate it anyway. Wendy Darling (Kathryn Beaumont) is on the eve of 'growing up', but enjoys discussing and acting out the adventures of Peter Pan so much with her younger brothers John (Paul Collins) and Michael (Tommy Luske) that she wishes she could stay a child just a little bit longer. That night, as the children's parents head out for the night, they are visited by the flying Peter Pan (Bobby Driscoll), who appears to have lost his shadow, and his fairy friend Tinker Bell. With a sprinkling of fairy dust, the Darlings fly off with Pan back to Neverland where they meet The Lost Boys, a feral group of boys dressed as animals who obey Pan's every command. But anchored just off the coast is evil pirate Captain Hook (Hans Conried), who wants to finally put an end to Pan's hijinks. Along with his confidant Mr. Smee (Bill Thompson), he plans to use Tinker Bell's jealousy of Wendy to manipulate her into luring the gang into a trap.

I must admit that I didn't love Peter Pan as I was expecting, but I certainly enjoyed it. Fans who have grow up watching the film hold it in incredibly high regard, and I can understand why, but I feel I would be more on their wavelength had I seen it as a child. This is, after all, a story about staying young forever, and all the selfishness and carelessness that comes with it. Disney's famed Nine Old Men don't disappoint, carefully and magically bringing this world to life with some incredible backdrops. Say what you will about modern-day advancements, but the characters in Peter Pan feel just as alive as any computer-animated film today. Hook is also a highlight, sneering with relish at the bumbling Smee when he isn't curling up like a baby at the sight of the crocodile that took his hand. My main issue is that Pan is rather grating. He is certainly a true reflection of the care-free cockiness of many children, but deep down I was hoping that Hook would at least land a slap of two. And the less said about the portrayal of Native Americans (who sing a song called "What Made the Red Man Red?") the better.


Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Voices: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #629: 'I Vitelloni' (1953)

Unjustly put into the back-seat of Federico Fellini's extraordinary career, I Vitelloni is a relatively simplistic tale of 30-something slackers in a small 1950's Italian town. While it doesn't stand out against works such as La Dolce Vita (1960) or 8 1/2 (1963), this shows a different side to Fellini's famous circus-tent approach, engaging Neo-Realist sensibilities to form a rather bleak, but nonetheless amusing autobiographical film. While Amarcord (1973) was a more straight-forward depiction of Fellini's childhood memories, I Vitelloni seems to be based on people he has observed, possibly while growing up, who, like him, sought to break out of small-town life. Amarcord was a sweet homage to his hometown, but I Vitelloni shows what this kind of life can do to a generation born to parents of sacrifice.

The Vitelloni (translated as 'the Boys') consist of Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), a quiet, observant young man; Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), a handsome playboy; Alberto (Alberto Sordi), a daydreamer unhappy at his sister's affair with a married man; and Leopoldo (Leopoldo Trieste), the writer who harbours dreams of writing critically-adored plays. After Fausto gets Moraldo's sister Sandra (Leonora Ruffo) pregnant, he thinks about skipping town, but is talked out of it. He instead married Sandra, but continues to pursue women, whether they're single or taken, or even if they're married to his boss. With carnival approaching, we witness the group try their best to do as little as possible. They all dream of escaping the town, but do nothing to help it. Instead, they drink, gamble and chase women.

Fellini doesn't have disdain for these characters, but shows them for what they are. They see their parents and grandparents, old and seemingly miserable, and see what their sacrifice has brought them. So, naturally, they rebel. Fausto is undoubtedly a loathsome character, even going as far as leaving a cinema half-way through a movie, where he is with his wife, to chase a beautiful woman. But for all his flaws, he still manages to gather sympathy. It seems like he simply cannot stop, locked into a life in which he doesn't belong, but he is solely responsible for. Yet for all his complexities, you can't help but feel relieved when he is given his comeuppance by his father. It's a clever juxtaposition of the generations, and although society will always produce a 'generation X', sometimes a good slap in the face is what is needed.

Although Fellini remains somewhat reserved throughout the majority of the film, choosing a still, controlled camera, he breaks out of the neo-Realism approach about half-way through for a scene in which carnival comes to town, with the sound of a lonesome drunken trumpet player running in a circle bellowing in an abandoned dance hall, as the catatonic Alberto staggers outside. It's the style that he would explode with in later years, as giant paper-mache heads poke out amongst sweaty party-goers. It helps counteract the seriousness of the movie's themes, perhaps even subtly elevating it, but it's the film's touching final sentiment that will stay with you, as a train carries one of the Vitelloni out of the town. Whether he will be back, or whether it will finally allow him to be happy we don't know, and that's a tragic statement if there ever was one.


Directed by: Federico Fellini
Starring: Franco Interlenghi, Franco Fabrizi, Alberto Sordi, Leopoldo Trieste
Country: Italy/France

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #478: 'House of Wax' (1953)

Professor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) is a wax sculptor who prides himself of making pure artistic creations of historical figures such as John Wilkes Booth and Marie Antoinette. His business partner and main investor, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts), pushes Jarrod for a more gruesome 'Chamber of Horrors' display, but when Jarrod refuses to be drawn into such exploitative tactics to lure an audience, Burke sets his workshop alight to claim the insurance. Leaving Jarrod for dead, Burke receives the payout but is murdered by a strange disfigured man, and made to look like a suicide. Jarrod turns up eighteen months later with a new exhibit, and thinks he has found his perfect Marie Antoinette in Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk). But Sue thinks she recognises some of the faces on the displays, namely her recently murdered best friend Cathy Gray (Carolyn Jones).

House of Wax was the first major studio release in 3-D, after the success of Bwana Devil (1952), and really kicked off what is now known as the 'golden age' of 3-D cinema. Of course, 3-D would enjoy revivals in both the 1980's and the modern day, with the release of James Cameron's Avatar (2009) really re-inventing the medium. Watching it in regular 2-D, the film does raise a lot of unintentional laughs in scenes where 3-D is obviously being used, but playing no real part in the narrative. Just before the opening night of Jarrod's new display, an entertainer stands outside with two paddleballs, batting the balls at the screen and even talking to the audience ("Hey, look, there's someone with popcorn!"). It is really a cheap trick in order to add a niche to a horror movie that adds relatively nothing new to the genre, but it also gives the film an irresistible charm, and a nice window into one of many little crazes that pop up in cinema from time to time.

The film itself is thoroughly enjoyable, regardless of being pretty run-of-the-mill. Remaking the marvellous pre-code horror Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Andre de Toth's re-imagining has the benefit of being able to be a little more sinister, and with the added luxury of Vincent Price. Price is pretty much the same character here as he is in most of his other horror appearances - charming, softly-spoken, but subtly menacing - playing a man who had to witness his prized possessions go up in smoke in front of his eyes - an experience that seems to have twisted his outlook on humanity. This is pure old-school horror, complete with lavish Technicolor (the '50's horror films commonly had a polished studio look), supporting ladies with aggravating screams, and a restraint on the gore. This is a key example of how the horror genre can produce an average, methodical film, that maintains the ability to charm, and most importantly, entertain. Also, watch out for an early performance from Charles Bronson, playing one of Jarrod's assistant Igor.


Directed by: André De Toth
Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #330: 'The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T' (1953)

Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) hates playing the piano. His egotistical piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried) insists he perfects his art for an upcoming performance that will prove Terwilliker the greatest teacher. Bart drifts off into a sleep, where he dreams of an alternative world where he is imprisoned in Terwilliker's castle, who also has Bart's mother Heloise (Mary Healy) under his control in a trance-like state. Terwilliker forces Bart to practice on his giant piano where he plans to capture 500 children to perform all at once. The only person that Bart can turn to is plumber August Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes), who Terwilliker plans to execute once he has finished his sink installations.

Children's author and illustrator Dr. Seuss is a national treasure in his native U.S., yet here in the UK, his work is less known and loved. Works like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat have been made popular by recent Jim Carrey and Mike Myers movie vehicles, but I went into this film not really knowing what to expect, with this being Dr. Seuss' sole movie writing credit. Dr. T. plays out like The Wizard of Oz (1939) with less colour, campness, and much more imagination. The songs that Seuss wrote for the film are instantly forgettable, so the film works less as a musical, and better as a rather strange and twisted children's fantasy.

The sets are the film's main strength. From the start, which has Bart fleeing from a group of men with different coloured nets in a barren, futuristic and industrial landscape, to Terwilliker's gigantic piano hall, the film is rich with imagination. I can only assume the set designers were influenced by German expressionism, as it immediately brought Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) to mind, all jagged angles and exaggerated features. Dr. T is occasionally ridiculous, but the film's heart and playfulness make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and features a surprisingly annoying-light central performance by young Rettig.


Directed by: Roy Rowland
Starring: Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #311: 'Invaders from Mars' (1953)

It has been well documented that 1950's science fiction was a reflection of the fears of Communist infiltration of the American way: political difference was something (and still is) that creates gung-ho attitudes towards outside elements - something that the USofA is incapable of accepting, just look at the travesty of the Vietnam war. Invaders from Mars is no different to this trend of political allegory - and was also another way for film makers to make statements about the country that they were living in; through the use of allegory, and using the very visually stunning and populist genre of science fiction.

Young David MacLean (generic 1950's freckly kid, Jimmy Hunt), witnesses what he believes to be a flying saucer land underground at the back of his home. On reporting this to his father, George (Leif Erickson) he decides to investigate the area. What transpires is that people are being sucked into a hole in the sand, and implanted with mind control devices. So, the minds of the local population slowly become slaves to the "martian" ideals, and a bid to stop the production of the atom bomb, which is being developed in the local area. David, being of sound scientific processes, notices the difference in behaviour in his parents, and tries to warn the townsfolk. The nuclear family is destroyed by the alien infiltration, which is precisely what the American people/government believed would occur if Communist ideologies were to get to the American people.

William Cameron Menzies was a production/art director on such classics as Gone with the Wind (1939), and also had uncredited director duties on The Thief of Bagdad (1940), and Duel in the Sun (1946). His eye for detail within the frame is highly evident in this classic of '50's sci-fi. Considering this was a B-movie, that had an incredibly low budget, the visuals of the film, whilst often simple, are absolutely triumphant. OK, so the "martian" silly green furry costumes are laughable, but this does not hinder the enjoyment of the piece, and I hold it in high regard, along with other classics of the decade, such as The War of the Worlds (1953), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).


Directed by: William Cameron Menzies
Starring: Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Jimmy Hunt, Leif Erickson
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy

Review #80: 'The Big Heat' (1953)

German master Fritz Lang spent most of his post-German silent film career in Hollywood making film noirs and western B-movies. The Big Heat follows hardened police detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) as he investigates the apparent suicide of a fellow police officer. He is suspicious, and after he is contacted by the deceased's mistresses who claims it could not possibly be suicide, Bannion begins to unravel foul play on a large scale. When he stands tall against a powerful crime syndicate against the warnings of his peers, he is hit hard and vows revenge and justice. He must come up against the likes of mob boss Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and woman-beating goon Vince Stone (a young Lee Marvin).

It's a shockingly brutal noir, complete with torture and facial scoldings. The rules and tradictions of film noir are interestingly flipped on their head, such as the classic figure of the femme fatale being completely missing. The women that Bannion comes across are weak, afflicted or morally ambiguous. Or all three. Glenn Ford's performance in the lead is staggeringly intense, as he punches and smart-mouths his way through gangsters and authority in his quest for closure. Bannion is often repulsive in his brutality and right-wing morality, and the film goes much further than what the typical noir allows it's anti-hero to go. One of, if not the best, film Fritz Lang directed after his relocation to the U.S.

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin

Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie