La vie étrange et la mort horrible du réalisateur de films d'horreur Al Adamson révèlent peut-être la carrière la plus bizarre de l'histoire d'Hollywood.La vie étrange et la mort horrible du réalisateur de films d'horreur Al Adamson révèlent peut-être la carrière la plus bizarre de l'histoire d'Hollywood.La vie étrange et la mort horrible du réalisateur de films d'horreur Al Adamson révèlent peut-être la carrière la plus bizarre de l'histoire d'Hollywood.
- Récompenses
- 1 victoire et 1 nomination au total
Al Adamson
- Self
- (images d'archives)
Ewing Miles Brown
- Self - Producer
- (as Ewing 'Lucky' Brown)
Vilmos Zsigmond
- Self - Cinematographer
- (images d'archives)
Gary Graver
- Self - Director of Photogaphy
- (images d'archives)
Avis à la une
I knew nothing about Adamson before watching the film, but found this documentary highly entertaining. From Al Adamson's outlandish exploitation films to the mystery surrounding his grizzly end, his unique character is lovingly portrayed in this well constructed documentary.
"Blood and Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson" was a 2019 documentary detailing the career of Hollywood hustler and director Al Adamson, whose own bizarre demise is the focus for the last 25 out of a lengthy 100 minutes that pass quickly. The gloomy atmosphere that wraps things up with his killer's conviction almost diminishes everything preceding it, an absolutely delightful look at maverick exploitation filmmaking in the late 60s and early 70s, a time when drive-ins still needed product from Samuel Z. Arkoff at AIP, Roger Corman at New World, or Kane Lynn at Hemisphere, the latter the company that brought together would be producer Samuel M. Sherman and wannabe director Adamson. Tentative beginnings with "Half Way to Hell" and "Echo of Terror" (which evolved into "Blood of Ghastly Horror") soon allowed for more pictures to be filmed, such as "Blood of Dracula's Castle," "Five Bloody Graves," "Horror of the Blood Monsters," and "Hell's Bloody Devils," before "Satan's Sadists" opened the door to form Independent-International Pictures to roll them all out month after month while churning out "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" and "The Female Bunch" in 1969, the last film roles for an ailing Lon Chaney. Virtually all the veteran performers who appeared in one of his 30-plus titles receive a mention (John Carradine, Scott Brady, Kent Taylor, Jim Davis), with on screen reminiscences from Russ Tamblyn, Robert Dix, Kent Osborne, John 'Bud' Cardos, Gary Graver, Gary Kent, and numerous others. The shooting of "The Female Bunch" parallels the real life horrors perpetrated by the Charles Manson family, living out at the Spahn Ranch where Westerns were still being made, Charlie using his girls to entice men out into the desert. Adamson's stated goal was not for profit but to make each film as good as possible on whatever limited budget he had, and while the commentators agreed that he wasn't much good at anything he tried he was always an affable dealmaker who would hire anyone looking to work without pay (some even laughed about being paid and wondering where he got the cash, all collected on a spare time paper route!). Exploitation changed with the times and several movies were retitled again and again with a new ad campaign for another go round to infuriate theater audiences, from the late 60s biker trend to blaxploitation ("Mean Mother"), steamy airline encounters ("The Naughty Stewardesses"), an action vehicle for porn star Georgina Spelvin ("Girls for Rent"), kung fu ("Black Samurai"), James Bond rip offs ("Death Dimension"), an X-rated musical ("Cinderella 2000"), beach party hikinks ("Sunset Cove"), Exorcist possession ("Nurse Sherri"), and one final stab at a mishmash with someone else's footage ("Doctor Dracula"). The fun and games come to an end once the corpse of this unassuming filmmaker is found buried beneath a concrete tomb in the summer of 1995, a real life storyline played out to actual coverage and new interviews with investigators. For all the criticism about how bad his movies were, Al Adamson managed to finish them all for a ticket buying audience, a lesson taught to him by his father Denver Dixon, in order to maintain complete control: "if you don't have a way to distribute your films you're in trouble!"
Really good documentary. I saw this on Shudder not knowing who he was, but I'm really glad I watched it. The ending was really sad and tragic. I liked the behind the scenes look at the b movie genre from back then.
This was a documentary that I got turned on to thanks to podcasts. Al Adamson was a director that I had seen a couple of his films without realizing who he was at the time. One of them my father picked up on DVD, Horror of the Blood Monsters. He thought it was a movie that he saw growing up. The other was Blood of Dracula's Castle. That was one that I saw thanks to the Horror Show Guide Encyclopedia. This is one that I watched while at work as I treated it like a podcast.
This does a good job at detailing the life of Adamson. We learn about his start in film thanks to his father and how he didn't necessarily want to be an actor. He realized that he could be in the industry and make money. His low budget approach didn't always work, but it did eventually allow him to continue making films. It also allowed him to work with the likes of John Carradine, Russ Tamblyn and Lon Chaney Jr., amongst others. I did like to see actors who worked with Adamson recounting, both positive and negative, their experiences.
Going along with this, we also get similar filmmakers like Fred Olen Ray or from people who worked behind the camera like Vilmos Zsigmond. It is crazy to see people working with Adamson, then them go on to do bigger things as their career develops. It is fun to see how people got their start and then where it went, especially if they had mainstream success.
This unfortunately ends in tragedy as well. It is heartbreaking to hear, especially since everyone seems to mostly remember him in a positive light. Not that if he was a scoundrel that he deserves to be murdered. This does make a comment about the movies he made that it did only seem fitting he would meet his end in a similar fashion. It is truly sad. I did think that this would do well in moving through the different phases of his career and to where things ended up. It was interesting and I enjoyed my time here. I know that Adamson wasn't a great filmmaker, but I do have his filmography on my list. Would recommend it if you're a fan of him or just intrigued to learn more.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
This does a good job at detailing the life of Adamson. We learn about his start in film thanks to his father and how he didn't necessarily want to be an actor. He realized that he could be in the industry and make money. His low budget approach didn't always work, but it did eventually allow him to continue making films. It also allowed him to work with the likes of John Carradine, Russ Tamblyn and Lon Chaney Jr., amongst others. I did like to see actors who worked with Adamson recounting, both positive and negative, their experiences.
Going along with this, we also get similar filmmakers like Fred Olen Ray or from people who worked behind the camera like Vilmos Zsigmond. It is crazy to see people working with Adamson, then them go on to do bigger things as their career develops. It is fun to see how people got their start and then where it went, especially if they had mainstream success.
This unfortunately ends in tragedy as well. It is heartbreaking to hear, especially since everyone seems to mostly remember him in a positive light. Not that if he was a scoundrel that he deserves to be murdered. This does make a comment about the movies he made that it did only seem fitting he would meet his end in a similar fashion. It is truly sad. I did think that this would do well in moving through the different phases of his career and to where things ended up. It was interesting and I enjoyed my time here. I know that Adamson wasn't a great filmmaker, but I do have his filmography on my list. Would recommend it if you're a fan of him or just intrigued to learn more.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
What do Orson Welles, Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, Lon Chaney, Jr., Colonel Sanders, The Three Stooges, Charles Manson, an international UFO conspiracy, and a wrecked hot tub deep in the California desert all have in common?
Cinema schlock-meister Al Adamson, that's what. The creative force behind such drive-in classics as "Satan's Sadists", "Blazing Stewardesses" and "Dracula vs. Frankenstein", Adamson's oeuvre rivals Ed Wood in the pantheon of bad films. Like Wood, his life didn't end particularly well. As a matter of fact, it matches the title of one of his films - "Blood of Ghastly Horror".
This doc gives him his due. Unlike Wood, he had no delusions of grandeur. It's a very entertaining look at independent/exploitation filmmaking in the '60's and '70's.
Streaming on Tubi TV.
Cinema schlock-meister Al Adamson, that's what. The creative force behind such drive-in classics as "Satan's Sadists", "Blazing Stewardesses" and "Dracula vs. Frankenstein", Adamson's oeuvre rivals Ed Wood in the pantheon of bad films. Like Wood, his life didn't end particularly well. As a matter of fact, it matches the title of one of his films - "Blood of Ghastly Horror".
This doc gives him his due. Unlike Wood, he had no delusions of grandeur. It's a very entertaining look at independent/exploitation filmmaking in the '60's and '70's.
Streaming on Tubi TV.
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- ConnexionsFeatures Half Way to Hell (1960)
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Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Langue
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- The Life & Death of Al Adamson
- Société de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
- Durée1 heure 40 minutes
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 1.78 : 1
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By what name was Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson (2019) officially released in India in English?
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