Tony-41

As a fan of both James Duval and Ute Lemper, I picked up the DVD last night with somewhat high expectations. What a disappointing film! As soon as I saw the "Allen Smithee" credit, the red flag was raised, and I'm convinced the director couldn't have supported the final version and thus cloaked himself in the traditional tag. Richard Chamberlain absolutely devours the scenery (what's with the accent?), and Duval is all over the map. Imperioli, however, is good, and Lemper makes you wish she would do more film work (if you have the chance, see her in concert--she's excellent!). The supporting cast do what they can, and you'll recognize many faces (West Hollywood residents will easily pick out location shots). But why did Talia Shire get a higher credit than Austin Pendleton? Gay viewers hoping for man-on-man sex scenes are out of luck; beyond a few stage kisses, pretty much nothing happens. On the other hand, Imperioli and Lemper spend a bit of time canoodling, which seems odd for a film targeted for a gay audience. Another in a long line of gay-themed feature films, including JOHNS and BIG EDEN, that aren't much more than made-for-tv movies.

As an Arch Hall, Jr., aficianado, I couldn't wait to play this film when I found it on DVD. Simply amazing--over-the-top performances, the usual strangely-themed Hall Jr. songs, characters who seemingly have no reason to be where they are (did Richard Kiel just want to get out of town for the day?), a talking white rabbit...the list goes on and on. Note the lack of continuity in the cabin-trashing and following scenes (the place must have excellent maid service)! See John Waters' star Liz Renay use power tools! Wonder how not one but TWO world-class cinematographers have lived down this disaster! And for being top-billed, Hall Jr. doesn't seem to actually appear all that much--even his band performs a song without him (which actually shows how good they are without their frontman, even while forced to sing ridiculous lyrics). And is it just me, or does the German character have an uncomfortable resemblance at times to Kenneth Mars in THE PRODUCERS?

Like many of the other commentators here, I expected THE SADIST to be just another laughably bad Arch Hall, Jr. flick. But after just a few minutes, I knew I had stumbled into something completely different. The cinematography helps enormously, and the performances all around are great, but I don't believe enough credit has been given James Landis' writing skills here. The tension is almost unbearable at times, and the "shocker" alluded to elsewhere is one of the best I've ever seen, even in "A" movies. Everyone involved in this production should be proud!