c532c
Joined Jul 2002
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Reviews18
c532c's rating
An obvious western version of a story that was done twice in 1954 (as SHIELD FOR MURDER and PRIVATE HELL 36--with Howard Duff!) where a good lawman goes into business for himself.
This has all the elements: ruthless crime boss, two hired goons, a blackmailer, desperate escape and even a sultry chanteuse singing in a nightclub -er- saloon. Duff's playing is typically stoic, but this adds a bit to his bluff, duplicitous character (the kind Fred MacMurray used to play in DOUBLE INDEMNITY and PUSHOVER)and the rest of the cast does quite well under Selander's assured (well it certainly should be assured by this time!) direction. I particularly liked Douyglas Fowley as the crooked blackmailer. The scene where he and Duff negotiate -- each obviously planning a double-cross -- has a fine, greasy tension to it.
This has all the elements: ruthless crime boss, two hired goons, a blackmailer, desperate escape and even a sultry chanteuse singing in a nightclub -er- saloon. Duff's playing is typically stoic, but this adds a bit to his bluff, duplicitous character (the kind Fred MacMurray used to play in DOUBLE INDEMNITY and PUSHOVER)and the rest of the cast does quite well under Selander's assured (well it certainly should be assured by this time!) direction. I particularly liked Douyglas Fowley as the crooked blackmailer. The scene where he and Duff negotiate -- each obviously planning a double-cross -- has a fine, greasy tension to it.
I found this surprisingly lavish for a PRC film, in that it actually offers sets, locations and extras along with the standard guys in gorilla suits (Ray Corrigan?) and creaky stock shots from other old Jungle flicks.
The camera work is above average for PRC as well, indicating that director Sam Newfield may have taken a bit more time and care here. Note the tracking shots as the canoes drift down the river and think of the time & expense to set that up. Or the shots of Pongo crashing through the jungle in the foreground, following the canoes in the background. Again it evinces a bit of extra care (=$) Where most PRC films amaze one by the mere fact of existing, WHITE PONGO stands out--sort of--as a film in its own right, and I wonder what burst of enthusiasm must have led to its creation.
That said, it's still a turkey.
The camera work is above average for PRC as well, indicating that director Sam Newfield may have taken a bit more time and care here. Note the tracking shots as the canoes drift down the river and think of the time & expense to set that up. Or the shots of Pongo crashing through the jungle in the foreground, following the canoes in the background. Again it evinces a bit of extra care (=$) Where most PRC films amaze one by the mere fact of existing, WHITE PONGO stands out--sort of--as a film in its own right, and I wonder what burst of enthusiasm must have led to its creation.
That said, it's still a turkey.
With a visual style that anticipates Guy Madden and some insightful performances, this version is one I'll watch again, despite the fact that the homoerotic overtones held no interest for me. Prospective viewers should be warned that the Ghost is played with full frontal nudity, though it is not a large part -- in any sense of the term. Helen Mirren is amazing as Gertrude and Ophelia. Barry Stanton's Claudius is marvelously slimy. Quentin Crisp's Polonius is charmingly surreal. And the twins do it up quite nicely as Hamlet & Son. But was it necessary to stage the play-within-a-play as an orgy? In all, though, this is definitely worthwhile for HAMLET fans or overs of bizarre cinema.