paul panzer's reviews

The Spider Returns was directed by old Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy director James Horne, who used it to send up the serial genre. It's the villains who come in for the most ridicule.

The henchmen are inept, sometimes spectacularly so. At one point they are wear paper party hats and blow noisemakers, girls on their laps, and the Gargoyle enters and has a tantrum: "These wild parties must cease!" he says -- well, emotes would be a better word.

Horne made another humorous serial, Terry and the Pirates, in which it's the hero who gets the razz. The Green Archer also has comedy elements, with the head villain having fit after fit as his henchmen botch every assignment. Hey, somebody had to point out these genre flaws, and Horne was just the guy to do it. These serials are a good change of pace for fans of the form, and, since Horne started his career doing serials, he was up to doing the action sequences effectively as well.

When I give this a 10, I mean 10 for a serial. I don't imagine that it's CITIZEN KANE, but it is easily one of the best serials, and the only one with significant horror elements. Universal's product is usually better-scripted and less formulaic than Republic's, and this is the best-scripted of them all, with the possible exception of the second version of SECRET AGENT X-9.

One element that lifts GANGBUSTERS above average is the presence of a henchman who complains about being sent on dangerous assignments. I've always wondered what kind of fool would take up something as dangerous and unrewarding as hench-work, and here at last a scriptwriter addresses the problem. There are other dashes of humor as well, but the story itself stands out for its morbidity, unusual in a film intended for children. It's easy to imagine the mothers of 1942 having to cope with the vivid nightmares of young viewers.

Ralph Morgan, the Wizard of Oz's real-life brother, is remarkably intense as the wicked Professor Mortis, who assembles his gang from executed criminals -- you heard me -- and conducts his nefarious business from a hideout under the subway (Who built it? Didn't anybody notice?). His goal isn't to rule the world or to do anything at all lucrative, just to have revenge on those who treated him unjustly. In other words, this time the Count of Monte Cristo is a bad guy.

The cliffhangers are exciting, and are resolved without TOO much cheating. The hero is bland, as serial heroes often are, but in this story something happens to the hero that is most unexpected. In fact the plot takes several quite remarkable turns, and the climax is unique. Great fun!

Indeed this movie is a great deal like a Republic serial. For those who like their meat raw, that's a good thing, and fun can be had here. Granted, there is more than enough silliness to go around -- Lorre's disguise as an Asian sage is, to be blunt, not *entirely* successful, but he plays the impersonation tongue in cheek, and the end result is nothing if not amusing.

I cannot imagine what is offensive except possibly the dreaded racial stereotypes, which surely are endemic to the whole series. The idea that a B picture would be "held back for a few months" because of a matter of taste doesn't seem likely. Zanuck didn't expect Bs to be any good, and rarely screened them. There's no reason to single this film out as any sillier than many Bs of the period. There's more than enough to enjoy, and the running time is mercifully short. I'd rather watch this than any of the interminable Charlie Chan films.

This film has three outstanding features: The spectacular location, Hadrian's Villa, Claude Renoir's ravishing color and b&w cinematography, and an exquisite score featuring the rarely-used Irish harp. Vadim's direction fails to make the most of these elements, or the story, alas, but Annette Stroyberg and Elsa Martinelli are both interesting. It's above average for Vadim.

I don't know where the other poster got the idea that Stroyberg's first name was Carmilla. She did sometimes go by her married name, Vadim.

Kids don't like this picture, and it didn't succeed at the boxoffice, but it's the greatest film Hitchcock made. It's the only movie I know that seriously makes the point that some things happen that are so awful that they can't be undone.

Fonda and Vera Miles are absolutely flawless. A masterpiece.

As far as I know this excellent serial only exists in incomplete form, missing about half a reel of picture and something like eight reels of sound. Fortunately, the good people at The Serial Squadron have promised a new DVD with subtitles, music and effects for the soundless portions, but no date of release is set. Check their website. This is a wartime serial, specifically making villains of all the Axis powers without the usual anti-Asian junk. Wonderful stuntwork in the dozen-or-so fights and surprisingly good special effects. Well-directed and not nearly as silly as some serials. RECOMMENDED

This Universal serial was never much discussed by fans of the genre and was thought lost. Released on DVD and VHS by VCI in 2003, it at first was overshadowed by the also-rediscovered JUNGLE JIM. Now that the dust has settled most fans seem to prefer it to JIM, and some say it's among the best Universals, on a par with the three Flash Gordons. Henry Brandon's performance as the heavy is one of the most memorable in serials, and production values are above average for a serial. Entertaining and fun, it provides absolutely no food for thought.

Atmospheric, exciting, and with a sequential storyline (no!), this serial, IMHO, edges out Flash Gordon (Space Soldiers) and Hawk of the Wilderness as best serial of all time. Some prefer caped comic book heroes, but we have here a coherent plot, a hugely sinister villain (not to mention his dreadful daughter, Fah Lo Suee), and unforgettable cliffhangers, one after another. If you haven't seen this, you don't know what a serial can be.