How about a few Edgar G. Ulmer films for early June?
The Pirates of Capri (1949), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. This film will hold interest for cinephiles. Others beware. The Pirates of Capri is an American/Italian co-production that offers one of many takes on the swashbuckling films popular in the 1940s and early 50s. It does, however, have little swash and not a lot of buckling. Think The Mark of Zorro crossed with Jamaica Inn and perhaps Captain Blood. Louis Heyward is the masked champion of the down-trodden; he is also the ponce, Lord Amalfi. Of course, the young lady finds herself attracted to the masked pirate, Sirocco, and rather cool to her intended, Lord Amalfi. What a surprise she has when Lord Amalfi and Sirocco turn out to be the same person. The most distinguished aspects of the film are its sets and costumes. The sharp contrast of the cinematography is also noteworthy. As usual, Ulmer delivers a low budget film that has character (and characters of distinction).
The Man From Planet X (1951), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Of all the Ulmer films I have seen, this one impresses me the most. The expressionistic sets are fabulous, as good as anything since those early days of German Expressionist cinema. The story is also intriguing. In short, Planet X is heading toward earth, and its occupants have sent out an out-rider to scope out earth. This person from Planet X at first seems harmless enough, even quite vulnerable. Then an earthing tries to harm this alien for self-interest – humans are greedy bastards – and the person from away turns dangerous. As one of the characters says at the end, this person from space just might have brought something beneficial to earth. True, the alien’s own planet was becoming uninhabitable, but this does not necessarily mean that the aliens wanted to destroy humans. The action is set on a remote Scottish island and the atmosphere is eery, moody, and at times creepy. The film has elements of a number of good films to follow: e.g. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Invaders From Mars. Ulmer’s film was made on a shoestring, but it shows imagination and flare. John Dierkes makes an appearance as Jacob, the menacing looking grounds keeper.
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. This Ulmer film has the reputation of being sloppy – 1950s cars can be seen out a window in a breakfast scene – but I found it richly rewarding. The film draws on the look of those early 1930s Universal horror films and the appearance of the kindly Arthur Shields as the villain is priceless. His devilishness in the prologue and epilogue is great fun. As for the plot, well you can probably guess this. Janet Smith (Gloria Talbott) visits her ancestral home, bringing along her fiancé George (John Agar). She intends to introduce George to her relative Dr. Lomas (Shields) who is looking after the mansion, the mansion that will become Janet’s on her 21st birthday which is happening during this visit. Dr. Lomas has a family secret to divulge, and this secret, that Janet is Dr. Jekyll’s daughter and just might inherit his penchant for turning into a werewolf. The film mixes werewolf and vampire lore gleefully. We have a few dream sequences and a werewolf sequence to spice things up. The actors perform well, Agar being perhaps better than usual. By no means Ulmer’s best outing, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Beyond the Time Barrier (1960), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Lots of triangles and sliding doors in this late entry from Ulmer. A test pilot in 1960 flies beyond the time barrier and finds himself on earth 64 years in the future. The world’s population has suffered from a plague caused by nuclear testing, and the majority of people are now deaf mutes who suffer from radiation poisoning. If only our pilot, William Allison (Robert Clarke), can get back to 1960, perhaps he can stop the plague from wreaking havoc on civilization. But first he must extricate himself from the underground living quarters in which he finds himself imprisoned. We have a variety of characters, mutants, deaf mutes, “scapes” (those who managed somehow to escape the ravages of the plague), and some creatures from another movie in shots clearly not made for this one. The sets look forward to sets we see in Star Trek a few years later. Everything here, including the triangular wipes, is reminiscent of the old-time serials, the most famous of which are the Flash Gordon serials. This is an earnest film with some excellent visuals, as we would expect from Ulmer. The look of the film reminds me of the work of William Cameron Menzies. The ending is intended to be a shock, and it does have its momentary shock value.
Hannibal (1959), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia. Hannibal is a film that comes near the end of Ulmer’s career. Ulmer began his career as art director for the likes of Murnau and Lang before heading to America to begin a directing career with The Black Cat (1934). He is well known for his ability to make impressive films on a miniscule budget. Hannibal sees him working with a bigger budget and a cast of thousands plus several elephants. As far as acting goes, the elephants win the prize. Hannibal is one of many historical epics so popular at the time, and it has its pleasures. Things move along fluidly enough, although at times it seems as if the fluidity could use a few dams. We have much marching, much riding, much trudging, and several tumbles from the sides of mountains (probably the same mountain every time). Battle scenes are just about okay and the aftermath sees fields strewn with bodies. I wonder whether the Monty Python people had seen this film. There is not much in the way of character development, but scenes are colourful, and those elephants are impressive. Also noteworthy is the presence of two actors who will go on to fame (and fortune?) in Spaghetti westerns, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.
