THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

Month: May 2021

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Review

Director: Stuart Paton
Producer: Carl Laemmle
Writer: Jules Verne and Stuart Patton
Released: December 1916
Budget: $500,000
Box Office: $8 million
Cast:
Allen Holubar
Curtis Benton
Edna Pendleton
Jane Gail
Matt Moore
William, Welsh
Dan Hanlon

Breakdown:

The film is about a giant sea monster that is wreaking havoc on ships all over the seas. In an attempt to find out precisely what is going on, the US Navy sends in the Abraham Lincoln vessel. However, while on the hunt, the ship finds their so-called monster is actually the Nautilus. This submarine surpasses all underwater vessels of its time. With the Abraham Lincoln damaged, the Nautilus takes on the survivors at the order of its captain, Nemo. While all of this is going on, another group of soldiers ends up stranded on an island where they find a strange girl. The girl was left on the island by a British officer by the name of Charles Denver. Denver stranded her on the island as a young girl only after her mother chose to take her own life rather than allow Denver to force himself upon her. Denver decides to return to the island after his tormented memories cause him to take action. Once Denver’s ship arrives at the island, a plan is soon hatched by one of the soldiers to take the girl and Denver’s ship and flee out to sea. Simultaneously, Captain Nemo shows up after perusing his long enemy for years, Charles Denver. Nemo destroys the boat and saves the girl and another soldier who was attempting to rescue her himself. In a twist of fate, Nemo turns out to be a Prince and the father of the stranded girl. He swore to kill Denver after the death of his love and the kidnapping of his daughter. However, he is so bursting with emotion that he dies and is buried at sea in a beautiful tragedy.

Man has long wondered what terrors may lurk below the surface of our beautiful waters. We know more about what is going on within the solar system around us than we do our own ocean floor. In 1869 French author Jules Verne took a stab at what he thought could possibly be lying in wait under calm waters. The book is still considered a masterpiece even by today’s standards. Although Verne would go on to write 26 books that would become movies (totaling 220 films in total), the budget for the 1916 film was so vast it almost sank the idea of ever moving forward with another Jules Verne project again.

In 1916 British director Stuart Paton brought the book to the screen. Paton had only one credit under his belt at the time for his work on The Mark of Cain, which only came out a few months before 20,000 Leagues. Unfortunately, Paton was never seen as a true visionary. Although he would go on to direct over 60 films in his career, he never achieved the respect he deserved as a writer or director.

When Paton put pen to paper and wrote the screenplay for the film, he also borrowed some key plot points from another of Verne’s books. The Mysterious Island. Once the story was finished, Universal helped everything get moving on the film itself. At the time, Universal was not the giant film company it is today. In fact, its full name was The Universal Film Manufacturing Company. The movie moved forward with a budget of $500,000. It was such a large budget for the time that the industry decided to hold off on any more Jules Verne film adaptations…at least for a while.

The budget had to be massive because, for the vision that Paton had working on this film, history would have to be made. The big screen has acted as a portal into the underwater world for many years, with the movies Jaws, The Abyss, and Creature from the Black Lagoon leading the charge. However, without the path being blazed by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the industry could have a completely different landscape.

Seeing how the majority of the story takes place underwater, the studio had to get creative with how the film would be shot. No movie had taken the REAL journey under the sea, so not only was this movie taking big chances, but it was also making significant advances in the way film would be shot. This was the first movie to be shot underwater. The thing is, at the time, waterproof equipment didn’t exist, so the crew had to get creative. The Williamson Submarine Film Corporation came on board and worked with the production company to film all the underwater shots. They used an elaborate system of tubes and mirrors to reflect the underwater images into the camera for the perfect shots they were looking for. It was groundbreaking technology, even if it wouldn’t be utilized much in the film industry.

One of the greatest stories ever written has been many adaptations of the book; however, this 1916 version paved the way for those to come. Although it may not have been exactly what the production company wanted based on the budget, Paton moved forward with a vision he had that solidified this film into history. In 2016 it was entered into the Library of Congress National Film Registry, keeping it safe for generations to come.

Watch “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” on TheLastPicture.Show

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 31, 2021
Convict 13 Review

Directed and Written by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline
Produced by Joseph M. Schenck
Edited by Buster Keaton
Cast:
Buster Keaton
Sybil Seely
Joe Roberts
Edward F. Cline
Joe Keaton
Louise Keaton

Buster Keaton is arguably the most known actor of the silent film era, along with Lon Chaney, Rudolph Valentino, and Fatty Arbuckle, of course. While Convict 13 is a tremendous early film, it’s not one of Keaton’s better-known roles. When a film buff falls in love with Buster Keaton and goes back through his film credits, they are more likely to come across The General, Sherlock, Jr., College, Seven Chances, or Steamboat Bill Jr. great Keaton movies. However, Convict 13 for sure deserves its place on this list.

Released in 1920, the silent film opens with a man (Buster Keaton) attempting to impress a woman with his golfing skills. It seems, however, that she is a much better player than he is. While trying to drive the ball downrange, Keaton displays some of the clever stunt work that he was most famous for. He tries to hit the ball and does an entire flip, falling on the ground, causing the ball to roll into a nearby river. He then climbs aboard a makeshift raft and paddles out to the middle of the river where the ball is floating. Just as he is about to hit the ball again, a fish comes up and eats it. Keaton falls into the river to retrieve the ball. He grabs the first fish he sees, but unfortunately, it is the wrong fish. He dives back in and grabs another, luckily this time, it is the right fish. Keaton retrieves the ball and gives the fish a little spanking before re-releasing it into the river.

Meanwhile, in a nearby prison, a “Jailbird” (also Keaton) is about to escape. The prisoner flees as the guards blow the “whistle” alarm to warn of the escape. The golfer hears the alarm, but he and his caddy just think it is the lunch break. Just as the golfer attempts to hit his ball again (now on the green), a dog runs up, snatches the ball, and runs away with it. The golfer chases the dog to a pile of older golf balls that the dog has stolen. The golfer grabs the one he thinks is his and returns to the caddy. While this is all going on, the prisoner is being chased by a dozen guards.

Once again, the golfer attempts to hit his ball, only this time to have it ricochet back and hit him in the head, knocking him out. Just as he falls to the ground, the escaped convict rounds the corner and finds the golfer knocked out on the ground. In some quick thinking, the prisoner switches clothes with the golfer and leaves him to deal with the prison guards alone.

When the golfer wakes up, he is now in the prisoner’s clothes, although he does not notice at first. The prisoner (now in the golfer’s clothes) walks by the guards and points to the golfer, informing them that he MUST be the man they are looking for. They make their way over to the golfer, and it is clear he is the prisoner; after all, he is wearing the stripes with the number 13 on his arm. The golfer, now noticing his clothes, hits the ball, causing the guards to look downrange. While they are distracted, he makes his get-a-way. He calmly walks down the street, and as he walks, all the guards fall in behind him. The march down the road in proper formation, so Keaton takes the opportunity to turn around, forcing the formation to “about-face.” He does this several times, and one of the times they are marching in the opposite direction, he turns and runs again.

As he is running, he jumps into a passing car. Unfortunately for him, however, the vehicle belongs to the prison warden. Noticing this, Keaton leaps from this car onto the back of a passing one. It is important to note that in all of his films, Keaton would do his own stunts. After jumping from the car, the golfer, now prisoner, stops picking some flowers and playing the old “they’ll catch me, they’ll catch me not” game. It seems that “they’ll catch me” wins, causing Keaton to lose. So, he continues to run and sees a painter painting a bench. He pushes the man onto the bench, so his white jumpsuit now has black stripes making him look like the prisoner from the back. The guards do not fall for it, however, and continue the chase. Keaton ducks into a nearby gate and locks it behind him, only to learn that the gate is the entrance to the prison.  

Now in prison, Keaton runs back into the woman from the beginning of the story. She sees what he is wearing and asks if he did this to be close to her while laughing. It turns out she is the Warden’s daughter. She introduces him to her father and calls the golfer by his name for the first time Buster. The Warden says he is pleased to meet Buster but must inform him that convict 13 is due to be hanged that day. Buster is convict 13.  

All the prisoners are excited to watch the hanging, but the Warden’s daughter has a better idea. She switches the rope for the noose out with a stretchy elastic cord from the gym. Buster then proposes to the daughter just in time for the guards to take him away. When they open the trap door, the rope stretches, allowing Buster to bounce up and down multiple times until the guard is forced to pull him back up and release him from the noose. The prisoners are furious, but the Warden promises to hang someone the next day.

Buster is forced to break rock with a hammer, and while doing so, he ends up knocking a guard out on accident. Buster switches clothes with the guard and attempts to flee again. However, a colossal prisoner goes on a rampage knocking out all of the guards. Buster gets caught in his path and is begins being chased by the massive inmate. Buster lures him to the noose, ties it around the inmate’s foot, and traps him there. This gets Buster a promotion to assistant Warden but causes the large convict to become angry and start a riot for everyone to break out. The prisoner runs into the room where Buster and the Wardens daughter are, and he kidnaps the woman. At this time, all the prisoners start to fight the guards and escape.

Buster uses a punching bag on the end of a rope to swing around like crazy and knock out all of the prisoners, leaving just him and the large convict. The inmate tries to shoot Buster, but the gun jams, and Buster once again starts swinging the punching bag around until he subdues the convict once and for all. As he does, however, Buster falls off the table he is on and knocks himself out. The Warden’s daughter begins shaking him to wake him up, and when he wakes up on the golf course showing that it was all just a dream.

It is interesting to go back now and watch these classic films play out. They were almost cartoonish in their style; however, I wonder if that is more because the cartoons borrowed aspects from these movies more, the chicken and the egg, if you will.

Watch “Convict 13” on TheLastPicture.Show

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 28, 2021
Dementia 13 Review
- Details:
- Directed by  Francis Coppola 
- Produced by  Roget Corman
- Written by  Francis Coppola
- Released  September 25, 1963 
- Running time  80 minutes. 
- Budget  $42,000
- Cast  William Campbell, Luana Anders, Bart Patton, Mary Mitchell 
Break Down:

A husband and wife go out late one night for a ride in their rowboat. While they are on the water, the couple begins to argue. They fight about the husband’s rich mother wanting to give a large sum of money to a charity, robbing the husband and wife of the money she feels they are owed. They continue to fight about how all the woman wants from the husband is his rich mother’s inheritance. He jokes about how if he dies out there, she will get nothing, and he rows harder. Suddenly, the man grabs his chest and falls over. While the wife leans over him, she curses, stating he knew he had an evil heart. Just before the husband dies, he comments that if she does not save him, she will get nothing from his family, no money. Then, the husband dies. Frantic, the wife decides to throw him over the side of the boat and head back home. When she gets home, she types a note to her mother-in-law, Lady Haloran, stating that her husband is away on business and she would like to visit the family at their castle in Ireland. Her plan is to con the family into putting her into the will. 

The now secret widow, Louise Haloran, arrives at the castle and begins to notice strange things going on. It turns out, the daughter of Lady Haloran died years ago, having drowned in the pond. The family holds a yearly funeral-type tribute at the fallen child Kathleen’s grave. Every year, while they are mourning at the grave, the mother breaks down and faints. Louise helps her traumatized mother-in-law to her room and plants the seeds of her con. She figures out that the Lady of the castle is superstitious and obviously still wounded by her daughter’s loss, even though it was years ago that she drowned. Louise tells her mother-in-law that Kathleen has been trying to communicate with her from beyond the grave. 

Louise then sneaks into Kathleen’s old room and steals some dolls from the dead girl. She takes them out to the pond, where the girl drowned and dived down to the bottom. Louise attaches them to the pond’s floor with the dolls attached to a string, ready to float to the top when the family is dining next to the pond. Once she attaches the dolls to the pond’s bottom, she sees what looks like the dead girls’ corpse, perfectly preserved, at the bottom of the pond. Louise screams and swims to the shore just in time to see a man standing there with an axe. The axe-man then hacks Louise up and drags her body out of the water. 

The family doctor comes to the castle to check on the Lady and decides to solve the mystery when he hears of the disappearance. While he is playing detective, more souls are taken by the mysterious axe-man. The doctor has the pond drained and finds at the bottom a headstone that reads, “I’m sorry, Kathleen.’ Convinced that there is a sick mind at work on this estate, the doctor doubles down his detective skills. He narrows it down to one of the two sons of Lady Haloran until the film comes to a close during the most senior brothers’ wedding ceremony. The doctor finds a shack with the bodies of those killed and a perfectly preserved corpse of Kathleen. The doctor sets the body in the middle of a courtyard with the headstone attempting to draw the killer out. When the new bride attempts to touch Kathleen to see if she is dead, the youngest Haloran brother attacks her with an axe. Just as it seems he will kill either his new sister-in-law or older brother, the doctor shoots the killer ending his murderous spree. 

Dementia 13 was the first mainstream film written and directed by Francis Coppola. Coppola is best known for directing classics like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, and Bram Stokers Dracula. Coppola was working with Roger Corman on Corman’s film, The Young Racers, as a sound man. When The Young Racers finished filming in Ireland, the budget still had $22k left. Corman decided to use the money to make another short film. His schedule, however, would not allow him, so he worked a deal with Coppola to stay in Ireland and film a new movie. Coppola has said, “Roger wanted to make Dementia 13 cheaply. He wanted it to be homicidal, sort of a copy of Psycho…so I wrote the script…” While watching the film, it is evident that Psycho was an influence in the murder scenes, although Dementia 13 tells a story that stands on its own. A tale that Coppola wrote in one night. The next day he explained the first axe killing scene to Corman. “A half-naked woman ties several dolls to the bottom of a lake, then surfaces to find herself at the feet of an axe murderer: axed to death,” Coppola told him. Just with the details of that scene, Corman left Coppola in Ireland with a crew and a $22k budget to make the film. 

Coppola contacted a few of his friends from UCLA. He asked them if they would like to be in the film, and those that agreed flew out to Ireland, many on their own dime. With such a small budget, Coppola had to get creative with how to pay everyone. The majority of the Irish cast members only made minimum wage. The entire cast and crew bunked together in a farmhouse. 

Even though the film seemed to have to cut corners to keep the cost down, it holds up after all these years. The amount of suspense and mystery in this classic slasher story builds throughout the entire film. A few times while viewing, it may seem like one brother is the killer only to second guess that idea a few scenes later. An actual art piece is not only the horror genre but classic film altogether. Dementia 13 transcends generations and proves that a good story full of tension can make any budget work. 

Watch “Dementia 13” on TheLastPicture.Show

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)
May 26, 2021
Nosferatu (1922): The Birth of a Genre

With so many horror movies available in the market, it is easy to get whatever you want. If you are a lover of slasher films, there are a plethora of movies that will meet that criteria. If a good paranormal film is more your style, take your pick. With all of these options, many seem to forget about the origins of the genre. Before you could scare yourself with a number of different styles, there was only a few movies one could watch to give you the chills, one of the most famous films on this list is Nosferatu, the black and white silent film of 1922.

The film was based on the 1897 horror novel, Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Bram Stoker in many ways spawned the vampire genre we know today. Unfortunately, he never got the praise or riches he deserved for his genius while alive. When Stoker died in 1911, he was still fighting a lifelong battle with finances. When director F.W Murnau took Henrik Galeen’s script based on Stokers novel, history was made.

Nosferatu was the first famous vampire film to ever be made, but not the first to make its way to the screen. In 1921 there was another film made simply named Dracula’s Death. Dracula’s Death was a Hungarian film directed by Karoly Latjay and it more borrows ideas and certain plot points from Bram Stokers novel more than a direct representation. It is impossible however to watch Latjay’s film as no copies survived history.

Nosferatu itself had to change many of the plot points due to copyright laws. They were not able to use Dracula’s name because they did not have the rights from Stoker’s novel. A few locations and certain plot points had to also be tweaked as well to ensure no lawsuits would come from the film. Unfortunately for Murnau and Galeen, Stokers wife received a promotional poster of the movie in the mail from an anonymous sender. She immediately took legal action against the film and company that produced it. By the time Florence Stoker was attempting to sue the company however, they had already gone bankrupt due to an expensively out of control marketing campaign. After learning that the company could pay nothing to Stoker’s family, Florence attempted to have every copy of the film destroyed, and the German court sided with her ordering every copy in the nation to be burned. Before they could all be destroyed however, some copies made their way to the U.S and UK making the film, like its star character, very difficult to kill. Florence Stoker never stopped however, and she worked to track down and burn every copy of the film until the day she died.

Some film fans may think of Bela Lugosi as the classic vampire, but Max Schreck was the one to bring Count Orlok (Nosferatu’s interpretation of Dracula) to life. However, even by today’s standards Count Orolok’s pale complexion, pointy ears, elongated fingers and animal like composer is frightening to watch. Schreck really became something other-worldly when he became the count, no matter if he was Count Dracula or Count Orlok, the man became beast. Schreck’s last name is even German for “Terror” so it seems fitting he was the one to bring life to the undead.

It is hard to watch Nosferatu in 2021 and see it as scary. Viewers sensitivity to the horror genre has changed so much since this film’s initial release, but while viewing it, one can see the fear it most likely produced in the early 20’s. For the time in film history, such camera tricks as stop-motion were not commonly used in films like this. But a few shots such as when Orlok’s coffin lid closes by itself or when the Count uses his vampire magic to open the hatch on the ship, these were done using a form of stop motion. Watching the scenes today give off an eerie feeling, leading one to believe that in the 20’s it would have been downright terrifying.

A large part of the emotions one feels from watching this film is thanks to the music proved by composer Hans Erdmann. The eerie and unforgettable organ music throughout the entire film really set the stage for what the viewer should be feeling. The original score was played with an orchestra at the time of the films screening. However, over time the original has been lost so what the films have today is a reconstruction of Erdmann’s music.

It has been said that this film, given its location in Germany and the appearance of Count Orlok as well as his relationship with rodents was a direct representation of the anti-Semitic ideologies a lot of people had in the 1920’s. However, there has been proof that director Murnau was close with many Jewish men and women and was in fact himself, a homosexual. Because of these facts, it is hard to believe that Murnau would have any ties to Nazi propaganda at all.

Watching the film in 2021 gives one a sense of history and respect for the arts. All though the film blatantly stole the idea from Bram Stoker, it is considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all time, and I can see why. It transports you back to a time when film was in its infancy, a new creature unsure of itself. With little tools to help it along and only vision and grit to push it into the future. Thanks to Nosferatu, the vampire genre is full of thousands of different stories and characters that can all be traced back to this one film.

Watch “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” on TheLastPicture.Show

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 19, 2021
Tales from The Crypt: Dig That Cat He’s Real Gone

Season 1 Episode 3

Sideshow freaks, unfortunately, are a thing of the past. In fact, it is not even politicly correct to use the term “freak” when discussing this long-gone form of entertainment. Which is okay, time moves forward, and progress must be made. Luckily for anyone wanting to scratch that sideshow itch, Tales from The Crypt season, episode 3 has the cure for what’s ailing you. 

The Crypt keeper’s introduction starts with him lighting a match from a human skull so that he can ignite his candle to read one of his tales. The tale this week he lets the “kiddies” know is about a man who was able to enjoy dying since he was able to do it more than once. In fact, he enjoyed dying so much that he started making a living at it. The tale is about Ulric the Undying. 

The scene then changes to the outside of a carnival. The Big Top Carnival. As the camera snakes its way into the big top, it is greeted by the carnival barker. The barker may seem familiar to you because it is none other than character actor Robert Wuhl. Wuhl you would know from many shows; however, the film that sticks out to me the most is Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, where Wuhl played Alexander Knox. The barker begins walking the camera through the tent into the main attraction, Ulric the Undying. A man who can die and be resurrected right before an audience. Ulric is placed in a coffin and buried alive. Ulric, of course, will also be familiar since he is one of the great character actors of our time, Joe Pantoliano. Joe played Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, and Captain Howard in Bad Boys. 

The scene then follows Ulric into the coffin, where he lets us know that he will be dead when they dig him up. The flashback of the day this all began starts where we find Ulric living in a back alley drunk. A man approaches him and offers large sums of money if he allows the man to experiment on him. They go back to the strange man’s lab, where there are many cats in cages. The doctor begins explaining to Ulric that he discovered how a cat can have nine lives and wants to give Ulric those nine lives. He will do this by surgically removing a gland from the cat and grafting it to Ulric’s brain. 

They go through with the surgery, and when Ulric asks how he is sure he has nine lives, the doctor shoots him in the head. Ulric falls back to the bed and dies…but only for a moment. He then jumps up and asks for his money. The doctor hands him the cash and presents him with an idea to make more money than he could ever imagine, and that is how Ulric gets into the sideshow business.

Step right up and see a man die! The doctor speaks to the Big Top Carnival barker and negotiates a deal with him for Ulric to join the sideshow. The barker decides to take a chance, seeing how his show seems to be dying itself. Perhaps Ulric will not only be able to resurrect himself but the barker’s profits as well. Ulric is placed in a large tube filled with water so that those gathered around him may watch him drown. His bravery catches the eye of a woman working the carnival named Coralee (Kathleen York). She asks him out to dinner, that is, if he is still alive that night. As the crowd watches, he begins to drown. After he is dead, the barker reveals they plan to keep him in there for a full hour. At the end of the hour, they drain the tank. When Ulric does not rise automatically, the crowd begins to clear out, thinking it was all a hoax, but right when the last one is leaving, he jumps up alive, and they all rush back in. It looks like Ulric, and the doctor will become very rich. 

In the next show, Ulric is dressed in old west attire and is hanged before a live crowd. He dies for only a moment and then comes back. The money is pouring in at this point, and Ulric’s love life with eh carnival worker seems to be going great. Ulric, now wealthy, decides he doesn’t want to share his wealth with the doctor anymore. They go for a late drive in a storm, and Ulric crashes the car to kill the doctor. 

Now it seems it is time to take the show up a notch. A lottery system is created to see who can kill Ulric. It’s not good enough to just witness the death of another human at this point; the people want to be the ones to carry out the murder. Ulric is hooked up to deadly amounts of electricity. A sweet-looking old lady has the winning ticket to throw the switch. She is thrilled and pulls the lever to deliver the shocking death to Ulric. This time it takes a bit longer to resurrect Ulric. He makes his way into the morgue, and his girlfriend rushes in to ensure the man on duty does not embalm him. While the mortician (Larry Hankin) is arguing with her, Ulric jumps up, scaring him half to death, and I bet that man only has one life. 

Due to the scare, Ulric makes sure that his girlfriend gets his body if there are any issues. The show then takes a twist where for $1000, an audience member can take one shot at Ulric with a crossbow. The first show misses, and the next guy stands up with his young son, trying to force the kid into killing Ulric. The kid starts to cry that he doesn’t want to do it but then shoots and misses. The next one to try the shot is the 1987 state fair archery champion. He shoots Ulric straight through the heart, and he falls over dead. 

Ulric, now resurrected, retreats to his trailer with Coralee. The barker brings him his take of the profits from the show, and when the barker leaves, Coralee stabs Ulric to steal all of the money. In a fit of anger now, Ulric has to earn all that money back, so he tells the barker that he wants 100% of all the profit for his next show, since it will be his last, of course. Now, he is buried in the coffin, alive, waiting to die. While waiting, he starts thinking back to all of his deaths and then realizes when counting that the cat died giving him his gland. That means…that Ulric does not have one life left; this is his last. 

This is a well-acted and entertaining episode. It is always fun to watch the turn of events in someone’s life who is down on their luck and then flush with money. It is a testament to the human nature of forgetting where we come from. 

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 11, 2021
Creepshow: The Companion

Season 1 Episode 4

One thing that will always be creepy is a scarecrow. Sure, there can be cute ones at times that folks love to look at or even singing ones who wished they had a brain. But if you even took those cute ones and placed them in the middle of an old field at midnight, they will be just as creepy. Since creepy is Creepshow’s primary objective here (I mean, it’s in the name), it makes sense that they would have an episode centered around a terrifying scarecrow.  

The episode opens with a boy named Harold, Harry, to his friends (Logan Allen) sitting beside a creek fishing when his friend rolls up on a bicycle. The friend, Smitty (Dylan Gage), comes down to the creek to join Harold. When Smitty walks up to Harold, he notices his face is bruised and battered. Instantly he knows it was Harold’s older brother Billy that did it to him. Harold assures Smitty, however, that he got Billy (Voltair Colin Council) back, maybe even gave him a black eye.

Smitty, after offering Harry a place to stay and Harry declining, leaves to get back to tending his grandmothers’ feet…gross. Before he leaves, he hands Harry a box of treats and tells him not to eat them all, but maybe they will make him feel better. Now all alone, Harry starts snacking on the chocolate. His solitude does not last long, however. While he is sitting beside the creek, listening to the gentle sounds of the water, he hears footsteps on the bridge above. He thinks maybe his friend has come back, so he calls out, “Smitty?” His bike is then thrown over the edge of the bridge, and his older brother appears. Fear grips Harry as he stands to his feet, apologizing to his brother. He promises he will “fix the dent,” giving some insight into how the fight started. His brother starts pushing him around and forces Harry to run away. It is pretty apparent that Billy is a complete psycho.

Harry runs across the creek and takes off through the woods. Billy, screaming that he is going to kill his little brother, gives chase. In his escape, Harry comes to a locked gate and decides to enter. It is now dark, and he is running through a small graveyard. One of the newer-looking headstones reads, “Mavis Brenner, beloved wife. A true companion.” As Harry is making his way to a house beyond the graveyard, he passes through an old field. In the center is one of the scariest looking scarecrows I have ever seen. It towers over harry with a top hat and what appears to be broken ribs. As he examines the hideous thing, Harry sees it has fang-like teeth and some kind of man-made heart in its chest with a stick piercing it. Billy is now closing in on him as he screams, “Harold, I’m going to find you,” and leaps the locked gate at the cemetery. Harry reaches up and grabs the stick, pulling it free from the beast’s chest.

Harry runs past the old farmhouse and hides behind a tractor. While hiding, he sees the giant shadow of some kind of monster lurking in the trees. Not knowing if it is his brother or perhaps something more sinister, he races up the steps and bangs on the door of the house, begging to be let in. He turns the knob and races inside, slamming the door behind him just as something significant crashes into it and begins banging on the now locked door. Harry cries, begging his brother to please stop and that he is sorry. The banging stops, and the knob begins to turn. Harry looks up at the window at the top of the door and sees the giant scarecrow standing there.

Billy, unaware of the monster lurking in the field with him, passes the house screaming for Harry. As he turns to look at the door again, Harry sees tree branches coming in under the door and reaching for the door lock. Now gripped with fear, he drops the stick that once stabbed the scarecrow and flees upstairs. However, as he is racing up them, Harry falls through the stairs and lands in the basement, where he finds a corpse. The body is in an old chair and is completely engulfed in cobwebs. The face is missing, and the shotgun lying between the dead man’s legs gives a pretty big clue as to where the face went.

Harry finds a letter on the floor, slowly approaching the body, a suicide letter explaining everything that happened. The letter says that a year after Mavis had died, the man became incredibly lonely. The man was consumed by the loneliness. He was so lonely that he decided to create himself a companion. So, he went to work on the scarecrow. He built the body out of straw and used bones he found in the field. The bones are a large jawbone of some animal and the rib cages of another. He put a suit on the companion, but something was still missing. He then found an old paper heart that mavis had made and placed it in the chest of his new companion.

One day as the farmer walked onto the front porch, he noticed the scarecrow was breathing and rocking in a chair. The sight started the farmer, and he dropped his cup. The scarecrow used his branches to pick up the cup and hand it back to the farmer. A short while later, a girl scout came to the house to sell cookies. The scarecrow climbed down off its roost and killed the little girl. Knowing that he created a monster, the farmer decided to end the nightmare he made. As the scarecrow climbed back onto its roost, the farmer stabbed it through its heart with his walking stick. He then came back to the house, wrote the letter, and kissed the end of a shotgun goodnight.

Now understanding what is going on, Harry finds himself trapped in this basement with the monster slowly coming down the stairs. He takes up the shotgun and hides behind the corpse. When the beast sees the dead farmer, he pauses for a moment, and that’s when Harry jumps out from behind the body and attempts to shoot the monster. The gun jams and harry can run past him up the stairs but is caught once he gets upstairs. With the monster standing over him, Harry reaches out and grabs the stick he earlier dropped about to kill him. The scarecrow lets him go and kneels before him. Understanding the power this stick holds, Harry plunges it into the creature ending its life once again.

What would Creepshow be without a bit of revenge? Harry goes back home and sews his sleeping brother up in his sheets. Once he is finished, he taps Billy on the chest with the stick and wakes him up. Billy, thinking that Harry has come to get his beating, wakes up laughing at first. It isn’t long, however, before he realizes that the is sewed shut in his sheets. Now screaming, Billy asks what’s going on, and Harry replies, “Just collecting what I’m owed.” The light flashes, and now visible is the scarecrow in the corner of the room stretching its branches out to silent Billy for good.

Creepshow is always good at a revenge story, and this one is no different. The acting on Logan Allen’s part is terrific, but the older brother played by Voltair Colin Council is really bad. So bad that it almost takes away from the great story. Luckily, he is not shown on camera that often, so the tale is still good.

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 11, 2021
Creepshow: Lydia Layne’s Better Half

Season 1 Episode 4

Watching the elite of the business world get their come-up-ins is always entertaining. I don’t know what it is about watching someone who has it all lose everything in the blink of an eye that is satisfying, but I am glad that Creepshow understands what we want.

The episode opens with Lydia Layne explaining to two of her employees who are getting a promotion. You will recognize the actor playing Lydia as Trica Helfer. Helfer is widely known in the pop culture universe for playing roles in television and film like Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer, Van Helsing, and Falling Skies, among many others. As Lydia lays out how significant this new role will be, a small earthquake rattles the room they are in. Lydia seems unfazed by this small commotion and tells the two employees, Tom and Celia, who will be moving up. Celia has a look of promise and expectation on her face, and Tom looks uncertain. Tom is given the promotion in a twist of fate, and the look of anticipation on Celia’s face quickly turns to anger.

When Tim leaves, on cloud nine, Celia lashes out at Lydia for overlooking her in the position. Lydia tries to assure her that she did this so they could stay together, and it becomes apparent that the two are in a romantic relationship. Celia, now accusing Lydia of not having the back of women in business, continues to grow in anger. Trying to explain her reasoning, Lydia says that she might run for office and wants Celia by her side, changing the world. This is not the life that Celia had in mind, however. With her anger rising to a boiling point, Celia stands to her feet. She starts really digging in deep on the insults and accusations. She calls Lydia a cow says that she will tell the world what a fraud she is. Hearing this, Lydia can’t take it anymore and throws her hands up to stop Celia from talking and, in doing so, smacks her in the face. Instead of being upset about the slap, Celia seems happy because she now has the ammunition, she needs to destroy Lydia. She threatens to go to the police first and then the media. As she goes to leave, Lydia grabs her arms and tells her to wait. The struggle and Celia fall backward over the couch and lands headfirst on an award that digs deep into her skull, killing her instantly.

Now gripped with fear and guilt, Lydia picks up Celia’s dead body and sits her on the couch. She grabs the award that is sticking out of the body’s skull and begins pulling it out. Suddenly, someone walks in, and she shoves the award back in place. She goes to the office door, and it is someone inviting her to come out and celebrate Tom’s promotion with them. She explains that Celia is a little upset about losing to Tom and asks the guy to have the valet bring Celia’s Tesla around and leave the keys under the visor.

With a plan to get rid of the body, Lydia places Celia in an office chair and begins moving her down the hallway. They do not make it far when Tom comes out of the bathroom, forcing Lydia to roll the chair with Celia into an empty office. She does her best to avoid long conversations with Tom. When the elevator opens, she explains she forgot something in the office and for Tom to go ahead. When he leaves, Lydia ducks back into the office only to discover that Celia’s chair has now turned where she is facing her murderer, eyes wide open. She seems to be looking directly into Lydia’s soul. Feeling uncomfortable at the site, Lydia approaches and slowly closes Celia’s eyes.

They make their way into the elevator. As they begin their descent, Lydia starts coming up with a story of how Celia was so upset. She wishes she would never have let her drive. I’m going to stop here for a moment. Why is it in all of these stories someone has to come up with a wild story to try and cover their tracks? The more likely account would be that Celia was so upset about not getting the job to attack Lydia. In self-defense, Lydia pushed her off, causing Celia’s balance to be thrown off. I mean, I am sure they have cameras in this big office anyway.

Back to the elevator. Just as they start going down, another earthquake hits, and the power goes out, forcing them into a free fall. Lydia is thrown from side to side, and the chair containing Celia rolls wildly around the small metal box. Falling to the floor in the corner, Lydia holds up her hands to stop the chair from moving right into her. Celia’s eyes are once again open and staring into Lydia’s face as the lights go out.

With the power back on, Lydia moves the chair away from her. She franticly begins hitting the buttons on the elevator’s control panel. Just as she starts to hit the panic button, she stops and looks at Celia. She can’t ask for help with her recently slain lover in the shaft with her. Looking for a way out, Lydia forces the doors open only to discover a concrete wall behind them. In an attempt to climb up through the ceiling, Lydia, now using Celia as a ladder, falls to the floor and passes out. The two bodies now lay side by side.

When Lydia wakes up, she notices that Celia’s eyes are open again. She reaches over to close them, and just as they approach, Celia’s mouth opens wide. The elevator begins to free fall again, but before it hits the ground, it suddenly stops. The fire department is now calling through the emergency phone. Still, Lydia is afraid to answer because she hears soft breathing coming from Celia. The latter is currently looking directly at Lydia. Now terrified, Lydia reaches for the phone, but Celia somehow moves closer, causing Lydia to scream in terror. Now, seemingly losing her mind, Lydia starts yelling at the corpse.

24 hours pass, and Lydia wakes up again to find that Celia is sitting across from her staring directly into her face. He bones begin to crack, and her body move as the award jammed into her head slowly is pushed out by an unseen force. Lydia does not believe it and just starts laughing hysterically at the corpse. She then slowly makes her way over Celia and looks down at the wound in her head. As she is looking down at the wound, a hand reaches up out of it and grabs her by the throat. She wrestles free and opens the doors again. Now in a new location, she can squeeze through the small hole a little. As she is climbing through it, the elevator begins shaking again. Just as she thinks she will make it to safety, Celia grabs her hair holding her in place as the elevator drops again, cutting Lydia’s head off. When the elevator finally opens and two firemen are standing at the opening, they find Celia’s body smiling, holding Lydia’s decapitated head in her lap.

As I stated at the beginning of this article, I love watching the wealthy elite get what they deserve. Having said that, while watching this episode, I didn’t see that Lydia really deserved what she got. I’m not saying she was a good person by any means, but to deserve death because she gave someone else a promotion instead of someone who I assume she had a romantic relationship with seems harsh. Either way, this is one of the creepiest and most thrilling episodes the series has had yet. The acting is top-notch, and the story is really intense.

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 11, 2021
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Director: Rex Ingram
Writer: June Mathis
Based on the book:
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vicente Blasco Ibanez.
Composer: Louis F. Gottschalk
Released: March 6, 1921
Budget: $800,000
Box Office: $9.2 million
Cast:
Rudolph Valentino
Bridgetta Clark
Pomeroy Cannon
Alice Terry
Josef Swickard
Wallace Beery

Breakdown:

The film opens with the story of Madariaga, “The Centaur.” The Centaur is a self-made millionaire in Argentine. Making his fortune in cattle and other land opportunities, Madariaga enjoys a simple lifestyle with his two daughters and their husbands. The youngest daughter is married to a German who her father hates. In fact, when the two were to be married, The Centaur protested. However, love won in the end, and the daughter was married and had three children with the German. His eldest daughter, however, married a Frenchman who Madariaga greatly liked. The only reason he tolerates the German, in fact, is because the Frenchman pleads on the Germans’ behalf.

After seven years of marriage, it seems the oldest daughter is finally going to have a child. This worries her younger sister and the German because up until now, the massive fortune that their father will leave behind would likely go to their oldest son. They pray that the new child is born a girl, but fate did not look kindly on them this day, for the baby was born and a son was given. They named the child Julio, and he instantly became The Centaur’s favorite grandchild.

As the years roll past, Julio and his grandfather grow ever closer. Even in his twilight years, Madariaga enjoys going out on the town at night with Julio. The latter has grown into a very distinguished young man. On one of these outings, Julio wins the heart of a beautiful dancer showcasing his brute force by punching her date and wooing her with his sultry tango moves. After they embrace each other on the dancefloor to the thunderous applause of the entire bar, the dancer joins Julio at his table with his grandfather. The latter seems to be having the time of his life.

While the party is slamming drinks and sharing pleasantries, Madariaga seems to have taken on a bit more than he can handle, and he slides out of his chair and onto the floor. The dance finds this humorous and begins pointing and laughing at the old man, much to the dismay of Julio, who flings her off of his lap that he may go to the aid of his grandfather. While he is being helped back to his feet, Madariaga tells his grandson he can no longer come with him on these trips. He is now too old.

Shortly after this night, The Centaur, now home-ridden, decides to teach his granddaughter, Julio’s younger sister, to tango. Their mother is not happy with this, and a long discussion about how Julio is being brought up. He seems to be going out a lot and living a wild lifestyle. The grandfather, however, assures the mother and their French father that there is no need to worry, “youth must have its flings.” However, the German son-in-law is raising his family to learn and follow the teachings of his homeland, Germany. The way of men being trained for war. While they discuss the ways of their land, one of the sons says he heard The Centaur is growing old and wanting to make some changes to his will. They are worried he will be leaving all of his wealth to Julio. The German father is not concerned for Julio is wasting his youth in their eyes.

The next day The Centaur dies while out riding his horse. The will is read, and it is determined that the entire fortune be split between his two daughters. Julio feels cheated because he was told he would inherit the whole estate. An argument breaks out between the two sons-in-law about the German disposing of his shares and going back home to his own country. The Frenchman sees this as disrespectful to The Centaur. With a split in the family, the German son-in-law takes his family back home to Germany, while the Frenchman takes his to France.

Julio, now living in Paris and studying art, mainly spends his time dancing in local venues. It is not long before he falls in love with a married woman, Marguerite Laurier. Marguerite, and fortunately for Julio, is not in love with her husband, Etienne Laurier. The two were married in an arranged marriage. When her husband, who is much older than Marguerite, learns of his wife’s affair with Julio, he gives her a divorce out of fear and shame of a scandal. However, the love of the two does not last long as the great war breaks out and Marguerite must leave to become a nurse in the war.

While she is working in a hospital, her ex-husband, Etienne, is admitted due to a war injury that has left him blind. Word spreads of his great bravery, and Marguerite begins tending to his medical needs. Julio, learning of this, feels like he has wasted his time and youth and decides to enlist in the war efforts.

After years in the war, Julio has matured and become the man everyone wanted him to be. His bravery is known throughout the ranks of the military. While on the battlefield, he comes face to face with one of his cousins whom he had not seen since the family split. The two hold guns on one another, but the reunion is cut short as both are unfortunately killed together by a shell. Julio, however, is not finished with his good works. His spirit visits a now depressed Marguerite who is on the verge of leaving her blind Etienne. Julio convinces her that Etienne needs her and she should stay with him.

The famous last scene shows Julio’s father grieving over his son’s grave. A man comes to him, and the father asks him if he knew his sons. The man stretches his arms out and looks around at all the graves while he shouts that he knew all of them. He then helps the grief-stricken father to his feet and points to the sky, where one can see the four horsemen riding into the clouds. “Peace has come—but the Four Horsemen will still ravage humanity—stirring unrest in the world—until all hatred is dead and only love reigns in the heart of mankind.”

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is thought to be the first anti-war film ever made. Five years later, Battleship Potemkin would come out and become the flagship film (so-to-speak) for anti-war cinema. However, the effect that the four-horseman had on film culture is nothing less than massive. The film was one of the top-grossing silent films ever made, and its impact can be felt in the way storytelling is displayed on film even today. This film also had a significant impact on women working in the industry. It helped to make June Mathis one of the most powerful and highest-paid women in Hollywood. The film is also responsible for the culture explosion of the tango dance.

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 11, 2021
Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying

Details:
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Written by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George
Based on the book Red Alert by Peter George
Music by Laurie Johnson

Cast:
Peter Sellers
Slim Pickens
Tracy Reed
George C. Scott
Keenan Wynn
Sterling Hayden
Budget: $1.8 million
Box office: $9.4 million

There are few movies that one HAS to see. Dr. Strangelove is at the top of the must-see movie list for any lover of cinema. It takes a darkly comedic look at the absurdity of the cold war between Russia and the United States.

Breakdown:

Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) is a commander for the United States Airforce who recently had a screw come loose. A man holding one of the most dangerous positions in the military should be of sound mind and body; Ripper is not the former. Ripper takes it upon himself to execute “Wing Attack Plan R.” Plan R gives the right for an officer to engage in a nuclear war with an enemy if that enemy has issued a sneak attack on the United States. He has his B-52 bombers set course for Russia, where they intend to drop their bombs. Part of Plan R states that once the plan is in motion, the only way to disengage is if a three-digit code is given to the plane. Otherwise, all communication is shut down. The code is only known to Commander Ripper. Not only is communication shut down for the aircraft, but also the case where crazy commander Ripper is located.

Once this order goes out, a call is made to General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott). Gen. Buck takes the news directly to the war room, where he is met with all top military personnel, including the President of the united states, Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers). The group franticly tries to find a way to shut down Plan R; however, Buck is pushing for an all-out attack on Russia before they have a chance to retaliate. Ripper’s idea was to cause a war, so the “commie” party is wiped out once and for all.

Back in the office of Ripper, his Group Captain, Lionel Mandrake of the Royal Air Force (Peter Sellers), is attempting to call off the mission. Ripper, however, will not call off the task and even threatens Mandrake with a gun. When the Group Captain presses the reasoning behind Ripper’s plan, the Commander states that the Russians have been fluoridating our water supply, and that is why they only drink Vodka.

With little to no options, President Muffley orders the Army to storm the base of Ripper, knowing that part of the Plan R order is to kill anyone who comes close to the base at all. This starts a battle between Ripper’s men and the United States Army. Neither side of the struggle fully understands exactly what is going on. The Army just has orders to storm the base and put Ripper on the phone with the President.

While the battle rages on, Muffley calls Russia to speak with the Soviet Premier Dimitri Kissov. The goal is to warn them of the attack, so they know this is the act of one man alone. However, the attack will set into motion a Doomsday Device that will kill every living creature on the planet and make the earth inhabitable for the next 100 years. President Muffley cannot believe such a device exists, so he asks his scientific advisor, former Nazi German Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers), if it is possible. In fact, it is possible!

During the battle at Ripper’s base, his men surrender, and it becomes evident to him that torture for the three-digit code is in his future. Instead of just giving up the code, he takes his own life. Mandrake, however, deciphers Ripper’s notes just in time for an officer to come through the door and arrest him. Mandrake pleads to allow him to call the President to give them the code. In the meantime, Russia fires missiles at the bomber planes taking down three and damaging one more.

The damaged plane is flown by Texas native Major T. J “King” Kong (Slim Pickens) and his crew (one of which is James Earl Jones). The plane suffered a fuel leak, significant damage to the bomb doors, and all communication to be lost in the missile attack. The remaining fleet of bombers received the code and turned back to fly home. Determined to finish what they started, Kong and his crew fly low to the closest target. To get the bomb doors open, Kong climbs on top of one of the nukes and rewires the bomb doors. He fixes the issue just in time to open the doors and ride the bomb down to the target in true Texan bull-rider fashion. The bombs explode, triggering the doomsday device, and all of humanity is killed.

Not your typical comedy, the film has been called the best comedic film of all time by many critics. It does a fantastic job of painting the terrifying picture of the arms race and how close we came to all being destroyed out of fear that we would not be first. The best comedy scenes in the film are given by George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson. His ability to transform his face to provide an accurate and comedic portrayal of a military General, along with his abundance of chewing gum, is one of the funniest things ever caught on film. Sellers, who was supposed to play four roles in the film but after suffering an injury had to backpedal to three, giving the Kong role over to Slim Pickens (which I am sure we can all agree was a great decision) is nothing short of amazing in each of his parts. There is a reason why this film is in multiple “best of” categories.

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 11, 2021
Metropolis (1927) Review

Details:
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Written by:
Thea von Harbou
Fritz Lang
Cast:
Alfred Abel
Brigitte Helm
Gustav Frohlich
Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Music by Gottfried Huppertz
Released: 1927

Breakdown:

The future is glorious and filled with fun and idle play unless you are a worker. In the megacity of Metropolis, equality is non-existent. On the surface, the wealthy elite spends their time pleasing and living in grand buildings while spending time in lush gardens. They do so without a second thought to how everything they enjoy is powered. It is easier to not think about what is happening below, in the depths. Far below the city is where the workers live. Their very existence is just to keep the town alive and to move forward for the elite. They live with no joy, no sunlight, and no freedom.

One day the city master Joh Federsen’s son Freder is out enjoying a pleasure garden. He is making his choice as to what girl he will spending his free time with when suddenly a strange woman leading a large group of children barges into the garden. Maria is a prophet who shows the worker children what their “brothers” do all day while their families work and die far below the surface. Freder is enchanted by Maria and begins to follow her below when she leaves.

While below the city, Freder witnesses an explosion that kills some of the workers. Instead of this just being “the way things are,” Freder has a vision of the workers being sacrificed to an ancient god to keep the city running. Gripped with disgust and fear, Freder returns to the surface to speak to his father. When his father learns of the explosion, he is not upset about the dead workers but instead with his assistant, Josaphat. He is angry that he did not hear the news from his assistant but rather his son. He is unmoved by the deaths of the workers because, to him, they are below his family in more than just the physical way.

While Freder is still in his father’s office, Grot, the workers’ boss, comes in to deliver some drawings of a secret map found on two of the dead workers. This is strike two for the assistant since he is learning this news from someone other than Josaphat. Josaphat is fired from his position. This is the worst thing that could happen because being dismissed from the city master means that he will have to live his life below the surface now. Stricken with grief, Josaphat leaves the office and attempts suicide in the hallway. Freder, however, sensing something not right, runs out of the office and stops the former assistant from making any hasty decisions. Freder invites him to come to stay at his place and says he will meet him there later that night.

Freder journeys back down into the worker’s dwellings and switches places with one of the workers. While operating the machine, he reaches a piece of paper that falls out of the uniform the worker gave Freder. Upon examination, it is the same map found on the two dead workers. While he is looking at it, another worker walks by and says that “she” wants them to all meet at 2.

Back on the surface, Joh Fredersen enlists the help of inventor Rotwang. It is discovered that Rotwang was in love with Fredersen’s now dead wife and Freder’s mother, Hel. He shows Joh a machine that he has made to take the place of their deceased love Hel. After, Rotwang explains the map. The two travel down to the catacombs just in time to see a large group of workers gathering around Maria as she preaches to them. Maria says that a mediator between the hands and the head must come soon. Freder, believing that he is the one that will be the mediator between the workers and elite, stays behind to confess his feelings for Maria. Joh orders the inventor to place Maria’s likeness on the machine he created and have her sow discord in the workers. Rotwang has his own intentions for the machine, however. He plans to kill Freder and take over the city.

Maria is then kidnapped by Rotwang, and he sets in motion his plan. After transferring Maria’s likeness to the machine, he sends it to Fredersen. After missing his wife, Joh then embraces the machine only to be spied on by his son, who thinks it is the real Maria. Freder is now in a mental breakdown state, unaware that the machine version of Maria is causing chaos among the workers by ordering them to murder each other.

Once Freder is freed from his mental breakdown, he returns to find all the chaos below the surface. The false Maria encourages all the workers to destroy the machine and flood their city. In doing so, they put the lives of their children at risk. The real Maria escapes Rotwang and helps to save all of the children. The worker’s boss, Grot, is angry with the workers because not only did they destroy everything, but they flooded the city, killing all their children. None of them know that the children are safe. In a rage, the workers burn the machine Maria at the stake to discover its true self.

However, the real Maria is not safe yet because Rotwang thinks he is in love with her and will stop at nothing to have her. He chases her to a rooftop, where Freder begins to fight him to save Maria. At the climax of the fight, the mad inventor is thrown from the rooftop to his death. This is witnessed by the entire city. In a prophetic ending, Freder joins his father and Grotto’s hands to become the mediator between the two worlds.

Metropolis is one of the most intense and entertaining silent films ever made. The music that Gottfried Huppertz produces in the film deserves much of the credit. In many silent films, the music seems to be an afterthought to fill space; however, it sets the tempo for the entire film and plays almost like a music video in many scenes. Upon its initial release, mixed reviews came in. While some roared with applause, others saw the film as nothing more than propaganda trash. However, the test of time speaks volumes to the cultural impact the film has had for 100 years now. When someone asks me what silent film they should watch, this is always one of three I recommend.

Written exclusively for TheLastPicture.Show by Jacob Ruble

Disclosure: The links on this page are “Affiliate Links” and while these are shown at no costs to our viewers, they generate commissions for our website(s)

May 11, 2021