THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (Film Detective Blu Ray )

THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (Film Detective Blu Ray ) Release date : June 22, 2022  Original Theatrical release October 1,1957 from Howco International. B&W. 71 min.   1.85:1  1080p    DTS-HD Mater Audio 2.0 Mono     Subtitles English, Spanish  1 DISC. Booklet . Region A  2k Blu Ray  SRP $29.99

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Film Detective continues to bring the best possible prints of 1950s  sci fi flicks . This time the company  has released one of the better known films of the period , THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (Howco ,1957) .

 Howco Productions ( later Howco International Pictures), was a South Carolina film production and distribution company that  created low budget features for about 60 Southern based movie theatres and drive ins . They later had a tv distribution company named National Television Films. They proved successful enough that they were able to also purchase and distribute films made by others (CARNIVAL ROCK, by Roger Corman, 1957). They were still in business up until the 1980s , releasing successful films by people like Charles B Pierce like THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK (1972) and it’s sequel  BOOGEY CREEK II (1985). The name comes from  Joy Newton Houck Sr., Ron Ormond , and J. Francis White (H.O.W. Co.).

In  1957 ,Howco budgeted for a sci- fi co- bill . Screenwriter Ray Buffum was assigned to write both films, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS  and “Monster On The Hill” (released as TEENAGE MONSTER,to cash in on the then current teenage monster craze).  

Nathan Juran was brought in to direct on the strength of his work on THE DEADLY MANTIS (Universal,1957) & 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (Columbia,1957). He would direct this film and another cult film, ATTACK OF THE 50’ WOMAN (AA,1958),both of which he said he did strictly for the money . Juran was so disappointed in the result of the two films  that he used the pseudonym Nathan HERTZ .

Since his ignoble firing from Universal in 1946 (after 20 years ,creating some of the most iconic effects make up in history), the great Jack Pierce got the occasional “A” picture like JOAN OF ARC (RKO,1948), but the majority of his work was on television and low budget features.  Since tv and small budget films need to shoot quickly, it does seem to put the lie to the accusation that the make up genius was too slow in his creations.

For TEENAGE MONSTER , Pierce attached hair and some collodion to actor/stuntman Gil Perkins, who was fifty when he portrayed the title character.  For BRAIN…, he created some radiation burn make ups ,  but his most interesting creation were the hard contacts with metal foil on them. They were incredibly painful, as flakes would come loose into actor John Agar’s eyes. Ever a trooper, Agar endured them as best he could , though you can see his eyes tearing at times .  Variations and hopefully improved contacts similar to these were used again by Pierce in CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS (Emerson, 1962) .

Art Department/ prop master Richard M Rubin created or was responsible for the making of  the floating  brain with eyes and hanging spinal cord . Rubin also worked on TEENAGE MONSTER and ATTACK OF THE 50’ WOMAN , among other films. It seems to have been a light weight prop for maneuvering on wires (visible in a few shots) , with some lighting for the eyes .

Music for the co-bill was by Academy Award nominated (for a 1945 PRC (!)film , WHY GIRLS LEAVE HOME) composer Walter Green.  Green used more brass than strings for his scores for both films, making his small orchestra sound louder and grander than it probably was.

Jacques Marquette handled the cinematography for BRAIN, with he and director Juran /Hertz setting up some fairly effective shots with moody lighting.  One memorable shot is of John Agar ‘s face behind a water cooler, before revealing his eyes.

Marquette directed TEENAGE … with Taylor Byars handling the camera  . TEENAGE must have been enough of the director’s chair, as he returned to cinematography and Nathan Juran/Hertz on ATTACK….

Both films had extremely low budgets estimated $58,000 for BRAIN…, with a thousand less being budgeted for TEENAGE …). I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF (AIP) from the same year had an estimated budget of $82,000 .

The plot of BRAIN is that something crashes into the desert , emitting great quantities of radiation .Scientist Steve March (John Agar, FORT APACHE,RKO 1948 ) informs his girlfriend  Sally Fallon (Joyce Meadows, THE GIRL IN LOVER’S LANE, Filmgroup,1960) that he & his assistant Dan ( Robert Fuller, EMERGENCY tv series,Universal 1972-8) are going out to explore and hopefully find the source of the energy out in the desert by Mystery Mountain.

Once in the desert, the explorers go into a cave, and encounter the alien Gor (voiced by Dale Tate, one of the film’s associate producers) a criminal who has fled to Earth. The creature resembles a gigantic human brain with eyes embedded into it. Its powerful mind kills Dan and the creature possesses Steve.

Steve returns  after being gone for a week ,and visits his fiancé . Steve explains that Dan has gone off to Vegas.   Her dog George senses that something is not right with Steve.  Steve tries to rape Sally (the brain only wants her for her body?) but the dog quickly jumps in to save her.

Steve returns home, where Gor briefly leaves his body & explains his plan for world conquest ,with the added pleasure of Sally to amuse him.

just don’t make me wear the damn contact lenses!

Sally & her dad (Thomas Browne Henry, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH) go to Mystery Mountain where they encounter another alien named Vol (also voiced by Dale Tate), He is seeking to recapture Gor .  Vol explains that Gor is most vulnerable whenever he exits Steve . Then in its more corporeal form, it has a weakness in what on a human brain would be the fissure of Rolando. To get close to Gor , Vol enters the body of George The Dog where he can observe closely undetected.

What’s the matteeaaaahhhhhh! demon dog!

Steve/Gor start to merge more, best shown by Steve’s unnatural silvery eyes.  Giddy with his powers, at one point Steve/Gor blows up a plane mid flight.

Later , at a meeting before Army officials , he blows up a nuclear test site to demonstrate his powers (stock footage). Can Steve/ Gor be stopped ?

This Special Edition from FILM DETECTIVE lets you choice between its original format of 1.85:1 or a widescreen 1.33:1 . Both seem pretty sharp in their 2k 1080p restoration. Too sharp, perhaps, as those pesky wires holding up Gor seem more obvious, making me wonder why Steve didn’t just cut them?

The sound is quite crisp and clear, with no muddying of dialogue, sound effects or the brassy score.

What makes this special edition truly special are the extras.  Film Detective goes out of their way to give film nerds like me all the behind the scenes info that they can.

First up is

The Man Before The Brain :Director Nathan Juran.  Film historian Justin Humphreys (The Doctor Phibes Companion, Bear Manor,2018) guides us through an informative mini doc on the director’s life and career.

The Man Behind the Brain – continues exploring the career of the director, this time led by filmmaker / film buff C Courtney Joiner (screenwriter of Empire‘s PRISON , 1987).  Both are informative .

Not The Same Brain with actress Joyce Meadows, that explores some of the films locales as well as her role in the production.

There is a running commentary by filmmaker Larry Blamire (LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA ,Columbia ,2001) ,documentarian David Schecter, star Joyce Meadows, and Tom Weaver, who also wrote the illustrated booklet included with this release.

For those who cannot get enough Brain ,  you can also buy merchandise

 Merch  https://www.bonfire.com/store/filmdetective/

the t from planet arous ?

& the soundtrack CD of both BRAIN & TEENAGE is available here 

https://www.mmmrecordings.com/Brain_Planet_Arous/brain_planet_arous.html

BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS is another fun 1950s sci fi releases that Film Detective has made a must have.

Kevin G Shinnick

If you would like to contribute to 

SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE,

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Ouch! There go the piano lessons! Now my long term memory. oW!

EDGE OF SANITY (Arrow Blu Ray)

EDGE OF SANITY (Blu Ray from Arrow Video) -original release 1989 . color. 85 minutes. Arrow U.S.Blu Ray release June 21,2022 . NTSC Widescreen 1.85:1 Region A s.r.p. $ 39.95

During the 1970s and 1980s, Anthony Perkins gave amazing performances on film (FFOLKES, Universal,1980 ), television (LES MISERABLES, CBS,1979 ; THE GLORY BOYS ,Yorkshire TV,1984) and on stage  ( magnificent on Broadway as Dr Dysart in EQUUS,1975).

Yet, even with his wide body of work , he was still stalked by his own creation, that of the cinematic ideal of Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s masterpiece PSYCHO (Paramount) . So powerful and indelible was his portrayal that he could not escape it.

He accepted that was to be how people would see him and so he did two theatrical and one tv sequels, as was as spoofing himself on tv on Saturday Night Live to promote one of them. Thus, the remaining ten years of his life were mostly variants of his twitchy Norman Bates persona.

One of the better ones was in Ken Russell’s CRIMES OF PASSION (New World ,1984, , available on Blu Ray from Arrow ). Five years later, he added Norman to EDGE OF SANITY, adding it to a retelling of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & M Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson(1886) and a Jack The Ripper variant. In some territories, the film was known as DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE.

In EDGE OF SANITY , sex & cocaine are mixed into the formula of this 1880s set thriller. A young boy witnesses a couple having sex but is soon discovered & beaten for his voyeurism. During the beating , the young boy imagines the woman laughing  at him is covered in blood .  This is shown to be a dream memory , as an adult Dr Jekyll awakes in a sweat. His wife asks him if anything is wrong ,but he shrugs her away and, grabbing his cane, walks down to his laboratory.

 Dr Jekyll (Perkins) has been working on an experiment to explore the human personality. To that end , he mixes unknown chemicals with cocaine and ether . The experiment seems to work, as he becomes a twisted , stringy haired paler faced version of himself who calls himself Edward Hyde. This new persona is also stronger, & no longer needs his walking stick ,though he makes other uses for it during the film.

Freed of his inhibitions, he goes down to the Whitechapel area of London. Hyde enjoys the pleasures of the bars & brothels ,too much so .  His encounter with a prostitute result in him killing the woman. From then on, it is a sleazy mix of sex & violence.

Director Gerard Kikoine was better known for his soft porn & hardcore output . His work must have been stylish ( he did work with Radley Metzger, the auteur of soft & hardcore cinema ) since it caught the attention of Harry Alan Towers. Towers was a master of putting together international deals and getting recognizable names to appear in them. He collaborated again with the director & composer for the film BURIED ALIVE (21^st Century, 1989), a film notable as the last film that John Carradine directly worked upon.

Mixing Jekyll & Hyde with Jack the Ripper is not new. During the actual Ripper Murder spree ( April to November 1888). actor Richard Mansfield was portraying the dual role of Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde . He began the role in 1887 in his own adaptation of the story just 1 year after the story was published.

Mansfield in his adaptation made many of the changes still carried over into most adaptations since his play, including adding women to the piece, Dr Jekyll being a sympathetic character , and increasing the presence and importance of the law in the character of Inspector Newcomen. The show was a huge hit in its initial Boston & New York performances . Mansfield took his production to the Lyceum Théâtre in London. It too was well received ,at first. Then the Ripper killings began. Mansfield’s onstage transformation into the murderous Mr. Hyde had several of the more gullible convinced that he could not be able to portray such a character unless he himself was a dual personality, and possibly the Ripper himself! The terrible comments affected the box office & Mansfield closed the production. He did continue to play the roles on & off for almost two decades , including several Broadway revivals. He died on August 30,1907 at age 50.

Hammer Films mixed the two stories of Jack with Jekyll & Hyde while throwing in some Burke & Hare in their gender swapping Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (Hammer/AIP ,1971). This could have been a disaster or poor sex farce but the clever script by Brian (tv’s Avengers series)Clemens, skillful direction by Roy Ward Baker, beautiful top notch production design and cinematography, and the wonderful performers make this a sadly neglected Hammer gem.

EDGE OF SANITY was not as well crafted. It received mixed to negative reviews. It really did not find its audience until its release to home media , first by Virgin Video  then in ep speed by Video Treasures. Both were cropped & foggy looking, the latter with increased grain.

MGM released a much better print on DVD , which was cropped on one side of the disc, & widescreen on the other (did anyone ever watch the cropped copy on these DVDS willingly?).

Now , Arrow continues finding and restoring obscure films for rediscovery and reappraisal.

First , they went to the original 35mm (remember 35mm ?) camera negative , cleaned it up and gave it a brand new  Hi Def 1080p restoration. The difference is quite evident when watched in comparison to the MGM DVD. There seems to be more screen image on the side of the frames (1.85:1) , and the clarity, sharpness and colors really are superior to the older release.

The sound is also superior to the older prints. Perkins at times whispers his lines when not taking the crazy to eleven, and you ended up adjusting the levels throughout. Now, even his lower spoken lines are clear and audible. LPCM 2.0 stereo.

Just in case, there are easy to read SDH  English subtitles .

There is an informative running commentary by filmmakers David Flint & Seth Hogan .

Other extras on this disc include :

Over The Edge – new interview for this release with Stephen Thrower, author of NIGHTMARE USA (FAB PRESS,2007).

Jack, Jekyll, & Other Screen Psychos – a new interview for this release with Dr Clare Smith, who wrote JACK THE RIPPER IN FILM & CULTURE  ( Palgrave/MacMillan,2016)

Both interviews compliment each other, one covering the film , the other the fascination we have with Jack The Ripper.

TWO Interviews with the director

French Love- Gérard Kikoïne discusses his career

Staying Sane– the director focuses on EDGE OF SANITY

There is also an original theatrical trailer.

Not included with the review copy is the magnificent Graham Humphreys slipcover with reversible artwork.

Also not included with the review copy is film critic & film historian (Candyman (Auteur, 2018)) Jon Towlson’s illustrated collective booklet(included with first pressings only!)

I must admit watching this new release has given me a better appreciation of the film. For example, the score by Frederic Talgorn (it seems to have been his first) is lush and orchestral in a time when cheap synth scores were more the norm.  Ditto too the cinematography by Tony Spratling is sharp and makes effective use of color in a style which hints at Argento. The costumes are good , though one character who plays a pimp looks like he just stepped out of a Culture Club music video . The Bucharest locations make the film look like a much bigger production than it really was .

Perkins sadly would pass away September 12, 1992, at age 60 . Perkins himself led a dual existence, having to hide his real personality ,and undergoing psychoanalysis to “cure” himself. He married actress Berry Berenson, had two sons , & were happy , though he could not deny who he was.

In 1990 , the sleazy National Enquirer gained access to a blood sample that Perkins had given in an unrelated test , and they sprayed the news ‘Psycho Star Has AIDS’.  This is how the actor himself found out that he was infected. Before he passed , he issued this public statement :

“There are many who believe this disease is God’s vengeance. But I believe it was sent to teach people how to love and understand and have compassion for each other. I have learned more about love, selflessness and human understanding from people I have met in this great adventure in the world of AIDS, than I ever did in the cutthroat, competitive world in which I spent my life.”

Worth getting for fans of Anthony Perkins  or / and the works of producer of Harry Alan Towers and those interested in Jack the Ripper, Jekyll & Hyde , and eighties horror.

–Kevin G Shinnick–

If you would like to contribute to 

SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE,

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