Flashback 1974 - ZARDOZ, WESTWORLD, THE EXORCIST and more...

More from the movie magazines of the 1970s...

Every Christmas, the Photoplay Film Annual would summarise the highlights of the year and preview a few productions on the way. Often with half-a-dozen, full-page, glossy portraits of the stars (usually, Burt Reynolds with his shirt open...)

Photoplay Film Annual, 1974

Hitler: The Last Ten Days was one of several films about Hitler's hibernation in the heavily-fortified bunker, definitively portrayed in Downfall (2004), though this version covers many of the same events. 

Photoplay Film Annual, 1974

Full-page portrait of the late Jon Finch as Jerry Cornelius, from Robert Fuest's The Final Programme (which has only just debuted on DVD in the UK). Renamed as The Last Days of Man on Earth for the USA, it's strange that it's in the annual at all, after a low-key release. This photo shows Cornelius' needle-gun, used in the film.

A look at The Final Programme and the many other wonders directed by Robert Fuest, here.

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, starring John Phillip Law and Caroline Munro, was a big hit for Ray Harryhausen as he resurrected his Arabian Nights' stories for two further films. Until Star Wars came along, Ray's special effects were the high point for what was possible with fantastic, as in fantasy, creatures.

Photoplay Film Magazine, January

For me, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad had a stronger story and cast than many of his adventures, with a superb range of different 'monsters' on show. The key gimmick of the decade was to ensure there was plenty of sweaty cleavage in childrens' fantasy films. See also Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, At The Earth's Core, People That Time Forgot, Warlords of Atlantis... 

Films and Filming, February

Warhol's Dracula and Frankenstein were popular examples of stealth Euro-horror, with European actors talking in cracked English or completely dubbed into English. Joe Dallesandro was the only visual evidence of any Warhol connection, having starred in Heat, Trash and Flesh. But Udo Kier is the real star of both films, with uniquely over-the-top performances, at once horrific, tragic and self-parodying.

Films and Filming, February

Films and Filming magazine championed movies that they knew were going to be controversial, giving them far more than usual coverage, while they only received scant, toned-down mentions in other movie magazines. As with A Clockwork Orange and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, they'd devote up to six full pages of nothing but publicity photographs.

Zardoz was certainly different, and at the time, mostly taken seriously as a science-fiction parable. Decades later, it's still a muddle, best known for the unusual costumes of Sean Connery.

Films and Filming, March

A further, longer look at Zardoz on DVD, here.

Films and Filming, March

Here's writer/director John Boorman, with Charlotte Rampling and Sean Connery. Boorman has since admitted that Zardoz might work better as a novel. So, maybe just try his novelisation instead?

Films and Filming, March

Young novelist Michael Crichton wrote and directed Westworld, an imaginative prediction of an adult theme park, where anyone (who could afford it) could live out fantasies of heroic brutality and easy sex, (all done with androids). The film beat The Stepford Wives to the big screen and inspired fem-bots on the small screen.

A further look at Westworld here.

The huge production of The Three Musketeers was split into two big summer films, with The Four Musketeers following in 1975. Despite the producers being sued for only paying their stars for one, not two films, they tried repeating this trick with Superman - The Movie a few years later (but ran into far more trouble with the stars and director, Richard Donner).

More about this version of The Three Musketeers here.

Films Illustrated, May

The final few Hammer horror films were still being made, but surely pairing them up with kung-fu films wasn't helping their success.

Decisions, decisions. Who to have on the front cover? Robert Redford as The Great Gatsby, or runaway satanic hit The Exorcist?

Photoplay Film Magazine, May

Forewarned by the reaction in America, the British press was already warning the public of the approaching horror film depicting a foul-mouthed thirteen year-old possessed by a demon. This article plays Devil's advocate by describing the 'sickening' movie, at the same time as describing all the ground-breaking, forbidden stuff that happens in it.

Photoplay Film Magazine, May

In this issue, there's also an interview with Linda Blair, to reassure us all that she's not been freaked out by her experiences on The Exorcist.

Film Review, October

A few months later, The Exorcist opens in the UK, with this exceptionally sparse, full-page announcement.

Ken Russell's Tommy was his most successful film. Having visualised the music of many classical composers, Russell was unafraid of doing the same for an entire 'concept' double-album of new music by The Who. Before 'pop videos' existed, Russell made one, movie-length. The entire album was also re-recorded so that the actors and guest singers could perform their own versions of the songs.

Films and Filming, July

Tommy was also the start of an acting career for lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey.

More about Ken Russell's Tommy here.

Films and Filming, July

The birth of Australian cinema was a two-pronged success, with unique arthouse films from the likes of Peter Weir (The Cars Who Ate Paris (above) and Picnic At Hanging Rock) as well as exploitation comedies like The Adventures of Barry McKenzie and the action-heavy madness described in documentary Not Quite Hollywood.

Bruce Lee was still breaking as a star around the world, despite having passed away before all his movies were completed. Whole films were built around any of his unused fight scenes.

Films and Filming, September

Roman Polanski's classic Chinatown, opens across the UK.

Films and Filming, September

John Hough's Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry features this crazy helicopter stunt.

Photoplay Film Magazine, December

Bryan Forbes filming The Stepford Wives with Paula Prentiss and Katherine Ross. At one point, Brian De Palma was going to direct this! A creepy tale of feminist backlash in suburban America.

Photoplay Film Magazine, December

Michael Cimino's first film was for Clint Eastwood's company, Malpaso. An offbeat buddy movie starring a youthful Jeff Bridges in a tough but funny, heist movie.

Films and Filming, December

A double-bill of WTF. The French animated science-fiction Fantastic Planet anticipated the launch of 'Metal Hurlant' magazine, reconfigured as 'Heavy Metal' for the US. Here teamed with a feature-length 'documentary' about surfing, Crystal Voyager - mostly cool shots of world class surfers riding through pipelines from a boards-eye view. A couple of years later, I saw Crystal Voyager as a support film for Tommy on a late night show. Very, very late.

Previous magazine flashbacks...

Lawrence of Arabia and more from 1963

Blow Up, The Trip... from 1967

Barbarella, Witchfinder General... from 1968

Rosemary's Baby, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Women In Love... from 1969

M*A*S*H and more Myra Breckinridge... from 1970

The Devils, Deep End, double-bills... from 1971

A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather... from 1972 

The Legend of Hell House and the last of the Planet of the Apes... from 1973

Flashback 1973 - FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN, last of the PLANET OF THE APES...

A further selection of cuttings from movie magazines of the 1970s...

Films and Filming, January

Looking though these magazines, my favourite pictures have been the glimpses of directors on set with the cast, probably shot specifically for these monthly magazines. Here's John Hough and Pamela Franklin in Elstree Studios, on the set of The Legend of Hell House. Hough had directed Twins of Evil for Hammer Films, and was about to have an American adventure making the high-speed road movie Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry.

Films Illustrated, September

Here's how Hell House was promoted, just before its UK release later that year. I didn't get too many issues of Films Illustrated because it had fewer pages and not a lot of text! The cover price was also over twice the price of Film Review. The glossy paper and extra colour pages meant that I usually bought it for photo-spreads, such as this one.

Films and Filming, February

Sean Connery attempted to smash his James Bond image almost as soon as he left the franchise after Diamonds Are Forever. In The Offence he plays an increasingly corrupt policeman trying to get an accused child-molester (Ian Bannen) to confess his crimes.

Photoplay, June

I like the idea that actors would drop in on each other's sets, during production. After A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell returned to director Lindsay Anderson for O Lucky Man! which formed the middle of an eventual trilogy started with if.... and ending with Britannia Hospital, all featuring recurring actors and characters.

Photoplay, June

Stanley Donen adapted the much-loved children's book The Little Prince, with actor/director/choreographer Bob Fosse (Cabaret, All That Jazz) playing The Snake. I was surprised to see Yvette Mimieux (The Time Machine) in this production photo, not realising she was Donen's wife.

Photoplay, July

The Day of the Jackal really only needed to announce the title on the poster, as it was already well known as a bestselling novel. Similarly, the public were already aware of what the story was about - an intricately realistic description of an assassination attempt on the life of the French President.

Meanwhile, Andy Warhol finally made an interesting movie, after the endless, literally navel-gazing arthouse, here's a bucket of gore with someone else directing - Paul Morrissey, who also made Blood For Dracula with much of the same cast. Films and Filming's affinity for front cover nudity was similarly unflinching when it came to blood. Luckily their covers weren't in colour any more, or there might have been more of a problem.



Films and Filming, July

Inside this issue, six pages of photos, with young Udo Kier as the Baron, and a fake head courtesy of Carlo Rambaldi, who'd soon be making aliens for Steven Spielberg and a full-size animatronic robot of King Kong. Flesh For Frankenstein was also filmed in a very effective 3-D process, later used for Friday The 13th - Part III. 

Films and Filming, July

This snippet of news announced a project that never happened. While a TV movie sequel was eventually made to Rosemary's Baby, it wasn't this incarnation put together by William Castle.

Photoplay Film Magazine, August

The last Planet of the Apes film, of the original cycle of five, premieres in the now-demolished Astoria cinema.

Film Review, September

After the films, stories of the Apes were popular enough to move onto a TV series, a cartoon series and a comic book. This was a successful sci-fi franchise that pre-dated Star Wars.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes was released in local cinemas on a double-bill with this deadly-slow underwater adventure The Neptune Factor. Thank you for that...

This cheap advert for the first UK run of The Last of Sheila fails to mention the superb cast, such as James Mason and Raquel Welch, rather underselling it.

Films Illustrated, September

Here's James Coburn getting made up for a disguise in The Last of Sheila. I don't remember him appearing in drag for any other movies.

Photoplay, September

Vincent Price and Peter Cushing pose for publicity photographs for what was eventually titled Madhouse. Based on a novel called Devilday, it was filmed as The Revenge of Dr Death. 

Films Illustrated, October

Ever wondered why cult films failed at the cinema? As seen in the double-bill posters in my 1971 round-up, the support feature could be damaging to the fortunes of the main film. The sci-fi adventures of psychedelic anti-hero Jerry Cornelius, as directed by Robert 'Dr Phibes' Fuest seems completely at odds with Hong Kong period softcore.

Photoplay, December

Another lazy half-page advert, with the poster for Nicolas Roeg's now-classic Don't Look Now wedged in and surrounded by lurid, cut-and-paste review quotes, with a particularly crass take from The Sun.

Previous magazine Flashbacks:

Lawrence of Arabia and more from 1963

Blow Up, The Trip... from 1967

Barbarella, Witchfinder General... from 1968

Rosemary's Baby, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Women In Love... from 1969

M*A*S*H and more Myra Breckinridge... from 1970

The Devils, Deep End, double-bills... from 1971

A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather... from 1972

Flashback 1972 - A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, THE GODFATHER...

Looking back along my shelf of 1970s' movie mags, here's some choice images and adverts...

"The New Bond Movie, Diamonds Are Forever" was Sean Connery's last 'official' excursion as 007, though the first time Connery had filmed in America as James Bond. His 'U.S.' scenes in Goldfinger had all been filmed in England. Much more about Diamonds Are Forever here.

Photoplay Film Magazine, February

Tom Baker was playing eccentrics and downright baddies like Rasputin (and the monster mutant man in The Mutants) before he played The Doctor. Here he is in Nicholas and Alexandra, which led to his being cast as Doctor Who. The BBC producers were unsure of his acting range and, luckily, this film was playing in London at the time. They went to see it and cast him as a result. An expensive showreel!

Films and Filming, February

Director John Boorman made a huge, positive impression with his metaphorical eco-thriller Deliverance. Pitting four city-boys (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox) against the forests, and the forest men...

Films and Filming, February

Hammer Films scored the biggest British box office hit of 1971. Not with Dracula, not Frankenstein, not lesbian vampires... but a TV adaption of On The Buses. This full page advert, on the inside front cover, is a taditional way of rubbing it in...

Films and Filming, February

Films and Filming gave A Clockwork Orange a huge photo-article leading into their review. The back cover ran the full-page advert for the initial London release.

Films and Filming, February

A Clockwork Orange then goes on general release, though Film Review softens the violent image of the film with this portrait of Malcolm McDowell on the cover. Here's the splash page inside, that makes Kubrick look as manic as Manson...

Film Review, May

Film Review, May

This publicity photo staged for Film Review brings together three actors who'd all played Sherlock Holmes earlier in their careers. Easy enough to organise, because Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were filming The Creeping Flesh on the next soundstage to Robert Stephens (right), who was making The Asphyx at the same time.

Film Review, May

The second incarnation of Richard Matheson's novel 'I Am Legend', The Omega Man, finally arrives in Britain, with a pretty poor support feature.

 

Films and Filming, June

Meanwhile, down by the Thames, Hitchcock is back in England and filming the opening scene of his most explicit thriller yet, Frenzy. If you watch the trailer, you'll understand about his little friend.

Photoplay Film Magazine, August

Michael Winner directed Marlon Brando, Stephanie Beacham and Thora Hird in this sadistic prequel to 'Turn of the Screw'.

 

 

 

Photoplay Film Magazine, August

The second of three original John Shaft movies isn't as great a story as Shaft, but is closer to realising the character as a black James Bond. Shaft's Big Score has one of my favourite extended chase scenes ever, practically the last half hour of the movie. All for the sake of an orphanage! And, damn, Richard Roundtree looks good in action leather...

Photoplay Film Magazine, August

Publicity photo of Caroline Munro and Horst Janson during the shooting of Hammer Films' Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, I don't think they smiled this much in the movie! Writer/director Brian Clemens injected fresh blood into the vampire genre, obviously intending the character to have a series. Kronos did have a few future adventures in comic strips, on the pages of House of Hammer a few years later.

Photoplay Film Magazine, August

Jerry Lewis famously filmed this tale of 'a clown in Auschwitz' and then refused to show it to anyone. Supposedly, the last print of The Day The Clown Cried resides in his safe. A contemporary interview and a little footage from the rushes caused a wave of interest when it appeared on YouTube last month.

The Godfather opens at four cinemas in central London, which was unusual, unless they were expecting a rush of demand to see it early. I love the above portrait of Brando in character in Dick Smith's subtle, brilliant 'aged' make-up.

Film Review, September

Films and Filming, October

These photos indicate some of the carnage unleashed on Los Angeles as the story of trained killer rats expands city-wide in this sequel to the claustrophobic Willard. More about Ben here, though it still isn't on DVD. And here's a look at the original Willard.

Previous magazine Flashbacks:

Lawrence of Arabia and more from 1963

Blow Up, The Trip and more from 1967

Barbarella, Witchfinder General from 1968

Rosemary's Baby, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Women In Love from 1969

M*A*S*H and more Myra Breckinridge from 1970

The Devils, Deep End, double-bills... from 1971