We pick up with the thrilling adventures of Mandrake the Magician with Chapter 4—and like the previous chapter, any resemblance between the events that unfold and the chapter’s title are purely non-existent. The Wasp (thanks to the Professor’s radium energy gadget) brings down the walls of the radio station on top of Mandrake and Betty, but remarkably, the two of them emerge from WRBS unscathed.

But all is not well—henchman Green (Stanley Brown) and his band of brothers are ransacking Mandrake’s swinging bachelor pad in search of the formula for "platinite"; the ingredient needed to continue to power the radium energy device. Fortunately, Mandrake comes home, discovers the intruders, and…well, you can pretty much guess what results. (Hint: it ain’t a fox trot.) He’s able to capture two of them in some sort of phone booth-like cabinet.

Meanwhile, another pair of the Wasp’s goons (they all look alike to me) stop by the magic shop to purchase “some of that powder Mandrake uses for a smokescreen” when they are overheard by Betty and her too-cute-for-words brother Tommy (Rex Downing). While Betty does the proper thing and contacts the authorities, foolish Tommy follows the men by hiding out in the rumble seat of their automobile. Fortunately, these two thugs reveal the location of where the hypnotist from Chapter 3 is performing (Mandrake is trying to locate him), and Tommy jumps from a moving car so he can head back to Mandrake’s with this juicy bit of info. (I should point out to the younger readers in the blogosphere that you should never—ever—jump out of a moving car, unless you have a stuntman like Tommy does.)

Mandrake and Lothar arrive at the Mill River Inn and subdue the “renegade hypnotist” Regan, and Mandrake (wearing a mask) performs Regan’s act in disguise. Regan escapes from Lothar to tip off the bad guys, but I think it would have been funnier if they had said “Hey…Regan’s act was never this good—it must be Mandrake! Let’s rush him!” Faster than you can say “Cover the exits!” the gang leaps upon Mandrake as the familiar fight music kicks into high gear.

I will say this—the set for the Mill River Inn is pretty impressive; I’m guessing that a substantial portion of this serial’s budget went toward building it. It has a revolving paddle wheel that Mandrake scales a la Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) but when he is outnumbered by the bad guys, he’s knocked unconscious and the paddle wheel is sped up, leading to…Chapter 5!
9:57:55 PM    comment []  trackback []  

“Remember, the superior of all is the servant of all.”

Earlier this morning, I resurrected another movie that I remember borrowing during my halcyon days at Blockbuster video—a film that came highly recommended from Danny Peary’s invaluable Guide For the Film Fanatic (Peary describes it as an erotic masterpiece about nuns!). Just between you, me and the lamp post—if the nuns at St. Francis of Assisi (a Catholic school I attended from 1968-72 before jumping the fence and escaping) were as sexy as Deborah Kerr in Black Narcissus (1947), I might have been persuaded to stay another year or two.

Black Narcissus, adapted from Rumer Godden’s novel, is a product from the triple-threat writing/directing/producing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who were also responsible for such film classics as One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942), A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and The Red Shoes (1948). Sister Clodagh (Kerr) and four nuns under her charge have been instructed to establish a hospital and school for females in a vacated palace located in a remote section of the Himalayas. The newly created nunnery has a sinister and foreboding atmosphere surrounding it, with an eerie wind that blows constantly through its empty corridors. The imposed solitude soon begins to have an unsettling effect on the nuns; Sister Clodagh’s thoughts drift back to a romance she had before entering the order, Sister Phillippa (Flora Robson) begins to question her faith and asks to be transferred, and Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron)—described early in the film as “ill” (a polite way of saying she’s a few beads shy of a rosary)—eventually goes insane from jealousy and sexual passion (involving the local British agent, played by the shorts-wearing David Farrar).

Black Narcissus is an incredible film, one that benefits from multiple viewings, with splendid acting all around, including performances from young general Sabu (whose intoxicating perfume gives the movie its title) and captivating native girl Jean Simmons. The film remains unforgettable both for its heart-pounding climax and breathtaking Technicolor cinematography from Oscar winner Jack Cardiff (art director Alfred Jungo also snagged a statuette for his work). Cardiff (who also worked on Life and Death and Shoes) is the subject of a 27-minute documentary on the Criterion DVD entitled Painting With Light, culled from a longer piece, Persistence of Vision. (I still can’t believe that this beautiful film was shot mostly in England’s Pinewood Studios in order to capture the sisters' feeling of claustrophobia!) Catch this one if you can.
9:57:46 PM    comment []  trackback []