By Rod Barnett
DVD
production company Vinegar Syndrome seems to be trying to pick up the market
that Something Weird Video has cultivated over the past fifteen years or so. And
that is a good thing! Their desire to restore and release as many independently
produced exploitation films as possible is both laudable and impressive. I
count myself as a cult film fan but a look at their list of titles leaves me scratching
my head in wonderment as I have never heard of most of the movies they are
dealing to the public. My few dips into the VS catalog have been interesting,
sleazy fun but I was caught off guard by this disc. The company is following
the Something Weird template of having each DVD comprised of a double feature
of titles that have some kind of themed connection. In this case we have two
set-bound, low budget talky dramas spiced with sex in one case and ..... I'm
not sure what in the other.
The
Candidate (1964) was pitched to me as a sexploitation film staring Ted Knight
and my mind rejected that description sight unseen. There can be no such film,
said logic and reason. Surely the planet would rip asunder if such a movie
existed, said sanity. Ted Knight of The Mary Tyler Moore show engaged in sexual
shenanigans? This cannot be true. And in the end this thought process was proven
right enough for me to retain my intellect after screening the film. Now, there
are sexploitation elements in the film as you might expect with any film that
top lines sex kitten Mamie Van Doren, but those are the least interesting
parts. (Of the film, I mean…) She plays Samantha, a hard working modern woman
who, because of a chance encounter with senatorial candidate Frank Carlton (Ted
Knight), is offered a job by conniving campaign runner Eric (Buddy Parker)
aiming to work for the prospective senator. She agrees and we are then shown
the complicated way various relationships shape the campaign and how it all
falls apart. In a strange choice, the story is related as a series of
flashbacks as the main characters are grilled in front of a Congressional
hearing which causes the film to feel like a mild and overly solemn
courtroom drama. It can be pretty entertaining to watch Eric procure ladies for
the Washington elite but the film bogs down once the shape of the downfall of
Knight's character comes into focus. Parker plays the ruthless Eric as a
cynical bastard and he isn't bad in the role but its Knight who is most
impressive. As his character meets and falls in love with Angela (June
Wilkinson) we see this shy man come alive and have to face the fact that the
woman he cares for will destroy his hoped-for career. Knight is exceptional in
the role, investing great care in showing very nuanced emotions as he struggles
with his options. In the scenes involving his character, the film is solid and
the courtroom sequences are very well- scripted.However, the rest of the movie-
the sexploitation parts- are dry as dust. This is the film's problem- it has
half of a good movie but it has been shackled to a silly lingerie show with
Miss Van Doren. In the end The Candidate isn't a bad movie but it isn't very
good either, which is a shame.
Vinegar
Syndrome has coupled the main feature with a decidedly 'B' picture from 1957
called Johnny Gunman. If The Candidate sometimes felt a bit set-bound, it looks
better with this movie immediately following it. Extremely low budget, the film
seems to have been shot on the cheap and quick with little time for second
takes. The story takes place in New York (I think) as gangster Johnny G (Martin
Brooks) spends a long night hiding out from a rival hood. This other gang boss
named Allie (Johnny Seven) is up for the same new position as Johnny but has
the added impetus of a Lady MacBeth-like girlfriend pushing him to off the
competition. While on the run from gunmen, Johnny finds himself in a cafe where
he threatens the patrons and then propositions the only pretty girl in the
place, Coffee (Ann Donaldson). The other customers don't like the idea of this
nice girl spending all night with this dangerous man so a bargain is worked
out- she will spend two hours with each of the three men who want her attention
over the next six hours. If this sounds artificial, you are right. The rest of
the movie plays out with Coffee spending her required time with each man as she
seeks a story worth writing about- she's a journalist, you see. As you might
expect, she falls for Johnny's criminal charms and must decide if she will
return to her little home town or stay in the big city to love a bad man good. To
call this film dull is to be too nice. It has a 67 minute running time and I
nearly dozed off twice in the first forty-five minutes. The movie feels both
rushed and static with only a few poorly constructed sets on view. The acting
is half-hearted with Miss Donaldson taking top honors as the stiffest actress in
memory. Some of her line deliveries are as if she had never read the script
before walking onto the hastily nailed together set. Ugh! Save yourself the
time and skip it.
The
DVD carries no extras but both movies look very good. The Candidate is in very
sharp black & white anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen presentation with Johnny
Gunman looking just as good on a 1.33:1 print. I might have wished for some
more information on these movies but in the end I'm just happy they are
available. Well, I'm happy one of them
is available.
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(Visit
Rod Barnett’s blog, The Bloody Pit of Rod for more retro movie reviews).