Gay Purr-ee (1962)

An American animated musical directed by Abe Levitow, starring Judy Garland, Red Buttons and Paul Frees.
A female cat living at a farm overhears exaggerated praise of city life in Paris and travels there. She is followed by a male with a crush on her and his sidekick. In Paris, she is taken in by a criminal and his sister in hopes of sending her to America for money. The crush male and his sidekick take a side trip to Alaska before returning to rescue the female from the criminals.
What really stood out to me about this was art history references. The late 1800s and early 1900s was a time of many "ism"s and multiple art movements. Most of these were referenced in dialogue as well as visually. The female cat was shown in paintings of the styles as the criminal talked about the artists. Most of the backgrounds had a Van Gogh look to them and there were posters in the style of that time period as well. Next point was Judy Garland's voice. I really like her singing. Other than that, it was a very standard animated musical. The animation was done in Disney style cell animation and the music would be easily mistaken for Disney material. I rate it adequate because it was fun to watch once.

H.M.S. Defiant A.K.A. Damn the Defiant (1962)

A British adventure directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde and Maurice Denham.
The captain of a British ship brings his 12 year old son as a midshipman on a voyage to Corsica. The first officer likes to punish everyone, so the sailors plan a mutiny.
An hour and 40 minutes sure felt like a long time. I think it took 3 tries with turn-offs to get through this. Not because it was that bad, just boring and slow paced. The plot absolutely failed to hold my interest even though sailors were being flogged between arguments. Characters were a major issue. The only one developed was the first officer antagonist. Dialogue and acting all seemed fine. There were lots of rough sailors and at least 2 dickhead officers. The only other character worth mentioning was a "gentleman" who thought he was in the wrong place and acted his part very well. Sets and costumes seemed to be no fakes. There were real ships, real naval wear of multiple hierachical levels and possibly even real cannons. Camera-work was another problem. The color balance was way off. It may have been the cameras in use in the early '60s or how the file was processed to make it digital, but it looked all gritty and the colors looked oversaturated. Special effects included people getting stabbed, cannon fire, smoke and ships on fire. The audio also played a role in how I disliked this. It sounded just as gritty as the video looked. The levels were correct, but it just sounded plain dirty. IMDb lists a rating of 7.1/10, AllMovie lists 3/5 AllMovie rating with 4/5 user ratings and Rotten Tomatoes lists 100% Tomatometer with 60% audience score for an average of 74.2%. I think that's a little high with all of the issues that I tried to explain. I rate this poor for being boring and irksome.

The Exterminating Angel A.K.A. El angel exterminador (1962)

A Mexican thriller directed by Luis Bunuel, starring Silvia Pinal.
Rich dinner guests are trapped in a room of the house where they attended the party. Even though the door is open, they cannot leave. They run out of water and food, lose their humanity and turn against one another.
It was an interesting premise that seems like it would have made a good Twilight Zone episode. An hour and a half seemed a little long though. The plot does develop more fully than my brief description, with different characters acting their parts in the psycho-drama. All of the characters were rich, white and well-dressed, making them difficult to differentiate at times. The doctor always stood out for his age and relative sanity. I could understand a word or few of the Spanish dialogue, but found good English subtitles. The only problem was that "Y" was replaced with "T". The dwarves of Conde Petie in Final Fantasy IX get "hungert", Not Mexican aristocracy. I thought the actors did a great job of going crazy. One woman pulled out her hair and everyone looked haggard in their suits and gowns. Needless to say, not too many sets. There was an exterior and a dining room at the beginning and a church at the end. There were also some exterior shots spread throughout as people outside could not enter the house. Everything else was in the room. Camera-work was not the best I've seen, even accounting for black and white. That honor goes to Fire over England, a dull, but beautifully shot film. I thought the shots stayed too much in mid-range without getting very close or far away and the general compositions just didn't do it for me. There was a disembodied hand special effect and some creative double exposures or layering to make a dream sequence. The audio seemed on for dialogue and there was not much noticeable music (seems to be the current trend). The gritty style and surrealist subject matter definitely reminded me of Un Chien Andalou. IMDb has an 8.2/10 rating listed, AllMovie has 4.5/5 in both AllMovie and user ratings and Rotten Tomatoes has 96% Tomatometer with 93% Audience Score for an average of 90.2%. Why this gets a consensus A- and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) gets a consensus C- is beyond me, but that doesn't happen here. Not on my blog! I would say it should be reversed. This gets my o.k. rating because I don't think it's as magnificent as everyone else apparently does.

Ride the High Country A.K.A. Guns in the Afternoon (1962)

An American western directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Randolph Scott.
A small group of cowboys take a job transporting gold from a mining town. On the way there, they encounter a girl who is engaged to one of the miners. Her father disapproves of any man his daughter is interested in, so she sneaks out with the cowboys when they leave. When they get to the mining town and find the groom, the two are wed. Unfortunately, the groom's two brothers think that they have also married the girl and begin to abuse her. The cowboys step in to save her.
This was pretty standard for a western. The plot got more complex as it progressed and the characters developed more. It wasn't a peplum style western. Peplum being "sword and sandal", I guess the western equivalent would be "six-gun and saddle". It was more personal, dealing with a small number of main characters. The video looked '70s to me, but differentiating '60s from '70s video can be tricky. The audio was actually good. The dialogue was all very clear and it featured unique and identifiable theme music in some sections. The version that I watched may have had the very end chopped off. It ended with the end of the last gun fight. The picture is of a scene in which the two older cowboys are discussing the ventilation system of a pair of custom made boots. Overall, it's better than o.k. I rate this adequate.

Mondo Cane A.K.A. A Dog's World (1962)

An Italian documentary directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara and Franco Prosperi.
A wide variety of scenes from around the world document different ways of life and the differences between cultures.
This suppesedly "shocking" documentary was absolutely awesome! The rich tapestry woven by cameramen and editors contains the very fibers of life on Earth. I know of no other way to describe it. Some highlights included Japanese health spas, animals altered by radiation, a fancy restaurant serving foul food and a German beer house. My personal favorite was an American gymnasium for women that was accompanied by train sounds in a most amusing way. My least favorite scene was the Earthlings-esque sea turtle with no sense of direction. The variety of scenes ranges from compassion to violence and everything in between. Overall, this is what filmmaking is about. I rate it best. WATCH THIS!!!!

The Magic Sword A.K.A. St. George and the Dragon, St. George and the Seven Curses, The Seven Curses of Lodac (1962)

An American fantasy directed by Bert I. Gordon, starring Basil Rathbone.
The adopted son of a sorceress falls in love with a princess whom he sees in a magic pool. The princess is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer and the young man seeks to save her. However, he has a rival also seeking the princess who accompanies him on his quest.
This was actually pretty good. I like it because it was lo-fi and cheesy. The special effects were antiquated and mostly based on film editing and forced perspective. These included a fight against a giant and little people like in Darby O'Gill and the Little People. The plot was straightforward, with few developed characters and lots of extras. The style was very much of the time and the video featured extremely bright and saturated colors. The princess gets very high female anatomy points, even through her dress. Overall, it's good if you want a fun, cheesy flick. Don't expect miracles though. I rate it adequate.

Lycanthropus A.K.A. Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory, The Ghoul in School, I Married a Werewolf, Monster Among the girls (1962)

An Austrian Italian horror directed by Paolo Heusch.
A new teacher is hired at a school for girls with discipline problems. At the same time, wolves are observed around the campus, girls get killed and the new teacher is suspected as the murderer.
Pretty crappy. For Italy in the '60s, this was standard though. They lacked the ability to communicate the simple plot clearly and had too many characters, most of which looked very similar. The audio and video weren't as bad as some films from this time and place that I've seen before, but they weren't good. I rate it bad. Don't watch.

The Devil's Hand (1962)

An American horror directed by William J. Hole Jr., starring Neil Hamilton.
A man takes his fiancee to a doll shop where they see a doll that looks like her. The owner denies him that doll, selling him instead a doll of a woman whom he has been dreaming about. Confused, he finds the woman who looks like a doll and finds out that she is part of a cult involving magic. He is seduced by her and convinced to join the cult.
The plot was an absolute joke because it was not clearly presented and didn't make much sense. The characters were extremely shallow and underdeveloped. I didn't notice any editing errors, but the audio and video were definitely of inferior quality. There was a surf song in the soundtrack, but no beach scenes, surfers or anything to give it context. This is a pretty clear case of a bad movie. It defines what my bad rating is used for.

Hands of a Stranger (1962)

An American horror by Newt Arnold.
A concert pianist is in a car accident and his hands are badly damaged. The doctor replaces them with the hands of a killer.
Hands hands hands hands. It was the most commonly used word in the film. The simple plot and shallow characters did not make for an interesting viewing. Although technically sound, with proper exposure of video and no editing mistakes, I was not impressed. The soundtrack was mostly piano music, which was appropriate for the emphasis on the pianist's hands and mental breakdown. The carnival scene was the only interesting part, as they made the happy carnival seem menacing through creative camera angles, editing and a cacophony of music. I rate this poor. You may not want to watch it.

The Brain/Head That Wouldn't Die (1962)

An American science fiction directed by Joseph Green.
A scientist keeps his fiancee's head alive after she is decapitated in a car accident. While he is trying to find her a new body, her head is conspiring with something locked behind a door to kill him.
This was a very bad movie. I mean so bad it's funny kind of bad. The plot was so stupid and the science so preposterous that it can't be taken seriously. The production value was a little on the shitty side as well, with less than ideal audio, video and editing. I don't see why it had to be an hour and 22 minutes long when I could have fit that plot into about 15 minutes. I sat here for the whole time waiting to see some unthinkable lovecraftian monstrosity come out of the closet. When the closet door opened and the tall guy with a mask on came out I began to want the last hour twenty of my life back. I rate this bad. If you want to watch and mock, please do so without me.

Eegah: The Name Written in Blood (1962)

An American fantasy comedy film by Arch Hall Sr., starring Richard Kiel.
A caveman who has survived into the '60s just by living a long time is found by some people. He takes a father and daughter team to his cave, but they escape with the aid of a teenager with a magic guitar that sounds like a whole band. The caveman then wanders into a suburban area.
The plot and characters are so bad they're good. The soundtrack really gave this film some style. When the dude starts singing and playing his guitar, it sounds like a whole band is playing (and usually without a guitar part). His voice even changes. Hilarious! The production was total crap and everything looked and sounded cheap like Teisco Japanese made cheap. I think that the grass was astroturf! When a movie is so bad that it's entertainingly good, I tend to split the difference and rate it o.k. Watch this to laugh because this is the kind of comedy that I get.

Gladiators 7 (1962)

A Spanish Italian sword and sandal action film directed by Pedro Lazaga.
A group of seven gladiators defend a small town from a tyrant and his soldiers.
Does this plot ring a bell? Maybe it's a little like Shichinin No Samurai (1954) or The Magnificent Seven (1960)? This makes me wonder if there's a wuxia/kung fu version around somewhere. When something is perfect the first time and still good the second, what would possess someone to try for #3 by using inferior tools and abilities? Anyway, the plot was stale as stale can be and the characters were shallow mockeries. The audio and video were bad and the style sucked. I would compare this to someone scribbling with crayons on their ceiling and calling it a sequel to the Sistine chapel. For making such a bad movie, based on such good movies, I rate this shit. This is another instance of "I watched it so you don't have to".

The Fury of Hercules (1962)

A French Italian sword and sandal action film directed by Gianfranco Parolini.
Hercules helps rebel forces to defeat the tyrannical ruler of a kingdom where the queen is attracted to him and he is attracted to a handmaiden.
If I had to pick a sword and sandal flick to watch, this would be the lesser of evils so far. They focused more on action, with Hercules fighting and performing feats of strength rather than on politics and military campaigns. The audio was severely muffled and the video was blurry, but the content made up for these poor production values. My favorite part was when Hercules was doing trials to save a woman from being executed or sacrificed. He goes into pits in the arena where he is presented with a challenge like a lion or a man in a fuzzy costume and spikes on the walls that close in. I'm rating it adequate.

Damon and Pythias (1962)

An Italian American sword and sandal adventure film directed by Curtis Bernhardt.
One man is accused of a crime and asks for time to settle his affairs before execution. The leader refuses until another man volunteers to be imprisoned in place of the first man until he returns. If the first man does not return, the second will be executed instead.
All of this plot happened in the last 30 minutes of the film. The hour leading up to that was filler. Obviously, it was yet another extremely boring sword and sandal flick. The video and audio were crappy and it was completely lacking style. I was going to poke fun at Mill Creek Entertainment here, but upon looking them up, found out that they're a gigantic video redistribution company. I had seen their logo on a few other boring sword and sandal flicks and wanted to make a Mill Creek = run of the mill joke, but no can do. I'm rating it poor because it didn't stand out enough to rate bad.

Caesar The Conqueror (1962)

An Italian war film directed by Tanio Boccia.
Julius Caesar fights a war against the Gauls.
This was boring, the video looked dirty and the audio was muffled. The plot was as murky as the video and the only identifiable character was Caesar. The only positive thing that I can say is that it wasn't annoying. I'm rating it poor for such extreme mediocrity and forgettability.

Cape Fear (1962 & 1991)

An American thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson and then Martin Scorsese, starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum then Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte.
A man gets out of jail and goes to see the lawyer who was supposed to be defending him, but lost the case. He stalks the lawyer and kills his dog, so the lawyer sends his cop friends to torment the ex-con whenever possible. The lawyer hires men to beat up the ex-con and gets into trouble. He fakes leaving for a meeting and has his wife and daughter wait in a boathouse where his friend leads the ex-con because the lawyer knows that the ex-con wants to kill them.
The 1962 version was coherent and flowed smoothly. Everything made sense and fit together perfectly. The 1991 version was bastardized Hollywood bullshit. Nothing fit and the flow was crappy. Adequate and shit seem to be good ratings for differentiating remakes and that's the case here.

The Day of the Triffids (1962, 1981 & 2009)

A British science fiction written by John Wyndham and directed by Steve Sekely (1962), Ken Hannam (1981) and Nick Copus (2009).
After a mysterious light show, a man in the hospital for an eye operation removes his bandages and finds that he is one of very few people who can still see. Carnivorous plants are on the loose and he must band together with a few other survivors who aren't blind. Meanwhile, a darkly powerful man leads a militaristic group that conflicts with the eye operation man's ragged band of friends.
Apparently the 1962 film changed a lot of the plot because anything from outer-space would sell big in that time period. They made the light show bring the triffids from outer space. In the other 2 films, the triffids had been used as a source of fuel and had been genetically modified. The 1962 film had a cheesy monster movie charm and was contiguous in it's plot. The 1981 and 2009 films were made for TV. 1981's TV series was a little bit choppy and had giant jumps in it's timeline, but I liked the characters the most. 2009's series was, of course, "new movie too perfect" which made me hate it quite a lot. None of the videos were "good" per se (not even o.k. by my standards), but in order of how much I liked them, 1981 was the best of the lot with 1962 falling in close behind and leaving 2009 to eat shit and die. I'm lumping them all together and calling the whole wad of triffidness poor.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962)

A French fantasy thriller directed by Robert Enrico.
A man is being prepared to be hanged on a bridge, but the noose breaks and he gets away. After running through the woods, he arrives at home and sees his wife.
This was a short film, only about 20 minutes long and was used as an episode of The Twilight Zone. The plot and characters are minimal, but the effect is great. The film is in black and white and extremely lo-fi, but I think that makes it better. I'm rating this awesome.

Elgar (1962)

A music documentary by Ken Russell.
The life and music of the composer, Edward Elgar is shown.
This film was SO BORING! They used black and white video segments and still pictures, accompanied by a dry monologue and some of the composer's music to tell his story. It would have been better represented with a recording accompanied by written material. Since I wish this film hadn't been made or I hadn't watched it, I have to rate it shit. I want the last 56 minutes of my life back!

Harakiri (1962)

A samurai film directed by Masaki Kobayashi.
A ronin visits the house of a feudal lord, seeking an appropriate place for his seppuku ritual. Thinking that the ronin just wants money, the lord tells him a story of another man who came for the same reason. The ronin still insists on killing himself and a swordsman is sent for. While they wait, the ronin tells the story of how he ended up there. Then things get interesting...
I thought this was great! a real fucking samurai flick! They portrayed the necessary poverty and ruined lives (rich, happy samurais are boring) and the whole soundtrack was in traditional Japanese instrumentation. The plot twists and the characters change... it's amazing. Also, there's a big fight at the end. I'm rating this awesome.