Some Thoughts on Jack Cardiff 1914-2009

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 22, 2009

Categories | News, Directors, British Cinema, Alain Delon, Bikers, Marianne Faithfull, Girl On a Motorcycle, Jack Cardiff, Featured

Jack Cardiff with Marianne Faithfull on the set of The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968)

The talented director and cinematographer Jack Cardiff has passed away at the age of 94. As the tributes start to roll out from various news sites and film blogs its become clear to me that most people regard Jack Cardiff as a great cinematographer and have little regard or knowledge of his directing contributions, which is a shame. Cardiff was a brilliant photographer and his groundbreaking contributions to cinematography are well worth celebrating. But his impressive work as a director on films like the wonderful D.H. Lawrence adaptation Sons and Lovers (1960), the entertaining spy thriller The Liquidator (1965), the excellent erotic drama The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and the effective horror film The Mutations (1974) is also worthy of applause.

My favorite Cardiff film is The Girl on a Motorcycle (on my list of Favorite Films from 1968), which starred Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon as two motorcycle obsessed lovers named Rebecca and Daniel. Jack Cardiff directed, photographed and edited the film, and it holds a special place in my heart for numerous reasons. First and foremost is the ingenious casting. Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon were two of the most beautiful, transgressive and fascinating pop culture icons of the ’60s and teaming them up in The Girl on a Motorcycle was a brilliant idea. They’re incredibly sexy together in the film and Cardiff did a remarkable job of capturing their youthful beauty as well as the erotic heat generated by his two stars.

Jack Cardiff said of filming Marianne Faithfull, “Never since I first saw Marilyn Monroe through the camera lens have I seen such irresistible beauty. To focus on her is to focus the camera on your innermost heart.”

This touching observation is made crystal clear when you watch the film. Cardiff’s camera was clearly infatuated with Marianne Faithfull and there’s an intimacy between the director and the actress on display in The Girl on a Motorcycle that is impossible to overlook.

Cardiff’s penetrating exploration into the mind, heart and body of Marianne Faithfull’s Rebecca is loaded with impressive visual cues and mesmerizing camera effects. The psychedelic edginess of Girl on a Motorcycle may seem somewhat dated now and many people will probably find the movie unworthy of all my praise, but Cardiff’s film is still effective if you’re willing and able to give in to its many pleasures. The sensual nature of the film’s plot combined with Cardiff’s mesmerizing photography and experimental editing make The Girl on a Motorcycle a truly unforgettable film and one of the most fascinating and genuinely sexy movies to come out of Britain in the late ’60s.

In a 1968 interview with Philip Bradford, Jack Cardiff called The Girl on a Motorcycle the only film that was, “truly, entirely my own.” He added that, “On other films in the past I have often been prevented from shooting a picture entirely as I may have wished. But this time I worked on the script, have directed and edited, and have been responsible for the choice of music. I am delighted to have had this total freedom.”

It’s a shame that Jack Cardiff didn’t get that kind of opportunity more often because his directorial efforts showcase the work of an extremely talented man with a painter’s eye and literary ambitions who was willing to take risks and buck convention. We need more film makers like Jack Cardiff.

In a strange coincidence I was planning to devote an entire week to The Girl on a Motorcycle next month because the film is being re-released on DVD by Redemption Films. Instead of waiting until May, I’ve decided to go ahead and start posting some of The Girl on a Motorcycle material I was planning on sharing. Keep your eye on Cinebeats in the coming days for more posts about Jack Cardiff’s film.

Recommended Links:
- BFI: A Tribute to Jack Cardiff OBE
- Gallery Chiaroscuro, the official website for the Jack Cardiff Collection
- Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers: Jack Cardiff
- Jack Cardiff at IMDB.com
- David Hudson’s collection of Jack Cardiff Obits at IFC.com

My tribute to the film continues here.

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Satan’s Sadists (1969)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 6, 2008

Categories | Movie Reviews, American Cinema, Bikers, Russ Tamblyn

You’re right, cop. You’re right, I am a rotten bastard. I admit it. But I tell ya something. Even though I got a lot of hate inside, I got some friends who ain’t got hate inside. They’re filled with nothing but love. Their only crime is growing their hair long, smoking a little grass and getting high, looking at the stars at night, writing poetry in the sand. And what do you do? You bust down their doors, man. Dumb-ass cop. You bust down their doors and you bust down their heads. You put ‘em behind bars. And you know something funny? They forgive you.
- Anchor (Russ Tamblyn in Satan Sadists, 1969)

B-movie maestro Al Adamson explored many genres when he was churning out films during the sixties and seventies including horror, blaxploitation and sexploitation. Satan’s Sadists (1969) was his early entry into the biker genre, which became extremely popular during the late sixties. Adamson made Satan’s Sadists in just one week on a shoestring budget and it shows. But if you’re in the mood for some entertaining B-grade biker fun, the movie is worth a look.

Satan’s Sadists stars actor and American movie legend Russ Tamblyn, as the leader of a ruthless motorcycle gang called Satan’s Sadists. Tamblyn leads his drug-taking gang on a deadly rampage through the California desert as they leave a trail of corpses in their wake. When the bikers unexpectedly come in contact with an ex-Marine named Johnny (Gary Kent) who has just returned from Vietnam, their luck starts to change and the members of Satan’s Sadists are soon forced to pay for their brutal crimes.

Most of the performances in the movie are rather forgettable except for Russ Tamblyn’s. He gets to deliver the best lines in the movie and seems to genuinely be having a lot of fun as the nasty gang leader known as “Anchor.” John ‘Bud’ Cardos is also pretty good as a sleazy biker called “Firewater” who sports a faux mini Mohawk and is covered in what looks like shoe-polish in a rather tasteless attempt to portray a native American. Cardos reportedly did all of his own stunts in the film too. The director’s wife Regina Carrol plays Tamblyn’s neglected and abused love interest known as “Freak Out Girl” who has a few memorable moments in the movie as well. Her death scene is particularly touching and equally silly.

In some ways the film seems to be trying to exploit the tragedy of the Manson murders that took place in California the same year that the movie was made. But Satan Sadists really just comes across as an extremely juvenile attempt to characterize rebellious youth culture in the sixties and it’s nowhere near as “cutting-edge” as the movie’s promotional material would suggest. But it is unintentionally hilarious at times!

Filmmaker Al Adamson and cinematographer Gary Graver really enjoy using extreme close-ups and zooms, which bring some element of style to this rather flat looking production. Having driven down some of the same roads that are seen in the film, I was impressed with the way they managed to capture some beautiful shots of California’s barren desert landscape too. The movie also features a memorable soundtrack by composer Harley Hatcher that adds a lot to the overall feel of the film. Satan’s Sadists is not a great movie and some will probably find it unwatchable, but if you like low-budget biker flicks you might find some things to enjoy in the movie besides the laughs it provides.

Satan’s Sadists is currently available on DVD from Troma Entertainment but the DVD has recently gone out of print. You should still be able to rent the movie from places like Netflix and Greencine. The image quality of Troma’s Satan’s Sadists DVD leaves a lot to be desired, but it does include some great extras such as an introduction and commentary from producer Sam Sherman, original trailers, a still gallery, a radio interview with Regina Carol and even a short featurette called Producing Schlock.

If you’d like to see more images from the movie you can find them in my Satan’s Sadists Flickr Gallery.

You can also watch the film’s original trailer at Youtube.

* Originally published at Cinedelica 06.19.2007

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Super Sisters On Cycles!

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 29, 2007

Categories | Movie Reviews, Comedies, Blaxploitation, Musicals, Bikers

I recently got the chance to watch the terrific William Witney film Darktown Strutters (a.k.a. Get Down and Boogie, 1975) and really enjoyed it. Witney started directing action films and westerns in the ’30s and he’s now mostly remembered for the popular television serials he directed. One of the last films he made was the unusual biker and blaxploitation parody Darktown Strutters, which is undoubtedly one of the most surreal musical comedies made during the seventies. I’ve been interested in seeing this movie for years and I’m glad that I finally got around to watching it.

The film centers around a group of lovely ass-kicking women who ride around the Watts area of Los Angeles on their stylish customized motorbikes. When the mother of the gang’s leader Syreena (Trina Parks) goes missing, the girls find themselves running from hapless law enforcement officers, fighting off the KKK and finally taking down a fast food selling Col. Sanders clone called Louisville Cross in order to find her.

Before Syreena’s mom disappeared she was organizing the construction of an abortion clinic with financial help from Louisville Cross. Unbeknownst to anyone, Cross poses as a benefactor to the black community, but he’s really just a closeted racist who has created a bizarre machine that can clone human beings. He’s kidnapping black leaders with the help of the KKK in order to clone them, and he plans on using these clones to do his evil bidding and in turn wreck havoc on the black community.

Director William Witney uses slapstick humor and lots of cartoonish props to tell his strange tale. The film parodies many clichés found in earlier blaxploitation films, but it’s also a smart and super stylish low-budget comedy that takes a serious jab at white capitalists who often carelessly use the black community for their own good. Darktown Strutters deals with many important issues including racism, sexism, police brutality and abortion, while keeping it’s tongue firmly planted in its cheek at all times. The comedy is often surprisingly dark as well as ridiculously silly, and it’s bound to offend and surprise more than a few viewers.

Trina Parks delivers a unforgettable performance as the biker babe gang leader Syreena. The statuesque Parks stands almost 6 feet tall and it’s easy to believe that this Amazonian queen could knock the hot air out of any creep that gets in her way. The rest of the motorcycle riding ladies are also really good, but they don’t get as much screen time as Ms. Parks.

Other stand out performances include Roger E. Mosley (best known as ‘TC’ from the Magnum, P.I. television series) as the leader of a scooter riding gang who falls hard for Syreena and the great character actor Dick Miller shows up as one of the pitiful keystone cops. The film also features the musical act The Dramatics who get to perform their funky hit single “What You See Is What You Get,” while being held as prisoners in Louisville Cross’ dungeon.

One of the best things about Darktown Strutters is the amazing costume designs by Michael Nicola. I’ve seen a lot of great ‘70s style fashion in many terrific blaxploitation films such as the jaw-dropping designs in Cleopatra Jones (1973), but Nicola’s designs for Darktown Struttersare truly stunning and like most things in this unusual movie, they must be seen to be believed.

The movie is officially out-of-print, but you can still find used copies of the video version of Darktown Strutters on Amazon or selling on eBay.

You can see more images from the movie if you visit my Darktown Strutters still gallery at Flickr.

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