“She is a happening all to herself.”

by Kimberly Lindbergs | May 15, 2009

Categories | Actors, British Cinema, Actresses, Alain Delon, 1968, Bikers, Marianne Faithfull, Girl On a Motorcycle, Jack Cardiff

The October 1968 issue of ABC Film Review features a great piece by Philip Bradford about the making of Jack Cardiff’s Girl On A Motorcycle. In the article the movie’s two stars (Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon) briefly discuss what it was like to work with one another on the film. I thought it would be fun to share their quotes here along with some lovely still shots of them together on the set. I assume that most (if not all) of these photographs were taken by Jack Cardiff himself but if anyone knows otherwise, please feel free to let me know.

Alain Delon on Marianne Faithfull:
"She is a happening all to herself. She is the type of girl men fought dragons for in mythology, the type that duels have been fought over."

Marianne Faithfull on Alain Delon:
"We think alike in a lot of ways and he’s a totally dedicated actor. He helped me a lot through his ability to ignore outside things when he’s working. You have to keep cool when you’re filming. Shooting intimate love scences with swarms of technicians around you - for that you really need to learn to concentrate.  You have to shut off everyone else and make a world in which there are only two people."

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The Girl on a Motorcycle: Advertising

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 23, 2009

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

There were a lot of beautiful posters designed for Jack Cardiff’s film when it was originally released. Unfortunately I don’t know the names of all the artists who created these posters and ads for The Girl On a Motorcycle (1968), but I hope you enjoy this collection of images. I had to restore and touch-up many of the posters so its been somewhat of a labor of love for me to share these, but well worth the effort. Enjoy!

Poster art from the British release of the film.

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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. READ MORE

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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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