Woman in the Dunes (1964)

On episode 46 of Captive Eye, David Kleiler, Jean-Paul Ouellette and Steve Head consider the enduring qualities of James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and bring to light some rarely talked about stories from its making and original release.

Hiroshi Teshigahara’s 1964 film Woman in the Dunes, adapted from the novel by Kobo Abe, is fascinating and disturbing. The film’s protagonist is a man trapped by villagers, in a dilapidated house at the bottom of a sand pit; the sole occupant of which is a woman. He soon realizes that there is no escape from the pit for either of them. As time passes, the couple must contend with the futility of their situation, and the ever encroaching sand. And, as the man becomes settled in his new-found purgatory, he realizes that escaping the pit may not be the way to freedom. On this episode of Captive Eye, David Kleiler, J. P. Ouillette and I consider the varied nuances of Woman in the Dunes, which was recently released on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection.

When Martin Scorsese brought Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom back from its longtime purgatory, the word on the street was that it was a piece of transgressive cinema from an acclaimed director, *before* Psycho, which caught a lot of hell it didn’t deserve, and largely ended its creator’s career. What lingers about Peeping Tom is its sense of tragedy: its betrayal of trust. The magnificently dramatic collision of Anna Massey’s devoted and naive Helen, and Karlheinz Bohm’s Mark, an introverted, outsider (literally, he’s from another country) with a psychotic urge instilled in him by his father. Peeping Tom wasn’t created with broad appeal in mind. When you get right down to it, Peeping Tom is essentially a rebellious statement made at a turning point in Powell’s career. It’s an obliteration of expectations; and career-wise a costly one. On this episode of Captive Eye (formerly Diabolique Webcast), writer/producer/director J. P. Ouillette and Prof. David Kleiler join me to discuss director Michael Powell’s intriguingly meticulous 1960 classic.

Someday someone will make the definitive documentary about the making of The Terminator (1984). Until then we’ll have the periodic cast and crew interviews. Until then we’ll have their stories. On this special episode of the Diabolique Webcast, Jean-Paul Ouellette, the second unit action director on The Terminator, adds some never-before-shared behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the film. The episode consists of two parts. In the first part, I discusses the film with David Kleiler and J-P Ouellette. In the second part, J-P and I hold an in-depth discussion on the making of the film.

Earlier this year, when Shout Factory announced their Blu-ray release of John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned, I can’t say I was enthusiastic about the news. It mostly served to remind me how much I wanted to like the film and that I found it hugely disappointing. Sure, it’s neatly stylish, and even cool at times. But it’s a colorfully lackluster endeavor that sure doesn’t stand up to director Wolf Rilla’s black-and-white original—a film more worthy of appreciation. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, J. P. Ouellette, David Kleiler, and I discuss the 1960 original Village of the Damned, which needs the well-produced-Blu-ray-release treatment afforded its remake.

The Tenant isn’t the first film I think of when the name Roman Polanski is mentioned. The director’s 1976 film strikes me more as a curiosity. Does its central character, Trelkovsky, out of all the characters in Polanski’s films, most represent the the real Roman Polanski? Parallels are easily drawn; it seems certainly a strong case of a filmmaker’s identification with a character. And that’s The Tenant’s attraction. We could well be watching a surreal impression of Polanski’s timorous life. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, J. P. Ouillette joins David Kleiler and me to discuss The Tenant (which will hopefully someday be released on Blu-ray; until then, there’s Paramount’s 2002 DVD release).

Mulholland Drive is perhaps a unique sort of puzzle—one that’s different upon every deconstruction. Conversationally you can take the film apart and put it back together and maybe you’ll come up with an entirely different theory as to what’s truly going on in director David Lynch’s 2001 psychodrama. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, writer/producer/director J. P. Ouillette and Prof. David Kleiler join me to discuss Mulholland Drive, which was recently released on Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection. Speaking for myself, if I recorded this podcast again I might arrive at completely different conclusions about the film. So go ahead and press play for my current take.

The Brood entertains the notion that psychotherapy can be dangerous. It doesn’t merely result in a changing of one’s mind, it can also result in a changing of one’s body—disturbingly so. And woe be the therapist who messes around with this power. This playing on a fear of psychology is the territory of David Cronenberg. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, writer/producer/director J. P. Ouillette joins David Kleiler and me to discuss The Brood, which will soon be released on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection.

From a technical strand-point, Brian de Palma’s 1980 psychological thriller Dressed to Kill is top notch. His fascination with the techniques of filmmaking makes the film a treasure trove for cinephiles. The film has its detractors, of course, but fans of split-diopter and tracking shots can’t deny that Dressed to Kill has beautiful examples of both. And I’ll admit, I can be charmed by a film’s style enough to forgive deviations from its narrative. Mr. de Palma believes you can too. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, David Kleiler and I consider the merits of Dressed to Kill, which will be released on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection in September.

Time has been good to Escape from New York. From the cinema netherworld of the early 80s, John Carpenter’s dystopian adventure prospered on home-video, spawned a sequel, and has been emblemized by cinephiles as an avatar of eighties cool. Being a Diabolique Webcast listener, you’ve probably seen Escape from New York more than once. But let me tell you, Scream! Factory’s new Blu-ray is the best ever release of the film on home video. “But they always say that when a titles is released!” you might say. I know, but trust me. The film looks phenomenal, and with the new extra features, it’s well worth it. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, Improper Bostonian film critic, and fellow Boston Online Film Critic Association member, Brett Michel and I discuss the making of Escape from New York and the film’s lasting appeal.