Film Review: Plan 9 From Outerspace (1959)

Ah, the film that was dubbed “The Citizen Kane of bad movies”. A scifi/horror B-movie classic by the peculiar Mr. Ed Wood.

Now, I am a huge fan of the show Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it was a show that ran from the mid/late 80s until 2000 about a man kidnapped by mad scientists and sent to space. There, he is forced to watch bad movies as part of a sadistic experiment. The only way he manages to get through the movies is with the help of his two robot friends, making fun of or “riffing” the film (usually scifi and horror flicks from the 50s and 60s). The result was hilarious TV genius.

After the cancellation of the show, the 3 stars went on to form Rifftrax, where the heart of MST3K is still intact. You basically view these terrible movies while the guys riff over it, lulz ensuing.

Last night was a special live showing of Plan 9 From Outerspace in theaters by Rifftax. I, along with my equally geeky brother, had the opportunity to go.

I have never actually seen Plan 9 before, and I’m amazed I haven’t. I have seen a few of his other films, along with some that he wrote that were equally bad.

Ed Wood was an eccentric director who, despite his many technical errors, bad dialogue and confusing plots, had a unmatched passion for what he did. The man genuinely loved movies and making movies, even though he was terrible at it.

His films were also notable for featuring an aging Bela Lugosi, who was a good friend of Wood’s.

Now, to get to the movie. I had completely forgotten what the plot and purpose of the film was about 10 minutes into it. Something about aliens coming to earth to summon the dead to battle the “stupid, stupid humans!” because they’ve built some sort of thingamajig machine.

The UFO’s seem to be pieces of silver plastic on strings, the tombstones in the graveyard Styrofoam which get knocked over by the actors quite a bit. The scenes constantly jump back and forth between day and night, and scenes that are supposed to be linked together seemed to have been shot not only at completely different times, but in completely different places. Then, it was all roughly edited together.

It should also be noted that Bela Lugosi died before he could complete this film. Instead of…I don’t know…shelving the film or working around the already shot footage, Ed decided to replace Lugosi. Not with another actor, mind you, but with his wife’s chiropractor. There are quite a few scenes in which it is painfully obvious that it is not Bela Lugosi, masking himself with his cape.

There is also the character Vampira, a woman zombie with long red nails who just walks around and looks evil. I’m pretty sure she does nothing other than that.

Rifftrax picked the perfect film for their special, since the thing is utterly hilarious even without their input. There were even some parts where the guys themselves just stopped and laughed at whatever was going on, causing everyone in the theater to laugh along.

Yet, I could actually understand why Ed Wood has gathered the cult following he has.  I mean, the movie is bad, we know that. However, I think there is some sort of zany charm involved in his films and especially Plan 9.  It is just so out there with its horrible special effects and hilarious dialogue that you actually genuinely enjoy the experience of seeing it.

Sometimes I wonder if Ed Wood was just a genius in disguise, caricaturing himself and everything he loved, playing some massive joke on all of us. I don’t think anyone could capture the pure absurdity and campiness that he did, even if they tried. And believe me, people still do.

So I tip my hat to Ed Wood, for giving us geeks something as bizarre and delightful as Plan 9. If you’re looking for a serious science drama, you’re definitely not going to get it. But, if you don’t take yourself too seriously, I think you could find something to love about it.

Also, I’m pretty sure I just found my Halloween costume this year:

Silent Comedy

From personal experience, I know it takes a lot to get people to watch a silent film. There is certainly an aversion to it by most people, being that it lacks dialogue one can hear. In a world with booming soundtracks and epic speeches, it’s hard for many to imagine a world in film without sound.

If there is anything that people will at least try, it is the comedies. After all, humor is universal and you don’t always need words to understand it. Everyone the world over laughs when someone trips over their own feet.

It is no question who the giants of silent cinema comedy were. There has been a lifelong debate over who was better: Chaplin or Keaton. Of course, one can not forget the lesser known yet equally talented figures like Harold Lloyd and Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle, but I’ll save those for another day.

Most people in my personal life know I have a certain affection for Charlie Chaplin, but when it comes to the argument I really can’t take sides. They both had amazing yet very different styles.

Charlie Chaplin

Born in England in 1889 , Chaplin’s parents were both stage performers. After his drunken father was out of the picture and his mother slowly began to lose her mind and was committed to a asylum, it was Charlie and his half-brother Sydney who carried on the family name in Vaudeville.

He joined the Karno Troupe in his early 20’s and embarked to America with 25 dollars. While touring the country, he hooked up with Mack Sennett of Keystone and started making films.  His iconic tramp character first appeared on film in a short called “Kid Auto Races at Venice” in 1914.

From there, his career started a steady climb. After leaving Keystone he worked a short time with Essanay and Mutual, then eventually started writing, directing, producing, editing, and starring in his own films.

Chaplin was so flawless as the tramp that most people didn’t realize (and still don’t) that he was just a character. The tramp was a fellow often down on his luck, trying to make ends meet by working odd jobs and often getting himself into trouble.

Some of his best gags were the ones that were more subtle. They were “blink and you’ll miss it” situations, because Charlie was so smooth, quick and precise. Despite being a mangy tramp, he was always very graceful and some things he managed to pull off so seamlessly still amaze modern audiences.

Chaplin was also known for bringing genuine heart into his work. They were not simple slapsticks without substance, there was often an underlining message that was more apparent the longer his career went on. In the beginning of film, most pictures were pigeon holed into exact genres, while Chaplin blurred the lines and was probably the first to make romantic comedies and dramatic comedies.

In all of his career, Charlie never had the tramp speak a single line in a film even after sound was introduced. With the coming of sound, he retired the tramp and went on to make films in different roles. His reason for this being that he knew the tramp was a character loved world-wide, and he felt that having him speak would ruin that magic. He never wanted to alienate any of his fans by making the tramp only understandable to people who spoke English. To him and all others, the tramp was an “every man”, and was quoted as describing him as “A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.”

Suggested viewing:

City Lights

The Immigrant

The Circus

One A.M

Buster Keaton

Born in 1895 in America, Joseph Frank Keaton received the nickname Buster from Harry Houdini as a child, after he had fallen down a flight of stairs without injury.

He traveled with his family in a stage act growing up, and was known by an act he did with his father in which the older man would toss Buster around. Sometimes even into the orchestra pit or audience. He was rarely if ever injured, and would actually laugh gleefully during it. He noticed that his enjoyment of the fake abuse drew fewer laughs from the audience, and was the reason he adopted his deadpan expression while performing.

While Chaplin was agile and lithe, Buster appeared clumsy and erratic. Despite a look of chaos, every one of his movements was calculated with techniques he had learned while performing as a child.

He was also extremely daring, pulling off stunts that would surely hurt or even kill someone less skilled. It’s nearly impossible not to wince while watching some of his films, and wonder aloud how the man is still breathing.

Also in comparison to Charlie’s expressive face and body language, Buster was probably best known for being stoic. No matter the situation at hand, he managed to keep a serious face. Yet while you would think this would retract from his performances, it only enhanced them. And even without every emotion displayed plainly across his face, there was still something about him that told you exactly what he was feeling.
He, unfortunately, did not do very well in his later career, resorting to alcoholism. In an interesting turn of events, Chaplin, feeling sorry for the ailing Keaton, gave him  a cameo in his film Limelight, where they did a wonderfully hilarious scene together as misfit musicians.

Suggested viewing:

The General

The Navigator

Sherlock. Jr

The Haunted House

All About Hitchcock

I must admit, until very recently my knowledge of Alfred Hitchcock’s work was limited. Sure, I had seen the typicals, the ones almost everyone has seen. Psycho, The Birds, and Strangers On A Train to name a few.

It wasn’t until I sat down for a back to back marathon of some of his greats that I really got a feel for the essence of what makes him the master of suspense. With each new film I viewed, I feel like I understood a little bit more about his vision and the way he wanted to tell a story. I can see now why so many of his films are thought of as iconic.

The first thing that struck me was the point of view. No matter the subject matter or plot, the overall view seems to be the same.

With the many movies I have seen over the years, I had gotten used to having this sort of privileged outlook of what is going on. I was granted access to things the characters could not know. With Hitchcock, you are right there with the character the entire time, seeing the world as they see it.  If something is in shadow, it will remain there until visible by everyone present. If someone is whispering you will not hear it any louder than anyone else on the screen. You are left to guess, ponder, and analyze along.

You are also subject to the surroundings of the characters. Often it seems background noises infiltrate and interrupt scenes, especially those of dialogue, much like they do in reality. This is not a magical place where the entire world stops until the protagonist is done speaking, it reminds you that there is still a world existing despite the importance of these peoples situations. And often times these natural, worldly sounds are enhancing the emotions and actions of those on-screen, in a very subtle yet still impacting way.

It is also his use of soundtrack in combination to these noises that makes every little thing hold its own atmosphere. The well-known suite from Psycho emphasizes feelings of paranoia and anxiety, two things I found very prominent in almost all his films.

As mentioned previously, seeing the world through the characters eyes is also something I quite enjoyed about his films. It wasn’t constant, which is good, because if it were it would leave the viewer slightly dazed and probably annoyed or nauseated (Cloverfield, anyone?) but little moments that draw you in to the story. Seeing the neighbors through the camera lens in Rear Window, the tire at the edge of a cliff in North by Northwest, paint coming off the face of the dead man and onto the hands of Dr.McKenna in The Man Who Knew Too Much. These small perspective shots flash quickly, and just as quickly make you feel more involved.

All of these observations are just examples of the overall reason I am now a Hitchcock fan. When watching these films, you do not feel like you are an audience member, peacefully observing from home. No, as soon as the film began you  were there, feeling as if you are subject to the same dangers, confusion, and affection as the characters. You know you will not be able to rest until you have found a resolution to the tale, and even when it comes you’re still not sure if it’s safe.