The Name of Ligeia, or, I Think Too Much

 

It's been on my mind today that the name Ligeia may be mispronounced in Roger Corman's THE TOMB OF LIGEIA. The lightning bolt came from seeing in print the name of Walerian Borowczyk's wife (who played one of the Future People in Chris Marker's La Jetée) Ligia, pronounced (like Lydia) with the accent on the first syllable; this would seem to be the (or a) more contemporary spelling of the name. The spelling of a name may be modified over time but this isn't usually done unless its familiar, traditional pronunciation remains consistent. I love THE TOMB OF LIGEIA, and its "Lie-jee-ah" is a pronunciation I've grown up with and never questioned; I do wish this hadn't occurred to me. If I'm right, it's going to stand out in future viewings like "Don/Doña Medina" stands out in PIT AND THE PENDULUM.

Franco's Farewell Film

I had been saving it for the right night, but this evening I finally said goodbye to Jess Franco by watching his last movie, AL PEREIRA VS. THE ALLIGATOR LADIES. I have no idea how this film would look to a newcomer, but if you've seen them all or are well on your way, I don't see how anyone could deny that it's the most accomplished, enjoyable and surreal movie of Jess's final phase. It's beautifully shot, scored with freshly recorded music that spans back 50 years over countless movies, and it manages to comment on his entire career, the fantasies that have fueled a lifetime, the changing image of Lina, his long association with Antonio Mayans (pictured) and also the realities of growing older and facing death as the cackling temptations of life dance on. It is entertainment, essay and autopsy all in one, the one film of his video period that I can unhesitatingly call inspired. Who knows? It might be his 8½.

Longer, Redder Nights

I recently came into possession of a copy of Georges Franju's L'homme sans visage (1974), the original eight-part miniseries from which the feature version known as Nuits rouges (US: SHADOWMAN) was distilled. I am currently two hour-long episodes into it, only doing one per night. It has no subtitles, but the language of cinema is present throughout.

I've always heard that the feature version is the better one, tighter, better paced, etc. -- but from what I have seen so far, I doubt this. This version has all the breathing room the feature doesn't, and the best parts are almost always the slow scenes in which evil or magical deeds are made to seem mundane -- or vice versa. The opening night shot of a car's headlights as the vehicle slowly inches down a slope to idle under a bridge while two silhouetted figures dump a lifeless body in the river; bookcases opening to reveal secret passages; or a man in a red helmet and black leather jumpsuit thundering a motorcycle through subterranean tunnels hundreds of years old. This stuff goes straight into my veins; it's why I love movies.

I've heard this miniseries is under consideration for release in France as part of the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel's DVD issues of classic French fantasy television, but even if this does come to pass, it won't be subtitled. In the meantime, if the language barrier is no obstacle to you, consult your local torrent provider.

Once Upon A Time on a Lemon Farm

Tonight's viewing included "The Old Man Picked A Lemon" - Episode 29 of Season 2 of THE FUGITIVE, from 1965. It yielded something of interest.

The setting is a California lemon farm where David Janssen's Dr. Richard Kimble has found work supervising Mexican farm hands. When the beloved owner of the farm dies in a car accident, his wife Flo (Celeste Holm) is placed in temporary charge, but his errant and evil son Blaine (Ben Piazza, giving a fine performance) returns from his banishment -- he was sent away after being involved in a car wreck that claimed the life of the chief worker's daughter -- with the intention of selling the place out from under his stepmother. When Flo reveals recent codicils to the will, unknown to the son, which place her in majority ownership, Blaine hires a private investigator to research her and learns that used to work in Miami as a prostitute until eight years earlier, when the father, rich and prosperous, met her, got her phone number ("it was available"), hired her for a week of companionship and, before departing, asked her to marry him -- a story she relates to the sympathetic ear of Kimble. Blaine intends to expose her backstory unless she sells out to him for far less than her interests are worth... and, after much drama, things ultimately go the other way. The story ends with the farm's faithful Mexican workers assembling around Flo at the front porch of the family home, where she warmly invites them all inside for coffee.

If the story sounds familiar, it may be because the backstory and finale of this Jack Turley teleplay are nearly identical to Claudia Cardinale's backstory in Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1969) -- and her participation in that epic film's finale, when she is encouraged by Jason Robards' Cheyenne to take some water out to the workers who are building the train station on her land. I had seen this episode before but never made the connection till now.