Streaming Standard: Space Monster Wangmawi (1967)

 A once lost Film from South Korea?
A giant Monster?
Just the silliest of silly effects?

I'm in!

Somewhere in Space, these Aliens are looking for a Planet to conquer.

Apparently, they made a monster that will grow in the right atmosphere and they looked around until they found one.

Are they the Neptune Men?

They found Earth and they do just that.

Sure enough, their normal sized monster (human height) grows (off-screen) as they drop it down to Earth.

It attacks South Korea, since I guess Japan was busy.

The appearance of a giant Monster interrupts a young lady's plan to get married tomorrow.

Life sure is hard!

She flees from the City with her Mother.

As bad luck would have it, the Monster grabs her...for some reason.

Someone wants to be King Kong!

The Monster stomps around, sometimes smashing buildings, but never making sparks come out of power lines.

Meanwhile, the Film follows a bunch of random people, like a pair of half-drunk guys and a Child Tramp.

Said Tramp jumps onto the creature as it nears the roof he is on.

He does the logical thing- he climbs into its ear, cuts through the ear drum and starts wreaking havoc.

This kid...is insane and badass.

He wounds the creature for a bit and crawls down the back of it, disabling the control pack that the Aliens are using on it.

He is finally grabbed by the creature, but the Fiancée manages to swing by on his parachute, getting them away before the Air Force blows up the creature.

They walk off into the Sunset...although it is Black and White, so who knows?  The End.

A pretty fun Film, but the focus sure is all over the map.

A giant Monster is on the rampage!  Aliens are attacking the Earth!

Cool- I want to follow these random morons around for a bit!
Does this Film need ADHD Medication?

They spend lots of time focusing on the Fiancée and Bride...and then nothing.  There are the Tramps...and they're gone.

This random, very violent kid sure takes the focus and the Film is better for it.

Space Monster is definitely a Comedy...most of the time.

A Film that can somehow feature a giant Monster, aliens, melodrama and also this guy pretending to take a s**t near a crowd sure is...something.

A Film that is enjoyable, but it also sure is strange!  If you're into a Film that is all over the place, this is your Movie!

Pilot Wings: Ed Wood's Portraits of Terror- The Final Curtain

 Admittedly it is too late for me promoting this Pilot to do much good.  It's Director and Stars have all been dead for at least 3-4 Decades by now.

Even so, it is interesting to talk about this once-lost piece of TV and Film History.

Ed Wood tried to make a TV Show.  That's just a fun and silly sentence, no?

Life got in the way of him quite a bit and this is no different.  His only real Star- Bela Lugosi- died while allegedly reading this Script.

Obviously, the combination of age and drug use killed him, not the bad writing.  With a new Lead, Ed soldiered on to make...

You immediately know that this is an Ed Wood project.

First, he credits himself like 6 times on one page and THEN on another.

Second, who else writes such scintillating words like this?

***

After all of that build-up, what do we get?  It's...

Duke Moore (someone with only Ed Wood Credits) looking concerned, confused and sometimes scared in an empty Theater.  This one was shot without sound (since that was expensive).

All we hear is the late-great Dudley Manlove delivering Wood's hilariously-faux-classical dialog like a madman.

That's basically it- save for Stock Music and Sound Effects- for a good fifteen minutes until he goes upstairs, fondles an obviously-alive mannequin (played by an Actress who also only has Ed Wood Credits).

She smiles at him.
He leaves.
He finds a coffin and crawls inside.

That's it.  The End.

So that was...something.  The good part first- Dudley Manlove reading Ed Wood Dialog.  The Writing is silly and pretentious.  The delivery by Manlove makes it work in a weird, sort of twisted way for me.  He's not doing this like normal, serious narration.  He's clearly having a blast doing this.  Ed Wood- despite being a perfectionist in many regards- let alot of quality control clearly slip by him.  There's a reason that Plan 9 From Outer Space is studied by Film Students- it is chock full of mistakes and slip-ups.  So when it came to Manlove going full 'Doctor Orpheus' on his faux Poe prose, he either didn't see the humor or didn't care.  He gives you the ONLY bit of joy to be found in here.  Without him, all you have is Duke looking confused or frightened for long stretches of time.  This Pilot has a whole lot of *nothing* to be seen.  He wanders around.  A light goes out.  He wanders around.  He wanders around some more.  This is clearly supposed to be like The Raven or some sort of Lovecraft Tale.  The problem- there's no reason he can't leave.  Not getting into what the Ending is supposed to mean, it just feels like a guy who is standing around in a tuxedo being scared when he could just leave.  Speaking of that Tux. some of this footage is in Night of the Ghouls (from 1959) and he just writes in that the Police Captain was 'going to the Opera, so he was wearing a Tux' to cover this.  Is it good?  No.  Can it be funny with the right audience?  Maybe.  Like Ed Wood's sad, later days where he literally made Porn Films, it is still an interesting part of Film History to see this make the light of day.  Thanks, fellas.

If you're a die-hard Ed Wood fan, there's some fun to be had.  If you're looking for something truly funny, however, skip this and go for stuff like Plan 9.

Lost and Found?: Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1943)

 

The Story:

 Released in 1943, the Film was played at Roadshow Theaters and Drive-Ins.  It was apparently notorious for lots of early walkouts.  As such, Theaters were allowed to keep 75% of the Revenue as a show of good faith for playing it at all.

It was a loose collection of Film Clips from stuff that *likely* didn't belong to the Producers.
Of course, it was 1943, so that's alot more viable than today.

According to IMDB, Films used in Clip Form include White Zombie, The Return of Chandu, The Living Dead, Vampyr, The Man of Stone and The Flaming Signal.

For a modern equivalent, see the 'Clip Shows as Films' that Full Moon has been putting out like Puppets Gone Wild, etc.  Of course, they *own* those Films...

Was It Found?:

Sadly, no.

Thankfully, no.

Simply put, you can watch all of the Films that actually were poached for this one.  It isn't a Lost Film like London After Midnight in that regard.  

On the flip side, it is a piece of Film History- for better or for worse.

True story: you can buy Lobby Cards from the Film online and even a Poster for it from Sears.  

No joke.

Part of me does still want to see it.

Is there a merit to this kind of thing, in spite of the apparent theft and lack of copyright?

Lost and Found: A Page of Madness

The Story

Japanese expressionist cinema was very popular in this time.  

The film in question tells the tale of a janitor at an asylum (ironic considering past updates of this segment) who meets up with his family.  

The tale is told out of natural order and with some bizarre imagery to boot.  Unfortunately, this silent film was lost.  Would it ever return to tell its tale to us again?

Was It Found?

Yes.  The film had disappeared about twenty years after it was made, around the time that a certain war involving Japan was going on.  

After another couple decades, it was discovered by the director himself.  You see, he was out working on his garden when he discovered a film can in the ground.  

Of course, he remembered, he had buried it there to escape damage and/or occupation!  Yeah, he had just forgotten about that part.

Significance

While the film is still not really complete- as it would have been accompanied by narration and music at showings- it's a notable piece of Japanese cinematic history.  

It's Avant Garde and, well, strange.  I could also point out that it was written by Yasunari Kawabata, a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968.  

By the way, he was the first Japanese man to ever do so.

Up next, a pair of silent comedies go missing.  So, how did they end up together...in Sweden?  Stay tuned...
A Page of Madness: Cinema and Modernity in 1920s Japan (Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies)

Lost and Found: Tarzan & The Golden Lion

The Story

In 1923, Tarzan tales were still the rage.  Edgar Rice Burroughs was cranking out stories left and right & films did well in theaters.  A slew of men played the role, including Johnny Weismueller.  In this case, we are talking about James Pierce, a former Hoosier turned actor.  The silent movie was a hit for RKO, but disappeared for many years.  Would it be found?

Was It Found?                                                                                                   

Yes, but not soon enough.  While he had a fruitful career, Pierce apparently put a lot of effort into finding this film.  Sadly, he died in 1983 (otherwise a good year) before any good news would come.  That good news, you ask?  Sometime in the 1990s, a full copy of the film was found in a closet in a French Mental Asylum.  No, really.  Don't ask me how it got there, but I'll take it.

Significance

First and foremost, it's a film that represents an era and style of film-making.  Secondly, Pierce would go on to be the voice of Tarzan on the radio, plus he'd play part in the classic Flash Gordon serials featuring Buster Crabb.  There is another thing you should know too.  This movie features an early performance by Boris Karloff- playing a native named Owala!  Awk-ward.

Next up, a Japanese movie literally ends up being buried away.  How did it come to this?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: Little Red Riding Hood (1922)

The Story

In the 1920s, a little film company called Disney was trying to break into the animation market.  

Come 1922, they made their first major short: Little Red Riding Hood.  

Clocking in at 6 minutes or so, the film was arguably their first attempt at animated storytelling.  

At some point, the film became lost.  

In 1980, the film was listed by the AFI as one of the 'Top 10 Most Wanted Films For Archival Preservation.'  Would that day ever come?

Was it Found?

Thankfully, yes.  

In 1998, a film historian went to a film library and discovered a print.  He made sure to restore it the same year.

Significance?

It is a piece of animation history.  

Disney is a massive name in the field of animation and this is arguably the start of their empire.  Many more films would come to solidify their place.  

Is this movie going to ever be compared to Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella?  No.  

However, without this film, it's hard to say whether or not those would have been made in the first place.

Next up, Tarzan makes his way to the craziest of places.  Yes, there is another one of these!  Stay tuned...

*Credit goes to the nerds at Wikipedia for cataloging this*

Lost and Found: Cleopatra (1899)

The Story

Georges Melies is a big name in the name of cinema, even if many of us don't know the name.  

His most famous film is A Trip to the Moon (translated from French), which features the iconic image of the moon with a rocket in it's 'eye.'  

The man made roughly five-hundred films during his hey-day, although only 170 or so are currently in possession.  

In 1899, he made Cleopatra, a two-minute short film about the Queen coming back to life as a mummy.  Sadly, like most of his films, it vanished into obscurity.

Was It Found?

Yes.  

After over one-hundred years, the film resurfaced in, where else, France.  

In 2005, a secret storeroom was opened and the film was discovered.  

How many secret film storerooms are there?  We need to check all of them, people!

Significance?

This is one of the first horror films ever made, even if it is only two minutes long.  

As far as technical achievements of its time, it's up there.  

While not as famous as A Trip to the Moon, it is nearly as significant.  

Because he was pioneering the use of special effects and helping create theatrical genres, all of Melies works are of great importance- even the ones that vanished for 100 years.

Next up, an 88 year-old Disney film disappears into the void.  Will someone find the poor Ms. Hood?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: The Ghoul

The Story

In 1933, Boris Karloff's star was on the rise.  Universal took advantage of this with The Ghoul, a film that combines ideas from previous Karloff films.  It has a mummy-like character and is set in an old, dark house.  

Gee, both of those sound like things from other movies.  

The film also features the film debut of Ralph Richardson, back before you had to put 'Sir' in front of his name- the bastard!  The movie was released in 1934 and re-released in 1938...before it disappeared.  

Bummer!

Was It Discovered?

Yes, a couple of times in fact.  In 1969, a film collector discovered a lost, subtitled copy in Czechoslovakia.  Sure, why not?!?  It sucked, but we at least had a copy.  

Sometime in the 1980s, an undiscovered film vault at the famed Shepperton Studios was opened and a perfect nitrate of the film was found!  

We wouldn't get this version on DVD until 2003 though.  Why?  Who knows?

Significance

This film is a part of horror film history as one of the early Karloff films.  

Furthermore, it is based on a story that has since been turned into much more comic fare.  It's nice to see the thing before it turned into crap.  

Whether you like the film or not, it was deemed important enough for The Museum of Modern Art to commission an official release of it.  That counts for something, right?

Up next, one of the oldest lost films gets a chance to shine.  How does a mummy get from Egypt to France again?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: Victory of Faith

The Story

In 1933, Leni Riefenstahl was using her movie-making skill to promote a little up-and-comer named Adolf Hitler.  She created a documentary called Victory of Faith (not in German, mind you).  

It shows you foreign dignitaries arriving, Hitler meeting with his commanders and a big speech by him.  However, a problem with the film arose the next year.  To make a long story short, one of the people shown tried to kill him.  

Yeah, he didn't take it well, leading to The Night of the Long Knives in June 1934.  He ordered the film destroyed and a new one to take its place: Triumph of the Will.  

Was this the sad fate of Leni's film though?

Was It Found?

In April 1934, Leni visited many schools to discuss her film-making methods. 

 Apparently, a copy of this film was left behind and subsequently got duplicated.  It got locked away in a vault for 60 years and is now owned by Germany, who keeps it under tight control.  

You ashamed of your Nazi documentaries?  Oh yeah, I guess you are.

Significance

For one thing, it's an early example of Riefenstahl's work.  

Second, it is a film that the world's worst murdered ordered destroyed, but managed to survive.  

Third, it is the film that serves a precursor to Triumph of the Will, Leni's most famous work.  

By the way, that one is actually available in a wide manner.  I think that's sufficient, don't you?

 Next up, a Boris Karloff film disappears for over thirty years.  So how did it end up in Czechoslovakia?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: The Bat Whispers

The Story

The Bat is one of the most commonly remade stories of the early 20th Century.  It was made numerous times, even once with Vincent Price in the lead role.  

The story is also famous for inspiring some little character called Batman.  This film version comes to you from 1930 and is actually the second version, although both were directed by the same man.  

What's notable about the film is that three versions were shot, including one in 1:33:1 aspect ratio.  What we call 'wide-screen' was called 'Maginfilm' in 1930.  

Unfortunately, all of the versions became lost over time.

Was It Found?

Thankfully, yes.  The original film negative was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.  Praise Jebus!

Importance

As I mentioned, this film was shot in wide-screen, even if it wasn't called that then.  While it's not the first one- that honor goes to either Napoleon (1927) or a random newsreel- it is a famous one.  

It does also bear repeating that this film inspired Bob Kane and Bill Finger (yes, both of them!) to create Batman.  Do I need to explain why that's important?  I didn't think so.

Next up, Nazi Germany brings a film that the Fuhrer demanded to be destroyed.  How did it get to England then?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors

The Story

Japan is famous for its animated films, be it movies like Howl's Moving Castle, Akira or La Blue Girl.  Okay, maybe not so much for that last one.  

The question is this: how did they get started?  The answer lies with Mitsuyo Seo, a cartoonist who started out making war propaganda films.  

In 1942, he made Momataro's Sea Eagles, a film about anthropomorphic animals battling the evil Americans.  

In 1944, he followed it up with today's feature movie, which just happens to be the very first full-length animated film in Japanese history.  

Some argue that it was Sea Eagles, but that is only 37 minutes long, as opposed to Divine Sea Warriors' 74-minute length.  

Anyhow, Seo actually became viewed as too Leftist and left the industry.  Some other big invasion thing happened and most believed that all of the films of this type were burned- lost to history.

Was It Found?

Surprisingly, yes.  

After 40 years, a negative copy was found in the Shouchiko Depot.  It was restored and re-released in Japan.  

As far as ending up in America, well...Sea Eagles involves the animals actually bombing Pearl Harbor.  What do you think the odds of someone releasing this film here are exactly?

Significance

As I stated already, this is the first full-length animated film in Japanese history.  There have been hundred since and all of them follow in this movie's footsteps.  

Fortunately, the whole 'destroying America' thing has mostly been cut out of subsequent film.  They've still made a dozen movies after samurais killing the evil Christian infidels, but that's a story for another day.

Up next, a film about  man dressed like a Bat...but from 1930?  How did we lose that?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: Shadows (1959)

The Story

In 1957, Cassavetes shot the original version of this film, which challenges racial roles and explores friendship in a time where things were not so simple.  

He showed this movie in Paris in 1958, but was unsatisfied with the audience reaction.  Much like a painter covering his original work, he simply shot another version.  

This one was about ten minutes longer and featured a new soundtrack.  

This one is the one everyone actually saw over here...but what happened to original one?

Was It Found?

It took a long time, but 'yes.'  

In 2002, film historian Ron Carney found the film after over a decade of searching.  He found a woman whose father was a 'junk dealer' of items found near the New York Subway System.  She recalled seeing a film reel show up in a box with the movie's title, but that was years ago.  

In 2004, he finally discovered the film in one of the other child's attic!

Significance

The second version of the film was a notable one in it's time, challenging conventional film-making ideals and conventions.  The racial aspect is obviously notable as well.  

More notable, however, is the legendary status that the original print gained.  Was it some buried treasure or would opening the vault result in some face melting?  

The result is somewhere in the middle, with the film neither redefining life itself or being utter shit.  

It's a great snapshot of its time and a good discovery for Cinephiles everywhere.  

Thanks for your patience, Ron.

Up next, Japan's first attempt at animation has been lost for years.  Has it been found though?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: The Passion of Joan of Arc

The Story

In 1928, Carl Theodore Dreyer made this film about the life of the French war hero.  

For all you non-film snobs, Dreyer's most famous work is Vampyr, an eerie dream-like film.  This film, however, is staged like a passion play (hence the title).  

The film is famous for its camera work and focus on close-ups, allowing for true emotions to show.  The performance by the lead is considered by many to be one of the best ever put on film.  

Sadly, the master negative of the film was destroyed in a fire and lost for decades.

Was It Discovered?

Yes, but you'll never guess where it was found.  

In what's described as one of the most important discoveries in film history, a copy was discovered in 1981.  Don't ask me how it got there, but a virtually complete print was found in the janitor's closet at a mental institution in Oslo.  

What?!?  

I know I shouldn't care how it got there, but what the hell?!?  Oh well.

Significance

The film is considered to be a pinnacle of directing, acting and camera work.  

As I said before, some consider the lead actresses' performance to be one of the best ever.  It's a good thing that the film has been preserved for another generation.  

Have I seen it?  No.  I'm sure it's good though...for people that watch those kinds of movies all the time.

Up next, a John Cassavetes films ends up in the Subway.  How did it come to this?  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: Necromania

The Story

In 1971, Ed Wood was in the very low-point of his career.  

As I've discussed before, his lack of success in mainstream films drove him to work on porn films.  Yes, he even appeared in a couple.  

If you recall my review of One Million AC/DC, they were not exactly pleasant.  This film involves a couple going to a lady necromancer to find a cure for the man's E.D.  

Yeah, the less said the better.  

I should note that Criswell appears in it somewhere and Vampira was going to be in it, but declined.  Some Wood alumni do have common sense!  

In the ensuing years, the few prints of the film disappeared.

Was it Discovered?

Yes, but it's not that simple.  In the mid-80s, a very edited print was found by Something Weird Video.  That's not the end of it though.  

Another less-edited copy was found at a garage sale in 1992.  

How does that happen exactly?  Did little Stevie's mom finally make him throw out his 35mm print of a porn film?  

Anyhow, the most complete cut was found in 2001, allowing a company called Fleshbot Films to release it on DVD in 2005. 

Significance

It's a piece of history.  

That's pretty much it.  

Mind you, Wood's filmography has a major cult following- even his utter shit- so talk of this film is always notable.  As a piece of film history though, it's just freaky.

Next up, a long-lost French film shows up in the craziest of places.  Stay tuned...

Lost and Found: King Kong Appears in Edo

After reading a lot about this subject online, I thought that it would be interesting to do a series of features on famous lost films, whether or not they were discovered & what their significance is.  

Let's begin with one of the most rare and controversial ones out there...

The Story

This film was supposedly made and released in 1938.  The film is a knock-off of King Kong & is dated in many ways.  

For example, it's title confusion come Tokyo.springs from the fact that the city of Edo would eventually be called Tokyo.  This does add an air of reliability to the story behind this film.  

It's also notable for allegedly being made a good 16 years before Gojira was.

Was It Discovered?

Sadly, no.  

The film has been lost for the last sixty-plus years.  Why?  

Some people blame it on poor print maintenance, while others just figure that it was lost in the bombings of Japan during WWII.  Apparently, a good 90% of them have been lost due to that.  

I suppose that is not too surprising, huh?  You can't make a bombing omelet without destroying a few hundred movie prints, after all.  

All we have to go by is a magazine advertising the film (seen above) and interview from a man who claims to have worked on it.

Significance

If this film is/was the real deal, it proves that Japan was really ahead of the curve.  

While we were still playing with clay-mation and stop-motion effects, they were trying to create the art of Kaiju.  

It also represents one of the earliest works of what many internet writers call 'Remake-sploitation.'  It's also a very early example of a foreign remake of an American film being made.  

I would really like to see this, wouldn't you?

Next up, an Ed Wood film gets lost for years and gets rediscovered...twice.  How does that happen?  Stay tuned...