In discussing cult films, the website http://www.filmsite.org/cultfilms.htmldescribes them this way:
“Cult Films have limited but very special appeal. Cult films are usually strange, quirky, offbeat, eccentric, oddball, or surreal, with outrageous, weird, unique and cartoony characters or plots, and garish sets. They are often considered controversial because they step outside standard narrative and technical conventions. They can be very stylized, and they are often flawed or unusual in some striking way.”
The book, Cult Movies, by Danny Peary is devoted to discussing the weird, wonderful, and wacky movies that seem to demand that we watch them over and over. How many of the following from that book have you seen?
Beauty and the Beast(1946) – the original French version, not the Disney version.
Freaks (1932) “It was meant to out-horror Frankenstein but was so successful that it was repeatedly banned.”
Harold and Maude(1971) ”Cult classic pairs Cort as a deadpan disillusioned 20 year old obsessed with suicide…and a loveable Gordon as a fun-loving 80 year old eccentric.” Starring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon.
I Walked With a Zombie(1943) “Superb, startling images and atmosphere create a unique context for this serious “Jane Eyre”-like story; its reputation has grown through the years.”
Johnny Guitar (1954) “Women strap on six-guns in Nicholas Ray’s unintentionally hilarious, gender-bending western.” Starring Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge.
Laura (1944) “Detective Mark McPherson assigned to the murder investigation of the late Laura Hunt finds himself falling in love with her painted portrait and discovering some surprising facts.” Starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, and Clifton Webb.
Pandora’s Box(1929) “This silent classic marked the end of the German Expressionist era and established Brooks as a major screen presence.” Starring Louise Brooks.
Seconds (1966) “Aging banker Arthur Hamilton is frantic to escape his dead-end existence and accepts an invitation from a mysterious organization to give him a second chance at life.” Starring Rock Hudson.
Two for the road(1967) “On a road trip to the French Riviera, Mark and Joanna look back on more than a decade of marriage and find only fragments of their relationship.” Starring Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn.
Where’s Poppa? (1970) “A Jewish lawyer’s senile mother constantly ruins his love life, and he considers various means of getting rid of her, including dressing up as an ape to scare her to death.” Starring George Segal and Ruth Gordon.
Check them out ……. at the library!
(The short movie descriptions are taken from VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever, also available at the library)
Scott Handville, Assistant Director