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Honeymoon
Killers, The
(1969) |
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A stark, bleak and utterly fascinating film that introduces viewers to one of cinema's most intriguing romantic couples - a conniving, thieving murdering con man, Ray Fernandez and his girlfriend, the dowdy, podgy siren of a nurse-cum-psycho, Martha Beck.
The two cross paths through a seedy lonely-hearts service and begin an intense relationship once they finally meet after months of letter writing. Ray is a slimy, charismatic, Latino charmer who uses his skills to prey upon vulnerable if willing widow's and spinsters - charming them with his casanova style and good looks and then leaving them floundering as he cleans them up and moves on to the next victim. Martha dumps her own batty mother into a home for the elderly and, marries Ray and the two of them embark on a murderous spree, ravaging the lives of several helpless women along the way. Martha pretends to be Ray's sister as he prowls the Lonely-hearts columns for fresh victims. Their scam works fairly well to begin with but gradually Martha's all consuming jealousy starts creating difficulties. Though she quite enjoys playing the role of sis while her husband swindles the widows, the flames of jealousy begin to gnaw at her and she finds herself being unable to tolerate Ray being with another woman, even though its all part of the game. The film has been produced on a miniscule budget and is shot in grainy but effective black and white. The director has brilliantly been able to evoke a bleak and seedy atmosphere that pervades the movie, as well as one of simmering evil. The movie also manages to shock with its unflinchingly shot murder scenes and the brutality of the killers. All the more shocking as events are fact based. The film is slightly reminiscent of another cult classic from the 60's which was also shot in a similarly grainy, black and white style and also had a most unsettling effect; Herk Harvey's masterful Carnival of Souls. The Honeymoon Killers is a potent, excellently acted gem of a thriller, with the darkest of tales to tell, but amidst the horror and the decay, there is an undercurrent of twisted perverse humour as the ghastly events unravel to the strains of some delightful Mahler and boxes and boxes of chocolates. Martin Scorsese who shot the opening scenes of the movie and a few others was originally director but he didn't complete the feature and was replaced by Leonard Kastle due to a personality clash with the producer. Real credit for the way the film shaped up should probably go to Oliver Wood who was the cinematographer and utterly devoted to creating the "look" of the film. The two main stars turn in exceptional performances. Tony Lo Bianco exudes sleazy charm while Shirley Stoler is riveting as she is slowly consumed by her own jealousy. Stoler's grotesque Psycho-Lolita is a truly memorable portrayal. This film is unavailable on either video, Laser Disc or DVD and is a very rare commodity indeed. (**DVD version now available on Region 2 from the UK in an excellent looking anamorphic transfer - buy it NOW) Yet it is a film that is potent, stylish, and funny and equally shocking - brilliantly directed and performed, it deserves to be rediscovered and enjoyed by audiences who probably don't even know of its existence. A film that has developed a dedicated cult following and deserves a much broader audience and some seriously overdue recognition.
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