Raiders of the Lost Ark

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1981, 40th Anniversary, Baton Rouge, Bon Marche Mall, Cairo, California, Cinema 8, Disney World, Disneyland, DisneySea, East Baton Rouge Parish, Film, Film Trailer, Florida, Force Ten From navarone, Friday, George Lucas, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, John Williams, June 5, Louisiana, MGM Studios, Movie, Movie Magic, Movie Theater, Orlando, Peruvian, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sneak Preview, Star Wars, Steven Spielberg, The Empire Strikes Back, Tokyo, TV Commercial

I arrived home to the apartment where I lived with my mother and sister in the late afternoon on Friday, June 5, 1981.  School in East Baton Rouge Parish in southeast Louisiana had already been out for the summer for a week or two.  I was an elementary school student.

I was helping my sister unpack groceries when a commercial came on TV for Raiders of the Lost Ark (now known as “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”).  There was to be a sneak preview (remember those?) that evening at Cinema 8 movie theater at Bon Marche Mall in Baton Rouge.  Cinema 8 had been chosen as one of many theaters in many cities around the country to premiere the film a week before general release.

I was occupied at the time and didn’t pay a lot of attention to the commercial.  As with many TV commercials for films in the eighties, it happened quick with a lot of fast, random flashes of action and not enough to show you what the film was really about—a smart marketing tactic compared to today where you already know the essence of the film (and sometimes the spoilers and big reveals) in the very first trailer.  All I remember seeing was Harrison Ford playing a cowboy riding a horse and holding on to the front of a big truck in a desert, and that it was a collaboration between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

Harrison Ford is doing a cowboy film? I thought.  I don’t know that I want to see this.  In 1981, in my mind, Harrison Ford was Han Solo.  He was a sci-fi/fantasy actor.  O.k., I did like him in Force Ten From Navarone (1978) after Star Wars, but I could not imagine my screen hero playing a cowboy.  He is not a cowboy in Raiders, but when I saw him wearing a wide brim hat in the TV commercial (I didn’t know the difference between a fedora and a cowboy hat back then) I just assumed that it was a cowboy flick.

The phone rang.  It was my mom calling from work saying that a friend of hers had scored tickets to the sold-out sneak preview at Cinema 8 and that we were all going that evening.  Lovely.  I thought that I was just going to see another cowboy film from a genre that I had no interest in.  Little did I realize that Raiders of the Lost Ark would turn out to be the most thrilling time I had in a movie theater since The Empire Strikes Back the year before.

From the opening scene in the Peruvian temple to the closing credits, the audience at Cinema 8 that night was on the edge of their seats enjoying a non-stop rollercoaster adventure the likes of which has rarely been equaled or surpassed in film.  I had never experienced such a boisterous and energetic audience reaction in a movie theater before and have not since.  The scene where Indy shoots the swordsman on the street in Cairo brought the house down.  Talk about audience participation!

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Happy 141st Birthday, Antonio Bay!

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141st Anniversary, Adrienne Barbeau, Alfred Hitchcock, Antonio Bay, April 21, April 21st, Father Malone, Ghost Story, Ghosts, Hal Holbrook, Halloween, horror films, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Carpenter, John Houseman, Psycho, Seagrass, Stevie Wayne, The 21st of April, The Fog, Tom Atkins, vengeful ghosts

Eleven fifty-five, almost midnight, enough time for one more story…one more story before twelve, just to keep us warm. In five minutes, it will be the 21st of April…

These chilling words are the opening lines of dialogue from a horror film that shares this important date with us today.

Below is a slightly edited repost of a post I did a few years ago about today’s date and its significance in the realm of horror films.

Original post (edited):

Oddly, I’m not a big horror movie fan.  Even though I enjoy writing in the horror and mystery genres, when it comes to film my personal movie collection is heavy with science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and comedy rather than horror. The Fog is one of my all time favorite horror movies (the original 1980 film directed by John Carpenter). The plot is simple yet effective and harkens back to a nostalgic time of storytelling when ghost stories didn’t have to be gory or excessively violent to be frightening. Sure, there is some violence in the film, but it isn’t very bloody or overt like many of the horror films and TV shows of today, although, the film is loaded with lots of shocks and stingers that definitely get your attention.  They are the kind of scares that happen really quick, make you scream or jump, and then make you laugh at yourself afterward.  I won’t go into detail about the story because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has never seen the film before. The Fog inspires and encourages me to write scary stories that emphasize the old cliché, “Less is more.”

The Fog is pretty tame by current standards.  After all, it’s over forty years old! If you prefer your horror served up with gratuitous amounts of blood, gore, and sex, then The Fog may not be for you.  However, if you enjoy clever, old school, spooky, sit-around-the-campfire ghost stories, then you might find it entertaining.  It’s a fun film to watch while curled up on the sofa with your favorite snack or main squeeze.

There are also a couple of personal reasons why I like The Fog.  I was a radio DJ/announcer for a few years when I lived in Louisiana, and briefly when I later lived in Florida. The “Stevie Wayne” connection is something I can relate to. Stevie Wayne is basically the main character of the film.  She is portrayed by Adrienne Barbeau.  She’s a single mom raising her son in a sleepy, yet somewhat charming little seaside town (Antonio Bay, California). Stevie recently bought a radio station atop the town lighthouse that overlooks the Pacific.  A good portion of the film takes place in and around the lighthouse/radio station. I can relate to the tasks and responsibilities that Stevie has to contend with like the ever watchful and unforgiving demands of the clock, and time, that dictate a DJ’s every move and word while on the air.

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Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi…Williams: The Music of The Empire Strikes Back

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1941, 40th Anniversary, C-3PO, Chewbacca, City in the Clouds, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Cloud City, Dagobah, Darth Vader, Film Score, Finale; End Credits, Han and Leia, Han Solo, Hollywood, Hoth, Hyperspace, Imperial Stormtroopers, Jaws, Jaws 2, John Williams, Lando Calrissian, Lando's Palace, Lucasfilm, Luke Skywalker, Luke's First Crash, Luke's Rescue, Millennium Falcon, Musical Score, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Original Soundtrack Anthology, Princess Leia Organa, R2-D2, Return of the Jedi, Saga, Star Wars, Star Wars: Episode V, Superman, Tatooine, The Battle in the Snow, The Empire Strikes Back, The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme), The London Symphony Orchestra, Yoda, Yoda and the Force, Yoda's Theme

Film Spoilers Ahead!

I’m paying homage to The Empire Strikes Back this year in recognition of the film’s 40th anniversary. I mentioned in a post last May that it is my favorite of the Star Wars saga. This post is about the incredible music of the film composed by John Williams.

Few people would dispute John Williams’ contributions to motion picture scores. We all know his resume. It includes many of the biggest blockbuster films in history. When he wrote the music for The Empire Strikes Back he was already famous for having composed the scores of numerous films and television shows including Jaws, Star Wars (of course), Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws 2, Superman, Dracula (1979 version with Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier, directed by John Badham), and 1941. But his success dates back much farther. His list of films can be found online. Chances are that you will find films and TV show scores composed by him that you never realized he did.

He was already a hot commodity in Hollywood, but Star Wars sent his popularity into the stratosphere. And, as we saw, his star just kept rising and rising with practically every film he scored for the next three plus decades.

His work and the efforts of the London Symphony Orchestra on T.E.S.B. is no different. It is my favorite musical score of the saga, and contributes greatly to the reason that it is my favorite S.W. film. His scores to Star Wars and Return of the Jedi are fantastic in their own right, but what he did for T.E.S.B. elaborates upon those concepts and introduces us to new and memorable themes that have been, and still are, heard throughout the S.W. timeline.

“The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” is as iconic now as the theme from Jaws. Almost everyone who hears it knows what it is, or they at least recognize it as a S.W. theme. Its driving, pounding, militaristic sound is heard throughout the film and reminds us that the Empire is always one step behind our heroes. Sometimes, one step too close. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one of the most popular ringtones for smartphones the world over.

“Yoda’s Theme” is one of my personal favs in the entire series. I never get tired of it. Its quiet and melodic tempo relaxes me every time I hear it. It’s beautiful and meditative.

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A Galaxy Forty Years Ago

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1980, 1991, 1996, 20th Century Fox, 40th Anniversary, A galaxy far away, Baton Rouge, Boba Fett, Bon Marche Mall, Bon Marche Twin Cinema, Boris Vallejo, bounty hunter, C-3PO, carbonite, Cloud City, Coca Cola, Dagobah, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, era, Film, George Lucas, Han Solo, Hoth, Jabba the Hutt, John Williams, Lando Calrissian, Louisiana, Lucasfilm, Luke Skywalker, Millennium Falcon, Movie, Princess Leia Organa, Saga, Space Fantasy, Star Wars, Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back, The London Symphony Orchestra, thrilling, Yoda

Spoiler Alert!

Even though I want as many people as possible to read this post, I must give fair warning. This post contains information that gives away important plot points from the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back, commonly referred to these days as just Star Wars: Episode V. If you have never seen the film and intend to do so, then you may want to proceed with caution or skip this post altogether. On the other hand if you have seen it, then I hope that you will enjoy this little stroll down memory lane.

It was almost forty years ago to the day that I saw the greatest and most influential science fantasy film of my life…The Empire Strikes Back. As mentioned above, the more familiar title is now Star Wars: Episode V. I prefer the original title. I remember when first released, people laughed at the title. It didn’t sound dignified enough for the Star Wars series. Over time it grew on us. We got used to it. Decades later it seems to be the more appropriate title for the film. It is the original title after all.

There seems to be discrepancies in the exact date of the film’s release. I remember it being in late May of 1980. Supposedly, it had a limited release. I saw it about a week or so after it’s premiere at Bon Marche Twin Cinema behind the Bon Marche Mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where I was living at the time. The movie got a much wider nationwide release a month later in June. Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, and as far as I remember only one theater in town was showing the film initially. I could be wrong about when it was released in Baton Rouge. I would be happy to hear from you in the comments below if you know something to the contrary. Also, chime in and let me know when the film premiered in your town.

Spring was blooming in May of 1980, and my family had relocated to Baton Rouge a couple of months before from our hometown an hour east. It was a clear, sunny and mild Saturday afternoon. I had just been released from…sorry…gotten out of…school for the year. My older brother and sister (I was the youngest) had seen the movie during its opening week. I had not seen it yet, even though I was the biggest S.W. fan in my family.

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Good Friday

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Blessed, Chaos, compassion, Consideration for Others, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Easter, Easter Sunday, Fear, forgiveness, Good Friday, humility, love, Praise, respect, Risen, Sacred, Sacrifice, Selflessness, Suffering, sympathy, Thanksgiving, tolerance, Uncertainty

On this sacred day, amid all of the chaos, uncertainty, suffering and fear…I ask that you remember HIS sacrifice for us all.

May we all have a blessed Easter.

Shadow of the Vampire

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award, Bram Stoker, C.I.C.A.E., candles, Cannes, Count Orlock, Count Orlok, dark humor, E. Elias Merhige, F.W. Murnau, Film, film noir, garlic, gothic, Happy New Year, Hollywood, Horror, John Malkovich, Max Schreck, Movie, Nicolas Cage, Nosferatu, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, nostalgia, old-fashioned, Oscar, Saturn Films, Shadow of the Vampire, sinister, vampires, Willem Dafoe

Happy New Year!

“The script girl…I’ll eat her later.” – Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe)

As mentioned in a recent post, Shadow of the Vampire is a film that I strongly recommend if you are interested in learning more about the myth behind Max Schreck, the German actor who portrayed Count Orlok in the original classic silent film Nosferatu:  A Symphony of Horror.

Shadow of the Vampire is directed by E. Elias Merhige, a director whom I was not familiar with before this film.  It stars Willem Dafoe as the mysterious Max Schreck, a method actor who has a reputation for delving deep into the characters that he portrays, so much so that it puts him at odds with F.W. Murnau, portrayed brilliantly by John Malkovich, and the other members of the cast and crew.  It was the first production of Saturn Films which was co-founded by Nicolas Cage.  Saturn Films would later produce another vampire film called Underworld: Awakening from the famous vampire vs. werewolf series, as well as other well-known films and TV shows.

The general public doesn’t often react well to films that are about the making of other films, even classic ones.  However, Shadow of the Vampire is focused on the actors and creators of the film, rather than the actual filming of the movie itself.  This makes the film more interesting, and it’s a history lesson as well as an interesting character study.  I enjoy history, so I don’t normally have an issue with films about the making of films, especially when it comes to such an iconic vampire film as Nosferatu.

“Did I kill…some of your people, Murnau?  I can’t remember.” – Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe)

Shadow of the Vampire works upon the premise that, unbeknownst to the cast and crew, Max Schreck is not an actor but a vampire hired by Murnau to add an uncanny authenticity to the role.  Murnau knows that Schreck is a vampire, but Murnau’s nightmare begins when things go crazy on the set and crew members start to disappear.

Shadow is a brilliant example of film noir.  It shows the condition of vampirism in a unique, stylish and artsy way, but in a more direct and down to earth fashion.  Many art films about vampires have a tendency to be extremely abstract and vague.  Some vampire films are shot with the use of cold, blue filters that remove the viewer from the story and make it difficult for the audience to connect with the characters.  S.O.T.V. doesn’t do that.  The film has a warmth about it not often felt when watching vampire films.  The cinematography is intimate and inclusive.  It makes you feel like you are there, sharing the filming experience of Nosferatu with the cast and crew.  The interiors of the charming inns where some of the scenes of the filming of Nosferatu happen are cozy and inviting.  The castle scenes and the areas inside the vampire’s lair are especially enthralling.  The movie was filmed in Luxembourg, doubling for Germany and Czechoslovakia (The Czech Republic).

A light came into the world…

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blessings, celebrate, charity, faith, family, friends, gift, Holidays, hope, light, love, Merry Christmas, peace, rejoice, savior, The birth of Christ, world, Yuletide

Merry Christmas to one and all.

While enjoying the holidays with family and friends, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect upon the real reason for the season.

Daywalker, Nightwalker or Both?

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1840s, Bram Stoker, Count Graf Orlok, Count Orlock, Daywalker, Dracula, F.W. Murnau, Film, gothic, Henrik Galeen, Horror, Malcolm Rymer, Movie, Nightwalker, Nosferatu, novel, serials, Shadow of the Vampire, The Feast of Blood, Thomas Peckett Prest, To Sleep in the Ground, vampire fiction, vampire novel, Varney the Vampire

It’s one of the most challenging questions for writers of vampire fiction:  Should the vampires in my story walk during the daytime or only appear at night?

This was an issue for me when first writing my vampire novel To Sleep in the Ground.  I’m an ‘after six’ person.  The evening is my favorite time of day.  I could have easily written Marco, the main character of my story, to be a nightwalker only.  The silent film classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors (now known popularly by the simple title of Nosferatu) directed by legendary German director F.W. Murnau helped fuel the myth that vampires could be destroyed by sunlight.  Some say that the film created the myth, but I’m not so sure about that.  Hollywood would embellish the concept that vampires were strictly nightwalkers with the sun frying them to a crisp if so much as a hint of it touched their pale skin, and the myth has become a mainstay of vampire fiction.

Instead, I decided to follow the tradition arguably established literarily by James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest, authors of the Varney the Vampire (or the Feast of Blood) serials from the middle to late 1840s and allow Marco to walk around in the daytime with limitations; he is weaker and not able to access the full potential of his dark gifts.

Decades later, Bram Stoker’s timeless masterpiece Dracula also echoed the folklore that vampires could walk by day.  Those of us who write vampire or horror literature know Stoker’s novel and love it.  It isn’t the first vampire story ever written, but it is the standard by which many, dare I say most, of us write our vampire fiction today.  It was the inspiration for the influential Nosferatu.  And it’s quite possible that Murnau’s Count Orlok was susceptible to sunlight rather than a stake through the heart because neither he nor the screenwriter Henrik Galeen had official permission to make a film version of the novel.  Count Orlok needed to be different from Count Dracula for obvious reasons.  On a side note, if you’re interested in knowing more about Nosferatu then I suggest the film Shadow of the Vampire.  It’s one of my favorite vampire movies and a wonderful piece of film noir.  It also explores the interesting legend of Max Schreck the actor who portrayed the vampiric Orlok in the film.  I’ll address the film in more detail in my next post.  Be sure to stick around for that.

So, what do you think, should fiction portray vampires as daywalkers, nightwalkers or both?  I say “both” with limitations on the potency of their abilities during the daytime, but I want to hear the opinions of you writers and readers of vampire fiction.  Open up the coffin and chime in.  Feel free to cast your vote via the comments section of this post.  I look forward to hearing from you all…and keep the garlic close to the bedside!

Celebrating Apollo 11!

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50th Anniversary, Alabama, Apollo 11, Cape Canaveral, celebration, earthling, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Florida, gravity, humanity, Huntsville, Kennedy Space Center, lunar landing, lunar module, Michael Collins, moon, moon landing, moon walk, NASA, Neil Armstrong, One small step, peace, Progress, Space Camp, Space Coast, The Eagle Has Landed, Titusville, Tranquility Base

It was fifty years ago that three men with more courage than most could muster defied logic (and gravity) to boldly go where no earthling had gone before. Two of those men on that particular mission became the first humans to set foot on the moon.

I was still baking in the oven at the time, just a few months away from joining the ranks of humanity, so I wasn’t able to witness it as the images were televised live all across the globe.

I attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama in late August of 1984. What an amazing experience that was! I have been a huge supporter of NASA and the U.S. space program ever since.

I lived in northern Florida on the east coast of the state for a few years before moving to Japan. I have been to Kennedy Space Center several times throughout my life. I was fortunate enough to view eight space shuttle launches with the naked eye. I wasn’t in Titusville at the time, but anyone living along the “Space Coast” from Jacksonville to West Palm Beach (and maybe further) could see the launches clearly on a nice day. I never saw a night launch in person, but I hear that they were spectacular. I wish I could be at the Cape for the festivities for the 50th anniversary celebration this year.

Thank you, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Aldrin and Mr. Collins for taking that “one small step” and inspiring us to reach for the stars!

Happy Birthday, America!

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1776, American Independence, American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin, Broadway, Cousin, Delegates, Dr. Lyman Hall, England, Film, Freedom, Georgia Delegate, Heat, Humidity, Independence, Independence Day, Independence Hall, Intolerable Acts, John Adams, Jonathan Moore, King George, Musical, Oppression, Philadelphia, Representative, The 4th of July, The Fourth of July, The United States of America, Thirteen Colonies, Thomas Jefferson, Treason, Tyranny, Unfair Trade, Unlawful Taxes

I’m grateful that our Founding Fathers committed treason against King George two hundred and forty-three years ago.

In celebration, I recommend the musical film “1776.”  The film is based on the Broadway musical and is a mostly lighthearted take on the actions of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia as the delegates debated the treasonous act of colonial emancipation and independence from England.

Jonathan Moore, my first cousin once removed on my mother’s side, stars as Dr. Lyman Hall, the delegate from Georgia.

The film is comedic in nature, but poignant and serious when it needs to be.  It includes great acting all around, beautiful cinematography and gorgeous costumes.  It always makes me feel like I am really there in the hot and steamy Independence Hall with the delegates as they combat the oppressive Philadelphia heat and each other’s tempers and perspectives on independence.  It’s a film the family can watch (no bad language or violence), and maybe the kids might learn something about the struggle the United States endured for freedom; the price involved, then and now.  It’s one of my favorite films about the American Revolution, and not just for personal reasons.  Check it out this week and enjoy it!

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!