The presence of the word “strange”
in this film’s title represents truth in advertising, because the picture’s
sole peculiar element—and it’s a doozy—is Rosalie herself, the sort of
inexplicably clever wild child who exists only the imaginations of
storytellers. Set in the remote deserts of the American southwest, the picture
begins with a lyrically filmed burial scene that raises a zillion questions.
The individual performing the burial is Rosalie (Bonnie Bedelia), and though
viewers have not yet learned her name, she seems feral with her filthy burlap-sack
dress and her ramshackle surroundings. (Never mind her immaculately groomed
eyebrows and perfectly shaved legs.) Cut to Virgil (Ken Howard), a traveling
salesman on his way to Los Angeles. He encounters Rosalie on a remote stretch
of road, so he offers her a ride. She says she’s travelled some distance to
reach her new home, a ranch owned by her grandfather.
Virgil delivers her to
the ranch, only to discover the place abandoned. Then Rosalie slashes his
tires, knocks him unconscious, and breaks his leg so he can’t escape. (One
can’t help but wonder whether Stephen King saw this movie and derived
inspiration for his novel Misery,
subsequently filmed as the 1990 Kathy Bates/James Caan movie of the same name.)
Once Virgil regains consciousness, Rosalie explains her wacky plan to keep
Virgil on the ranch forever as her lover, even though he’s a grown man and
she’s just a teenager. Virgil tries various means of escape, but his immobility
and the seclusion of the ranch are insurmountable obstacles. Adding to Virgil’s
problems is Fry (Anthony Zerbe), a slovenly biker with the intelligence of a
turnip and a tendency toward homicidal rage. Fry is obsessed with stealing a
small cache of gold owned by Rosalie’s grandfather—who, if you haven’t surmised
by now, is the fellow Rosalie buried in the prologue. Per the B-movie formula,
director Jack Starrett and his collaborators put these lurid elements into a
pot and wait for things to boil.
The Strange
Vengeance of Rosalie has some enjoyably grungy scenes, though the film is far-fetched
and overlong. That said, acting more or less puts the piece across. Bedelia
makes a ridiculous role as credible as possible, Howard conveys the necessary
shades of uptight exasperation, and Zerbe has a blast portraying a
foaming-at-the-mouth psycho. If nothing else, the sight of Bedelia driving her
mule through the desert as it pulls a four-poster bed containing the prostrate
Howard is memorably odd.
The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie: FUNKY
I think you meant "prostrate", not "prostate".
ReplyDeletewhen i was in 8th grade, the phantom of the paradise played the local drive-in. i knew nothing about it except it was supposed to be a rock and roll phantom of the opera. i couldn't talk my mom into taking me on friday night. she finally gave in and agreed to take me on sat. i invited one of my neighborhood friends. we loaded up in the car. once it is dark and we get to the drive-in a movie starts. it is out in the desert, rural setting...looks nothing like where a phantom of the paradise might reside. finally my mom said go up to the film projectionist booth and ask what this is. we went up to the booth. he said it is that movie on the sign. i said it sure doesn't seem like what i thought phantom/paradise would be like. he said no, not that movie ... THAT movie ... the movie in the title above it. on friday nights they played a single feature. on sat. they some times had a double feature. in huge letters PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE ... in small little tiny black letter above it 'the strange vengeance of rosalie'. we had noticed that when we pulled in, but we thought since the letters were so small it was merely a plot description of phantom. then ken howard started cursing. then there was some more swearing. my mom said 1 more swear word and we are leaving. then anthony zerbe showed up and started swearing. we left. i would not get to see phantom of the paradise until the 21st century.
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