8.10.2011 - Opening Marathon

FUTURE SHOCK (1272/US/Director: Alexander Grasshoff)
Journalist turned futurist commentator Alvin Toffler transforms his cult prose in to a thought provoking (and prophetic) meditation on technology, the future and how our quest for ever changing evolution has caused a panicked human race to tumble in to disorientated turmoil.  The great Orson Welles narrates this long lost technofear oddity.  Electronic Jazz composer Gil Melle (who scored last years Jigoku curated Unsound Horror festival smash A COLD NIGHT’S DEATH) provides the discordant sound waves.            

JOURNEY TO THE STARS (aka Tayna Tretyey Planety/1981/Russia/Director: Roman Kachanov)
Here’s an obscure Eastern Block psyche-acid animation fest that like the similar TIME MASTERS (also being presented in the Future Shock Jigoku film season) is bursting with translucent interplanetary pop artism.  A young girl, Alice, travels in a cosmic spaceship to far off planets and meets a bizarre array of extra terrestrial creatures.  As it’s Jigoku and we like old school video tapes, the print being presented is the rare, long deleted UK pre-certification version on Walton Video.  

NO BLADE OF GRASS (1970/US-UK/Director: Cornel Wilde)
A grim, existentialist, ahead of its time tale of paranoia and survivalism from Cornel Wilde (auteur behind ‘Green Inferno‘ jungle classic The Naked Prey which went on to influence the Italian cycle of Cannibal exploitation cinema).   Wilde transports the predatory ‘kill to live’ mantra of his 1966 classic to 70’s Britain where a deadly virus has destroyed mankind’s food chain. As crops wither and die so does humanity resulting in a world of anarchy and chaos.  John an architect (character actor par excellence Nigel Davenport), his shrewd wife Ann, their family and close friends leave the madness of London for the peace and tranquility of rural England.  However, their journey is fraught with danger and they must face the wrath of mad biker gangs, hostile soldiers and deranged countryfolk to reach their Shangri-La.  This is a neglected, hard hitting slice of apocalyptic futurism from a master filmmaker in his prime.  The haunting theme song (from easy listening legend Roger Whittaker) will stay with you for long afterwards. Unreleased to this day, Jigoku presents this version of NO BLADE OF GRASS from a long lost video master in widescreen.    

SPECTREMAN (1971/Japan/Director: Yasuharu Hasebe and ‘Mel Welles’ - US version)
No Sci-Fi film season would be complete without an offering from Japan and the Land of the Rising Sun’s unique obsession with mythological post nuclear superhero’s.  Here is an intoxicating shot of pure visual LSD as our intrepid metal faced hero fights the pollution monsters spawned by the evil Dr Gori (a Day-Glo Simian subhuman who hovers above the earth in a toy store flying saucer hell bent on destroying mankind).  Reminiscent of Toho’s famous monsterthons and the legendary Inframan this wacked out space oddity is strictly for night trippers. The mindless theme tune will be ringing in your ears for an eternity so approach with mind altering space tablets at the ready - “Spectreman... transform immediately!”.

9.10.2011

TIME MASTERS (aka LES MAITRES DU TEMPS/1982/France/Director: Rene Laloux)
Based upon the novel by Stefan Wul, TIME MASTERS is a masterwork of pop art surrealist science fiction from the legendary Rene Laloux (visionary extraordinaire of the seminal Fantastic Planet).  On the planet of Perdide, Humungous hornet aliens kill the parents of a little boy, Piel.  Jaffar, a space adventurer picks up the boy’s distress signal and heads off on a rescue mission.  However, the journey to Perdide and the planet itself is rife with dangerous life forms that threaten to destroy both parties as they hurtle towards their destinies.  Utilising the immense art design of Moebius, Laloux’s luscious paint strokes create a queasy world of intoxicating visions - long before the arrival of James Cameron’s Avatar CGI enhanced ‘3 dimensionalisms’ (which this poetic ‘Bande Dessinee’ shares an unlikely affinity with).  The mesmerising ‘Hauntological‘ style score is from Bernard Estardy collaborator Jean Pierre Bourtayre.  Presented in an eye popping widescreen digital remaster.  French language with English subtitles.

10.10.2011

THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD (aka Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam/1982/Turkey/Director: Cetin Inanc)
Turkish action star Cuneyt ‘Lionman’ Arkin is the Anatolian Jackie Chan - an accomplished Doctor of Medicine and martial artist who performs his own death defying stunts.  Here is one of Arkin’s greatest moments - a truly bewildering, mind melting rip off of Star Wars that defies description.  Arkin (also responsible for scripting this wonderful nonsense) is Murat, a space pilot shot down in a dog fight with enemy space ships. Stranded on an inhospitable planet, he and fellow star fighter Ali (tough guy character actor Aytekin Akkaya) must battle a power hungry Warlock (with a strong resemblance to Darth Vader) who wants to dominate the world and his vast army of monsters (stuntmen in a bizarre array of toy costumes).  Shot from the hip in a psychedelic haze with a lunatic editor on amphetamines, this zero budget, crazed riff on space operas is in a different class of its own (director Inanc brazenly incorporates special effects footage of the Lucas classic as back projections for the action!).  As for the score - it’s an insane mash up  of electronic sound FX and ripped cues from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Flash Gordon!  Yes, it’s an all time Jigoku classic and we are very proud to be presenting The Man Who Saves the World in a nice digital transfer with remastered English subtitles.  Be prepared for a stiff drink after this unbelievable trash masterpiece.      

11.10.2011

THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964/UK/Director: Terence Fisher)
A low budget British made Sci-Fi wonder from legendary Hammer icon Terence Fisher (helmer of the definitive Cushing/Lee version of Dracula), which manages to turn its quaint English country village setting in to a foreboding place of unease and dread.  Earth is invaded by a strain of deadly alien killer robots.  The denizens of a local public house barricade themselves in against the marauding monsters.  Tensions rise as their plans to escape seem fruitless.  Meanwhile, the once friendly locals are rising as scary, walking corpses.   In anybody else’s hands, this could have easily turned out to be a routine B picture, however, in the hands of master craftsman Fisher the sparse production design works to the picture’s advantage to generate maximum chills.  

12.10.2011

ATLANTIS INTERCEPTORS (1983/Italy/Director: Ruggero Deodato)
Scientists unearth the lost city of Atlantis and unleash a giant killer wave that causes chaos and destruction. The Atlantans rise from the ocean to claim the surviving remnants of the catastrophe.  Two ex Vietnam Vets (exploitation legend Chris Connelly and Blaxploitation star Tony King) lock ‘n’ load to put a stop to the Aquarian terror gangs rule.  A messed up meshing of Mad Max, Jules Verne, ultra violence and post nuke Sci-Fi action that makes no sense at all.  Directed with great verve and energy by seminal infant terrible Ruggero Deodato of Cannibal Holocaust fame.  Underrated Italian film composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis provide the pulsating electro funk score.  Much censored upon its release, This version of ATLANTIS INTERCEPTORS is the only known uncut copy ever released.  English language with Swedish subtitles.  

13.10.2011

ZPG (aka ZERO POPULATION GROWTH/1972/UK/Director: Michael Campus)
In the distant dystopian future an overpopulated and polluted Earth is a planet on the verge of collapse.  Society is ruled by a strict status quo whereby conception is outlawed. Couples denied children are provided with creepy, state sponsored robot baby dolls.  Resisters Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin decide to reject Big Brother and have a real baby of their own.  So begins a paranoid game of cat and mouse as the beleaguered couple attempts to keep their flesh and blood sibling out of the prying eyes of the state and nosy friends.....A real gem of left field futurism from journeyman director Campus (who went on to helm the magnificent Blaxploitation classic The Mack).  Presented in a lovely widescreen digital remaster.    

14.10.2011

THE FINAL PROGRAMME (1973/UK/Director and Designer: Robert Fuest)
Based upon the counterculture cult novel by Hawkwind collaborator Michael Moorcock with striking ‘futurism‘ visuality by the great Dr Phibes auteur Fuest, here is a ‘one of a kind’, off beat, brush stroke of pop art leftism that could have only been made in that great decade of experimentalism the 70’s. As the world heads towards meltdown, cynical anti hero Jerry Cornelius  (Peter Finch from Hitchcock’s Frenzy) explores the mysterious death of his father leading him to the elusive ‘Final Programme’ (a cloak and dagger scientific project to create the ultimate super being).  Infused with sumptuous art deco set design (a Robert Fuest speciality), way out performances (check out UK model Jenny Runacre for aching coolness) and a jazzy electro score from space cadets Beaver and Krause this long forgotten masterpiece is in need of serious re-appraisal (the outrageous finale is one you won’t forget in a hurry!). Presented in a beautiful widescreen remastered print.