Post by Baixo Astral on Nov 29, 2007 7:26:50 GMT -5
EL POMPADOUR VS. DR SARCASTICO (1973) - **********
Quite simply, the greatest film to ever come out of Mexico in 1973.
I've had to re-evaluate my ratings system, as there are quite simply not enough stars in heaven to rate this masterpiece. I've actually trimmed half stars from a bunch of other reviews, just to put this movie up to it's full 10-star ranking.
Firstly, this is possibly the first 4-D wrestling movie... not only do the 3-D fight (and sex, and fightsex) scenes come as a welcome (if slightly jarring) surprise, but the random jumbling of frames during these scenes creates a delirium-inducing 'timespasm' effect that would later be used less effectively in the Directors 'Quackgasm' Cut of Howard the Duck.
El Pompadour puts in almost certainly his finest effort here, combining kabuki theatre, slapstick exagerration and good old fashioned Mexican wrestling lumbering to expertly portray the pathos of a masked wrestler with a 9-foot-tall hairdo, trapped in a world of scorpions, quicksand and distorted Frank Sinatra songs.
But the real revelation here is (uncredited) appearance of Barbara Streisand as Dr. Sarcastico, El Pompadour's latest nemesis. Although dubbed into Mexican and playing a fully masked male scientist, La Streisand's inner radiance and overwhelming arrogance shines through, as she assays the evil mastermind, determined to infect all of Tijuana with his infectious, booming, laughing laugh.
Of course, it wouldn't be an El Pompadour movie without the usual cast of sidekicks: Johnny the Mule makes a welcome return, for the first time since 1965s El Pompadour vs. Functional Adult Illiteracy, and the love interest is again provided by Lee Marvin in a monkey suit.
To top things off, director Skandez Cenesh has cunningly overlaid the soundtrack with a repeating, blaring klaxon horn, creating a unique mise en scene and challenging viewers as to the meaning of the word 'migrane'.
In all, a true lost classic, and El Pompadour's greatest outing, although there are high hopes for next year's El Pompadour of the Valley of the Wind
Quite simply, the greatest film to ever come out of Mexico in 1973.
I've had to re-evaluate my ratings system, as there are quite simply not enough stars in heaven to rate this masterpiece. I've actually trimmed half stars from a bunch of other reviews, just to put this movie up to it's full 10-star ranking.
Firstly, this is possibly the first 4-D wrestling movie... not only do the 3-D fight (and sex, and fightsex) scenes come as a welcome (if slightly jarring) surprise, but the random jumbling of frames during these scenes creates a delirium-inducing 'timespasm' effect that would later be used less effectively in the Directors 'Quackgasm' Cut of Howard the Duck.
El Pompadour puts in almost certainly his finest effort here, combining kabuki theatre, slapstick exagerration and good old fashioned Mexican wrestling lumbering to expertly portray the pathos of a masked wrestler with a 9-foot-tall hairdo, trapped in a world of scorpions, quicksand and distorted Frank Sinatra songs.
But the real revelation here is (uncredited) appearance of Barbara Streisand as Dr. Sarcastico, El Pompadour's latest nemesis. Although dubbed into Mexican and playing a fully masked male scientist, La Streisand's inner radiance and overwhelming arrogance shines through, as she assays the evil mastermind, determined to infect all of Tijuana with his infectious, booming, laughing laugh.
Of course, it wouldn't be an El Pompadour movie without the usual cast of sidekicks: Johnny the Mule makes a welcome return, for the first time since 1965s El Pompadour vs. Functional Adult Illiteracy, and the love interest is again provided by Lee Marvin in a monkey suit.
To top things off, director Skandez Cenesh has cunningly overlaid the soundtrack with a repeating, blaring klaxon horn, creating a unique mise en scene and challenging viewers as to the meaning of the word 'migrane'.
In all, a true lost classic, and El Pompadour's greatest outing, although there are high hopes for next year's El Pompadour of the Valley of the Wind
