The history of cinema boasts many tales of mad scientist's whose desire to play God often leads to an unhappy ending for all involved.
In Roger Corman's 1963 feature "The Man With The X-Ray Eyes", a much respected scientist Dr James Xavier (Ray Milland) begins ground-breaking experiments with all good intentions.
Xavier claims that human vision is blind to all but one-tenth of the universe, and seeks to develop a way to sensitise the human eye
so that it can see radiation up to the gamma rays and beyond, thus enabling us to truly see everything around us for the first time.
Dr Brandt (Harold J. Stone) and Dianne Fairfax (Diana Van Der Vlis) both step in to warn Xavier of the consequences of self-testing,
but Xavier stubbornly ploughs away, ignoring cease-and-desist calls from the medical authorities.
Following a partially successful animal experiment, Xavier finds the serum now gives him the ability to see through solid objects,
leading him on a journey to manslaughter, the thrill-seeking world of the fairground and the gambling halls of Las Vegas,
en route to a truly chilling downbeat ending.
The portrayal of Xavier by Ray Milland really is a triumph, running through the whole gamut of human emotions,
with solid support from the smart Diana Van Der Vlis, whose character displays courage, compassion
and a fierce sense of loyalty right up to the very end.
However, it's Don Rickles who almost steals the show here, taking Xavier under his wing and turning him into a would-be healer and,
consequently, money-making machine who can instantly diagnose exactly what is wrong with those who seek medical aid.
It's a hugely entertaining ride for sure, with speculative scientific theories that are just about plausible, and special effects
that would have fired the imaginations of early 1960s audiences.
In many ways, this is my own favourite film from the Roger Corman collection, and Second Sight's Blu-ray presentation
does the film full justice.
Here, Floyd Crosby's cinematography looks splendid, with bold, bright colours beautifully rendered by this high definition disc.
On the extras front, we begin with two audio commentary tracks.
The first is by director Roger Corman, who talks about the 15 day shoot, explaining the original story concerned
a jazz musician who took too many drugs and why this story was dropped.
Roger is fullsome in his praise for Milland, Van Der Vlis, Rickles and Floyd Crosby, and justifiably proud of how well
his film fared at the US box office against the industry big hitters.
He also talks about his time with AIP, and explains why he feels this film should be remade.
It's a fascinating track, setting us up nicely for another commentary; this time from Tim Lucas.
As usual, Tim delivers a wonderfully informative track, and declares from the start that he considers "The Man With The X-Ray Eyes"
to be Roger Corman's signature film.
Tim manages to include a wealth of background and theory into his talk, going into a comparison between script and film; providing career information
on credited and uncredited cast members; talks about David Cronenberg, "The Lost Weekend", "Through A Glass Darkly",
"Nightmare Alley", Edgar Allan Poe - all highly relevant in his discussion of Corman's film - and X-ray vision.
Do listen out for his comment regarding drying paint in Xavier's room! You will certainly see this film
with fresh eyes after listening to this track.
Next up is The X Effect; an interview with Roger Corman (14m 16s)
Roger talks about his original treatment for this film; about the two movies he mad with Ray Milland;
the importance of pre-production planning and connects X to his Poe films.
American Gothic: an interview with Kat Ellinger (23m 13s)
A video essay from one of the brightest and best film scholars. Here, Kat discusses the 50s and 60s films that preyed on our fears, and about the deep
existential themes that lie within.
"Paradise Lost", "Frankenstein", "Mr Sardonicus" and "Masque of The Red Death" are just a few of the books and films mentioned in this beautifully delivered talk that will
raise your appreciation of what Corman accomplished here. Kat also references Corman's Poe series, with a look at the gothic
aspects of Corman's work.
Joe Dante on The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (6m 7s)
Joe labels this film one of the most ambitious films of its decade, and goes on to enthuse about the cast,
with a special mention for Don Rickles and also chats about film technology of today and yesteryear.
Trailers From Hell (2m 35s)
Mick Garris plays the trailer for his favourite Corman film.
Original Prologue (5m 2s)
Well worth inclusion here, the original prologue takes in the 5 senses touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste.
The disc concludes with the 2m 19s original trailer.
There's also a booklet - which I haven't seen - which includes writing by Jon Towlson and Allan Bryce.
Most of the UK's excellent boutique labels provide booklets with their releases, which are a valuable addition
to the special features. I respectfully encourage you to read them, if you don't already.
Second Sight will release "The Man With The X-Ray Eyes" on 4th May. The disc is Region B.
An essential purchase for lovers of Cinema Fantastique.
Update:
Thanks to the wonderful Debbie Murray at Aim Publicity, I now have a copy of the booklet.
It's a beautiful 38 page affair, comprising of cast and crew credits, terrific colour and monochrome photographs
and two informative essays.
The first, by film historian Allan Bryce, is titled X Marks The Plot" Seeing Through A Cult Sci-Fi classic.
Allan's 5 page overview of this film begins with his early fascination with X-Ray vision,
moving onto a resume of Corman's career leading up to X and a look at the screenplay and optical effects.
The second essay, by critic and novelist Jon Towlson, is titled Roger Corman: The Auteur With The X-Ray Eyes, running for 6 pages.
Here, Jon talks about the failure of Corman's "The Intruder" and what drove him to make X, and goes into the script
and the concept of 'Spectorama'.
Both essays are so very well conceived and written, and eminently worthy of your time.
Second Sight have also included a reversible poster with new and original artwork, and the disc and booklet
are housed in a rigid box featuring some rather splendid artwork by Graham Humphreys.
No comments:
Post a Comment