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From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.

Tuesday 7/12/11

1:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Golden Arrow (1962 ITA-FRA): The Golden Arrow is an above average Italian adventure fantasy with much to recommend it. Start with lead Tab Hunter, whose portrayal of Hassan the Thief is either the least realistic film portrayal of an Arab character in film history or a refreshing refusal to pander to ethnic stereotype - take your pick. Even though he's dubbed here, he's physically perfect for the role. The Golden Arrow is the tool Hassan must master in order to assume his rightful place on the throne of Damascus, but there's plenty of action, adventure, and magic before a satisfying and amusing denouement featuring flying carpets that, erm, carpet bomb the bad guys. This is not your average, cheapjack sword and sandal "epic" - though the special effects are showing their age, the lush location work, superb widescreen cinematography, and impressive set design make this one a winner from a technical perspective. And though I can't prove it, some of the location footage seems to take place amidst the same columnar ruins as featured (I think) in 1978's Hercule Poirot mystery Death On the Nile. Or was it Ten Little Indians? Either way, this is a very good fantasy film from underrated auteur Antonio Margheriti.

5:30 AM HBO Signature
Gestation (2009 COS): I do love my firsts, and they keep on coming - even after almost nine years of TiVoPlex’s. (Or should that be TiVoPlexi? I’m not sure.) Here’s the first Costa Rican film I’ve ever recommended, a drama about a young woman (Adriana Alvarez) who finds herself barefoot, pregnant, and attending school in one of the most Catholic countries in the world. To make matters worse, her school is administered by arch-conservative nuns. Uh oh. I don’t think they’ll be approving any visits to Planned Parenthood.

1:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Cool Ones (1967 USA): Films don’t get much less cool than The Cool Ones, one of Hollywood’s most embarrassing and inaccurate attempts to channel the youthful zeitgeist of the late ‘60s. Eternally hip Roddy McDowall plays the appropriately named Tony Krum, a Dick Clark-style television impresario who hopes to boost his ratings and bolster his checking account by foisting a new boy/girl singing combo on the public. Will up and coming ultra chick Hallie (Debbie Watson) and down and out hunk Cliff Donner (Gil Peterson) make beautiful music together? More importantly, will they (gasp) fall in love? Considering The Cool Ones came out only a couple of months before The Summer of Love, it is almost totally squaresville, man, the only saving grace being an appearance by garage punkers The Leaves. Well, that, and a brief cameo by "pop star" Mrs. Miller.

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Lion of the Desert (1981 LBY): Holy moly. We have another first on our hands, people: a Libyan film, screening this evening as part of TCM’s July spotlight series Arab Images in Film. Partly financed by this year’s Hitler, Moammar Gaddafi, Lion of the Desert tells the epic tale of Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn), leader of the guerrilla army that spent the better part of the early 20th century making trouble for Libya’s colonial master Italy. It’s a stirring if somewhat overlong (almost three hours) history lesson, featuring (in addition to Quinn) Rod Steiger as Mussolini (rumor has it Mussolini’s old barber polished Steiger’s dome to the correct sheen during production), Oliver Reed, Raf Vallone, Irene Papas, John Gielgud, and Andrew Keir. Produced and directed by Moustapha Akkad - a Syrian filmmaker killed in an Amman terror bombing in 2005 - Lion of the Desert is screening tonight in widescreen, rendering it absolutely, positively required viewing.

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