A biography of renowned escape artist Harry Houdini, examining his fascination with the occult and his promise to his wife on his deathbed that he would contact her from the great beyond, if it were at all possible.
Tag: 1970s
Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim whose works include such Broadway hits as “A Little Night Music”, “Company” and “Follies”, talks about the origin of a song from his latest Broadway musical, “Pacific Overtures”. On camera with him are film critic Frank Rich and John Weidman author of “Pacific Overtures” as a straight play who expanded it to the musical book for the show. A highlight of the program is the performance of the song “Someone in a Tree.” with Sondheim at the piano sung by Mako, James Dybas, Geddie Watanbe and Mark Hsu Syers the men who sing it on the Broadway stage.
Poet-playwright-teacher, Kenneth Koch, author of “Wishes, Lies and Dreams,” an anthology of children’s poetry, shows how children can write poetry. He explains his teaching techniques and demonstrates the writing of poetry with a group of children utilizing the possibilities in a television studio.
Beatles’ “significance” pushed to the breaking point in this bizarre documentary that juxtaposes their songs (sung by a number of rock stars) with World War II newsreel footage. Helen Reddy sings “Fool On The Hill” while Hitler relaxes at Bertchtesgaden, and Rod Stewart husks “Get Back” while Nazi troops goose step.
Bella, a sensitive and clever girl, experiences her first disillusionment at the school graduation ball. The following morning, she meets Apostol, a middle-aged man, architect, and former participant in the anti-fascist struggle. He reveals to her his views on life. He introduces her to Bufo, a younger person, and a failure as an actor although possessing “the talent of a friend”. Thus the trio is formed. Bella marries Bufo, though Apostol remains the man and person whom she would have desired to meet in her lifetime.
The film depicts the attempts of an idealistic teacher, Miss MacMichael, to inspire her pupils in an inner-city London school. While trying to help the teens she works with, she also must fight the ultra authoritarian headmaster, Mr Sutton.
Jess Franco regular Adrian Hoven directs, and future ‘Blade Runner’ star Rutger Hauer plays a disaffected sailor turned hard drinking womaniser. Quite a few lovelies appear alongside Hauer (most of whom he beds), including the foxy Dagmar Lassander (‘Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion’) and Shirley Corrigan (‘The Devil’s Nightmare’). Rutger returns home from six months at sea to find his wife, whom he was deeply in love, has unexpectedly left him and is now a junkie whore. Devastated, he tries to ease his pain with booze and cheap thrills.
A re-enactment of one of the biggest frauds of all time. In 1969, the Equity Funding Corporation of America lacked the facts to make an accurate profit forecast because of computer troubles. They made a guess – two million dollars too optimistic. So two young executives fed fictitious insurance polices in the computer – all prefixed “99” so that they could easily be cancelled when the temporary loan was paid off. But the temptation to escalate the fraud became irresistible.