Back in August, I read a book called "Starship Troopers" by science fiction kingpin Robert Heinlein. I became a fan of his earlier this year after reading "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress", my first ever Heinlein novel. "Starship Troopers" is the story of a future army from a one-world civilization whose main enemy is giant bugs from another planet. I'll leave it at that, but despite what my brief description may sound like, it's actually a very serious book. Heinlein was a brilliant writer who used the context of sci-fi to speculate/pontificate on all kinds of sociopolitical matters. The book is written in the first person, from the pov of a battle hardened enlistee who tells the story of his participation in The Bug War. Heinlein wrote the entire book in idiosyncratic military lingo, a type of slang that might sound strident and even off-putting to the casual reader, but in my case I loved it from page one. And, I was already a Heinlein fan, having read "Moon" a month or two earlier. That book was written in standard narrative.
Starship Troopers" is a legendary work. Years before I heard of the book or Robert Heinlein, I heard the equally great song of (almost) the same name by Yes. Their "Starship Trooper" is a musical masterpiece, and while the lyrics have nothing to do with the book, there is no doubt where Jon Anderson got the title. Simply stated, it is one hell of a story - mostly of interest to guys, I imagine - but if you like military sagas you can't do better than this one.
So today, when I went to Porter Ranch Libe to scour the dvd racks, I was mildly excited when I saw a copy of "Starship Troopers" the movie, which was directed by Paul Verhoeven and released in 1997. I use the qualifier "mildly" because this movie was roundly denounced by critics at the time. I realize that we've only just this week dismissed the importance of critical observations, and we will be sticking with that resolution, however : there are exceptions to every rule.
It was noted, far back, that Verhoeven was a schlockmeister of the first order. Yes, he was a skilled technician who could deliver big budget popcorn fare like "Robocop" or "Total Recall". He also made Sharon Stone a household name with "Basic Instinct", a taut if tawdry thriller with an infamous graphic scene. But he was also capable of making utter garbage like "Showgirls" (1995), which at the time was under consideration for The Worst Movie Ever Made (and I am not kidding).
As a sci-fi director, Verhoeven was never on the level of a Ridley Scott (who is not a great filmmaker himself but merely a good one), and he had a tendency to let his penchant for satire or mockery infiltrate his pictures. In other words, he got in the way of the stories he was trying to tell, by shoving his personal viewpoint of society down everyone's throat.
But you can't do that with a Robert Heinlein novel, because Heinlein already has his own viewpoint. It is a strong one that still resonates today, and it is delivered in a style of writing that I don't think will be equaled in the genre of science fiction. And to put it gently, as a social commentator Verhoeven is not in the same league as Robert Heinlein.
I wrote above that I was "mildly excited" to find the dvd at the Libe, excited because I loved the book, but only "mildly" because I remembered how shitty the movie was reported to be back in 1997.
I should never have put it in the player. From the opening scene it appeared to be a joke, as if Verhoeven was going to make fun of the book. The cast looked like well-scrubbed holdovers from "Saved By The Bell", and the sets were made of plastic and lit up like a game show. Verhoeven was given 100 Million Bucks to make this movie - a fortune even now, let alone in 1997 - but chose to use toy store-looking bugs for an early biology class scene, which wasn't in the book. Five minutes in and the picture was looking ridiculous. I kept thinking, "hang in there, Ad", because I loved the book. But then, as Denise Richards' hair glistened under the white lights and Casper Van Dien's teeth gleamed, and the dialogue got worse and worse, I noticed that Verhoeven was adding more scenes to the movie that weren't in the book, like a game of something that looked like Rollerball. This was not only sacrilege but also the last straw.
I remembered my recently-sworn oath to not wait for a bad movie to get better, because they never do. They only get worse.
The dvd was then ejected from the player within seconds. End of story on "Starship Troopers" by Paul Verhoeven. ////
Fortunately I had another motion picture at the ready : "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1958), starring the trusty Peter Cushing and produced by Hammer Studios. You know without any worry that that's a winning combination. As it begins, Victor Frankenstein is being led to the guillotine for the death and destruction caused by his Monster. We see the blade fall, but then the camera cuts away. The next thing we see is a picturesque title card for the town of Carlsbruck, where a "Dr. Stein" has recently set up shop, His practice is already a success, however, this has not gone over well with the local Medical Council, who resent the newcomer for stealing their business. There is one Council member, though -Dr. Kleve - who secretly admires the Stein and comes to him asking to be his apprentice. This gives Dr. Stein enough cache to ward off the actions of the Council, at least for the time being.
Now that he has taken him under his wing, Dr. Stein shows Dr. Kleve what he's been working on. Besides his regular practice, which is so popular with the townspeople, he has an experimental project that he says will revolutionize not just medicine but the entire world.
"I fouled things up the first time by using a diseased brain"!, Stein confesses.
Dr. Kleve now suspects Stein's true identity. He asks for confirmation.
"Are you....."?
"Yes Kleve! I am Victor Frankenstein"!
"But I read you were sentenced to death, and that the sentence was carried out".
Dr. Stein then explains how he cheated the Executioner, with some help from his laboratory assistant Karl, an unfortunate chap with a crippled arm. He then shows Kleve a brand new body that awaits animation. This one appears to be all-of-a-piece instead of created from parts.
"All it needs is a brain"!, he declares. "This time I will use a living one"! Kleve cringes, but Dr. Stein reassures him : "No, I don't mean your brain, Kleve", he laughs. "I need you to keep it for our work! I intend to use Karl here. I promised him a new body in exchange for his help with my escape".
Now that Dr. Stein has told Kleve everything, he makes him swear allegience, which Kleve does. He so admires Dr. Stein that he would never report him to the authorities, and besides, he wants to be in on the revolutionary experiment! That night, they perform the operation. By morning, Stein pronounces it a success. The "new Karl"must be strapped down for a few days until he psychologically adjusts to his larger, stronger body. Drs. Stein and Kleve will observe and counsel him during this time.
Looking on from the sidelines is a janitor, a snide Cockney type who works upstairs in the poorhouse where Dr. Stein keeps his regular practice. He hears yelling through the basement door, the voice of the new Karl. He's also heard the complaints of many of the poorhouse patients, who claim that Stein has performed unnecessary amputations on them. Is this janitor gonna be trouble? He knows where a spare key is kept to an upstairs room, where the "new Karl" is recuperating. Hmmm, this is probably not a good situation, whattaya think?
There is also a surly grocer who lives next door. He too suspects that Stein is hiding something. Normally he'd do nothing about this because he profits from Stein's business. But he harbors strong jealousy toward both doctors, who are educated, handsome gentlemen where he is bellicose and uncouth.
What might he do, were he to discover the secrets of the lab?
Right off the bat, you know you're gonna love "The Revenge of Frankenstein". Why? Because it's got Brains in it, that's why! Any movie with Brains is automatically good, no matter any faults it may have. And not to worry, because "Revenge" has no faults. The story is very inventive, just like Victor Frankenstein! This is a great "take" on what might have happened after his castle burned down in the original movie. The Hammer production values are all in place - the fantastic color saturation, the "period" sets and costuming, the various London accents. And, the guy playing the Monster is excellent, a more human "Frankenstein" which I believe is how Shelly originally wrote him (I don't mean Mary Shelly but her friend, just plain old Shelly, a nice Jewish chick who was Mary's ghostwriter).
Two Very Big Thumbs Up for "The Revenge of Frankenstein", one of the best Hammer Horror flicks I've seen. Yeah, I know we're past Halloween now, but we can still watch horror. Can't we? :):)
We'll be switching back to all kinds of movies, though, which will make my Library Searches a bit easier. But yeah! Go, Dr. Frankenstein! (oops, I mean "Dr. Stein". He told me never to call him by his real name).
That's all for now. To the produce market I go. See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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