DARK TOWER (1989) Jenny Agutter + Carol Lynley thriller
3658DVD
Jenny
Agutter in a rare Freddie Francis Horror film
Original
Spanish title: TORRE DE CRISTAL [Crystal Tower]
Released in Japan as: DEMONS 7: INFERNO
director: Freddie
Francis (as Ken Barnett)
starring: Jenny Agutter · Michael Moriarty · Carol Lynley · Kevin McCarthy
· Ramiro Oliveros · Monica Fatjo
A window-washer
falls to his death from the side of a Barcelona high-rise office building,
also killing an unsuspecting pedestrian. Security consultant Dennis
Randall is called in to investigate. At first, he first believes the
deaths are accidental, but then after working with the building's architect
Carolyn Page, he soon starts to think that a strange - perhaps supernatural
- force is at work inside the building.
Miss
Jenny Agutter has enjoyed a long and successful career (100+ films in
40+ years) since this early projects like I
START COUNTING. She is known for such mainstream hits as American
Werewolf In London and Captain America, but genre
fans will always remember her for Nicolas Roeg's WALKABOUT
and Monte Hellman's Spaghetti Western CHINA
9 LIBERTY 37. Her co-star here is Carol Lynley, an American
actress who was ravishing in her early films like Blue Denim
(1959) and Return to Peyton Place
(1961). Genre fans will always remember
her for the excellent horror film THE
SHUTTERED ROOM.
Freddie
Francis was an accomplished, award-winning cinematographer long before
he accepted the directing chair at Hammer Studios in 1964 (for Evil
of Frankenstein). Reportedly, that's the reason he had difficulties
on this project for producer Sandy Howard. In the industry, Howard was
known for his close-up cinematography mania, as evidenced in his productions
TOGETHER
BROTHERS, VICE
SQUAD, as well as his years of TV work). On the other
hand, Francis considered the steady use of close-up photography as "sophomoric."
For this project - shot in Barcelona on a tight budget - Howard demanded
an abundance of close-up work to camouflage the lack of special effects.
Francis, who also hated the use of special effects ("They compromise
the integrity of the cinematographer," he would say) walked from
the project at some point and was replaced by Ken Wiederhorn (best known
for Return of the Living Dead Pt 2). Mr Francis had directed
his last film. From that point forward he worked exclusively as a cameraman.
In fact, immediately after leaving this film he went to the United States
where he lensed Glory (which earned him an Academy Award).
Freddie Francis retired from the business in 2000. He died from a stroke
a few years later, in 2007, at age 89.
A Spanish
film in English language; widescreen format, uncut version (80 min.),
DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on any American machine. Extras
include original trailer.
