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Piranha (1978)

 
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:50 pm    Post subject: Piranha (1978) Reply with quote

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___________________ Piranha (1978) trailer


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Let's see . . . what movie about a killer fish was one of the biggest movies of the seventies?

Oh, yes, Jaws in '75.

Enter . . . Roger Corman, producing rip-off artist extraordinaire. Except that he, writer John Sayles and director Joe Dante don't just throw another shark into this tale. No, there are a whole bunch of killer fish in this one.

This picture has an easygoing charm absent from most other 'eco-terror' movies of the seventies (Night of the Lepus, Empire of the Ants, etc.), which always took themselves way too seriously.

The two main characters here (played by Bradford Dillman & Heather Menzies) seem to understand they're trapped in the middle of an absurd scenario. Their verbal banter is like a low-rent sci-fi horror version of Tracy & Hepburn (or Bogart & Hepburn from "The African Queen"). There's even the dark silly irony that these two heroes actually cause the problem of the movie by letting loose the lethal fish into a river, despite crazed Kevin McCarthy's best efforts to stop them.

And check out the brief stop-motion animation of a little creature, reminding me of Harryhausen's Ymir, for no other reason than as a bit of a tribute.

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The other reason for the picture's success is the editing, which stresses suspense, quick cuts of the nasty fish and a clever use of the unknown under the water. Some of the victims should, by rights, be able to pull their legs or arm out of the water before the attack is fatal, but the little monsters seem so effective, the victim is paralyzed by their attack for a few crucial seconds, and it's all over.

Well, that's my take on it, anyway.

Some of the characters are outright parodies of the usual stock horror film clichés: the creep general (yes, it's the army's fault), the odd female scientist (Barbara Steele), and the rich opportunist (Corman/Dante regular Dick Miller). There's also the outright goon, Paul Bartel as a camp counselor.

This is also guerrilla-style film-making — you know, like no permits and paying a local to expose her breasts (which is the reason I saw this twice in the '70s). But it's this method which sometimes gets the best results. I think Jim Cameron had to use it for some scenes in his The Terminator in '84.

BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10

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fishy trivia: There was another movie called Killer Fish about a year later with the same threat, but it was much less effective. Then, of course, Piranha 2: the Spawning — a weak semi-sequel, by . . . uh . . . wait-a-minnit . . . Jim Cameron!




BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

___________________ Piranha (1978) Trailer


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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
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~ Universal Studios attempted to sue New World for spoofing Jaws (1975). However, Steven Spielberg saw the movie in advance and loved it. After that, Universal dropped the lawsuit.

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Note from me: Hurray for Steven! A movie about small Amazonian fish in an America river that eatS people is hardly a spoof about a Great White shark in the Atlantic that terrorizes the tourist at a seaside community! Rolling Eyes

~ Bradford Dillman was originally unhappy with his character's 2D nature, and asked writer John Sayles why his character was so thin. Sayles responded that Roger Corman regularly did not use good actors in his film, so he deliberately didn't elaborate on characters. But since Dillman was a "real" actor, he was more than happy to enhance his character's depth.

Note from me: Bradford Dillman is a familiar face to TV audiences, but by 1978 he certainly had not reason to expect "star treatment" from filmmakers.

~ A waitress from the Holiday Inn where the director and crew were staying stood in for Heather Menzies during the topless shots. Menzies was concerned that her husband might not approve of the nude scene.

Note from me: "Okay, I'll have the two-egg breakfast, scrambled, with hash browns, toast, and coffee. And by the way, sweetheart, would you be willing to do a topless scene in the movie we're making? I mean, damn honey — you're about to pop out of that T-shirt!" Shocked



~ The piranha were done by attaching rubber puppet fish to sticks.

Note from me: And man-oh-man, is that obvious or what? The fish zoom by the camera in perfect formation like a group of Air Force jets . . . with no trace of the "tail fin action" that real fish would demonstrate. Sad

~ This film was reported to have been shot in 30 days for $660,000.

Note from me: Lesser movies with fewer merits have been made with longer shooting schedules and bigger budgets!

In other words . . . they did a good job. Very Happy

~ The extras were all paid $5 a day and given a box lunch.

Note from me: What the world needs today is a good 5¢ cigar and a good $5.00 extra who'll work his ass off for a box lunch! Confused (Only the older members of All Sci-Fi will get that joke . . . Rolling Eyes)

~ Executive producer Roger Corman called this film "my homage to Jaws (1975)."

Note from me: Well, by gum, Mr. Corman wasn't trying to hide the fact that the popularity of Jaws was his motivation for hoping that the movie-going public would flock to this movie! :8

~ Steven Spielberg described this film as "the best of the Jaws (1975) rip-offs."

Note from me: I admire this glowing "left-handed compliment" from the man who showed us that a movie about savage aquatic creatures ripping people to shreds was really good entertainment! (I mean, damn . . . who knew, right? Shocked)

~ Rick Baker was originally tapped to provide the make-up effects. He recommended 17-year-old Rob Bottin instead.

Note from me: And because of Rick's generosity, a Hollywood legend was born — as demonstrated in the trivia item below. Wink

~ This movie was one of the first efforts for effects and makeup artists Rob Bottin and Phil Tippett.

Note from me: Okay, so TWO Hollywood legends were born! Very Happy

~ Although implied by the film, the novelization confirms that Paul and Maggie slept together while Hoak is their prisoner.

Note from me: Why the hell do people still refer to sex as "sleeping together"? We all know damn well that the principle activity being described involves absolutely NO "sleeping"! Rolling Eyes

For Pete's sake, are there actually adults in 2020 who are shocked by the phrase "they had sex"? Shocked

Many years ago I kissed my date goodnight at her front door, and she whispered in my ear, "Would you like to come in and sleep with me?"

I knew exactly what she meant — but I didn't want to promise more than I could deliver, so I whispered back, "Well, thanks, sweetheart . . . but no. After we have sex I I'd rather just go home and sleep in my own bed." Very Happy

~ Dr. Hoak is the only character to correctly pronounce "piranYAH" rather than the common mispronunciation "piranAH".

Note from me: Cambridge Dictionary disputes this. The correct pronunciation in he UK is "piranAH". But the US pronunciation is"piranYAH".

So, both are correct, in a sense.

~ According to Joe Dante in the DVD commentary originally released in 2004, the noise that the piranhas make underwater are the sounds of dental drills. While he didn't go into anymore detail than that, they could the put the edge of the drills into water and an underwater mic captured the sounds when they were turned on. Another possibility is the drills were turned on above water and recorded from underwater.

Note from me: We'd all agree that the sound of a dental drill is what the people sent to Hell will have to hear for all eternity! Shocked

Suddenly I feel a strong need to ask God for forgiveness! Shocked

~ The live moving creature in the lab looks very much like the creature in "20 Million Miles to Earth".



Note from me: I didn't realize how similar it really was until I put these two images together.


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Dec 07, 2020 2:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Krel
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Note from me: Why the hell do people still refer to sex as "sleeping together"? We all know damn well that the principle activity being described involves absolutely NO "sleeping"!

Well that could depend on the skill of the participants, wouldn't it?

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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If the "skill" of one-or-both lovers is so poor that sleeping IS the principle activity, then the term would indeed be appropriate. Laughing

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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