Doc Savage - The Man of Bronze (1975)
Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: Semi-Science Fiction Films :: Super-Heroes in Cinema
Page 1 of 1
Doc Savage - The Man of Bronze (1975)
I saw this one way back in a theater; then I got the LD about a dozen years ago. I've always been underwhelmed by this version of The Man of Bronze, but it's a unique movie take on one of the first super-heroes - he's like a combo Tarzan, Batman and Sherlock Holmes. Ron Ely seemed like the only one who could play the role back then; it had to be a decent actor, for one thing; not musclebound like Schwarzenegger, but tall, lean yet with a still impressive physique - enough so that when he hits someone, they plausibly go down as if hit with a shovel.
To me, Doc Savage as originally conceptualized was not camp - it was all fairly serious or as serious as one can be with Tarzan or Holmes-style storytelling. As with those heroes (and Batman), Savage represented the pinnacle of human potential; the tales showed what one could do if one had reached top level physical & mental human capability. The first act of this film actually follows the plot of The Man of Bronze (the first written pulp adventure) closely, as did the comic book (below) published by Marvel in 1972; the comic book version stayed on course with a serious tone; the film, unfortunately, tended to lose its way every few minutes.
The entire film comes off as a made-for-TV movie to me (except for a couple of places with the 1936 city sets and automobile and during the latter half in the Mexican jungle), probably due to the budget's limitations - something which vexed George Pal, I think. The film kind of falls apart in the last act, the camp becoming a dominant tone. Paul Wexler's character (Cap'n Seas) is not impressive as the main villain, even if he is tall, and his final fight with Savage is reduced to several punchlines. The background music becomes even worse during the climactic action, with some scenes collapsing into all-out slapstick.
Ely, however, was pretty good in the lead role, playing it straight; he retained his dignity even if it looked like he was trying to stifle his laughter during the final scenes. The Fabulous Five actors were OK, with some overacting. Pamela Hensley (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) made her film debut here, with a heavy accent. At the end, the titles announced the next film, Doc Savage the Arch Enemy of Evil, as if this would be a James Bond-like franchise. Didn't happen - the box office was poor. Marvel did publish a magazine-sized comic book after the regular one was canceled in 1974, from 1975 to 1977, with some fine b&w art & stories.
To me, Doc Savage as originally conceptualized was not camp - it was all fairly serious or as serious as one can be with Tarzan or Holmes-style storytelling. As with those heroes (and Batman), Savage represented the pinnacle of human potential; the tales showed what one could do if one had reached top level physical & mental human capability. The first act of this film actually follows the plot of The Man of Bronze (the first written pulp adventure) closely, as did the comic book (below) published by Marvel in 1972; the comic book version stayed on course with a serious tone; the film, unfortunately, tended to lose its way every few minutes.
__
The worst example of this 'straying from the path' occurs just past the half-hour mark; the story had been moving along in a mostly conventional manner of an action thriller when suddenly we're presented with one of the characters (the villain's stooge) in a bed resembling a giant rocking baby's crib; when I first saw this, WTF? shot through my brain. The film then continues with straightforward heroics until suddenly some kooky music score kicks in during a fight scene. I don't pretend to understand why this film version veers back 'n' forth between two styles like this. There's a very long article on this film at Wikipedia which may explain it (unexpected also - a very long article for a film not that highly regarded or known).Ely, however, was pretty good in the lead role, playing it straight; he retained his dignity even if it looked like he was trying to stifle his laughter during the final scenes. The Fabulous Five actors were OK, with some overacting. Pamela Hensley (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) made her film debut here, with a heavy accent. At the end, the titles announced the next film, Doc Savage the Arch Enemy of Evil, as if this would be a James Bond-like franchise. Didn't happen - the box office was poor. Marvel did publish a magazine-sized comic book after the regular one was canceled in 1974, from 1975 to 1977, with some fine b&w art & stories.
Warner Bros finally released this on DVD last year, as part of their WB Archive print-on-demand service:
Similar topics
» The Bronze Age of Science Fiction
» Highest Grossing sf Films of the Bronze Age
» The Savage Curtain - episode #77
» The Savage Bees (1976)
» A Boy and His Dog (1975)
» Highest Grossing sf Films of the Bronze Age
» The Savage Curtain - episode #77
» The Savage Bees (1976)
» A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: Semi-Science Fiction Films :: Super-Heroes in Cinema
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum