THE CAPTURE OF BIGFOOT (1979)
(part of BIGFOOT TERROR)
Directed by Bill Rebane
Retromedia DVD
Reviewed 08.30.07
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba

THE FILM
"Climbing high through the sky, spread my wings, I know how to fly."

Gorgeous? Uplifting? Transcendental?

Nope. Rebane.

The lyrics are from the song "My Spirit Runs Free." The place is Gleason, Wisconsin. The movie is The Capture Of Bigfoot. And the director? Yes, it's Bill Rebane. Today, he has become one with the Yetis. The sky isn't far behind.

"Arak" and "Little Bigfoot" (aka The Yetis) garner a fair amount of screentime in Capture, but let's face it. Up in Gleason, Sir Sasquatch is clearly second fiddle. This is all about The Rebaniac. Lest you slit your wrists with that realization, please take note: The Capture Of Bigfoot is not The Alpha Incident or Invasion From Inner Earth. Repetition and effort aren't required for enjoyment. No, Capture honors the full-throttle, wing-spreadin', senile psychosis of Bill Rebane at its most appealing. People dancing on crutches! Skiers in clown make-up! Bigfoot throwing a snowmobile! I knew Rebane's crowning achievement, Blood Harvest, had to have a little sibling somewhere. Now, it is so.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it ROCK. Two Bigfoot hunting parties are on the prowl in the "Lake Of The Clouds area". Fake Simon and Garfunkels harmonize over Mooged-out viking music and evil bass lines. Suddenly, our amicable Sheriff runs rampant with celebrity impressions, a kid shoots another kid in the face with cow milk, and bad guy Olsen (huge eyebrows, hollers a lot) punches someone through a window. Some stuff explodes and there are wicked snowmobile jumps. Also, those two Bigfoots cause problems. Hurry! Send in the bar band! They'll play "My Spirit Runs Free" and we'll all learn how to fly!

Let's not ruin this moment with tech-talk. The Capture Of Bigfoot is a Bill Rebane film. Love him or hate him, Capture remains an uplifting life experience for those lucky enough to chance upon it. Doubtful? Well, have you ever attended a disco party on crutches? Let me tell you, it's no picnic. Capture has the guts to overcome these types of adversities through peace, example, and of course, Bigfoot hunting. That's one of the benefits of a spirit running free.

That's one of the benefits of being Bill Rebane.

AUDIO AND VIDEO
I hope you enjoy the company of YouTube. Obviously sourced from some kind of tape (thank the frequent blips for that info), Capture looks pretty terrible. The picture is fuzzy, tons of compression rips forth, and the colors wash it way out. The print itself is just fine; it's the lousy DVD authoring that kills this one. I love you, VHS.

EXTRAS
You purchase "Bigfoot Terror", you GET Bigfoot Terror. This flipper DVD also contains the eminent Shriek Of The Mutilated, that film's TV spot (which was included on Retromedia's earlier DVD release of Shriek), Ivan Marx's lovely The Legend Of Bigfoot, and the '97 shot on video Sasquatcher, Search For The Beast.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Gorgeous? Uplifting? Transcendental? YES. The Capture Of Bigfoot is an exceptionally daft hit from Billy Rebane. It somehow manages to corral two white-furred Bigfoots, tons of snowmobile action, and a life-altering song into 85 slim minutes. Good stuff. Purists will want the VHS, but the ruddy DVD presentation will at least get people halfway towards spreading those wings. And halfway is better than no way.

The art of Cool


Her spirit runs free


Clowns ski it better


B.F. emergency