MANOS,
THE HANDS OF FATE (1966)
Directed by Harold P. Warren
Alpha DVD
Reviewed 01.17.04
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
If you’ve ever wanted to see
a living example of someone’s
surreal nightmare on film, please
try to sit through Manos,
The Hands Of Fate.
Manos has quite a
reputation as being one of the most
inept films of all time. The back
of the DVD case even states just
that. I’m not going to disagree.
However, that total lack of talent
leads to something much more than
the usual crappy and boring b-movie.
Manos comes across
as some kind of demented home movie.
Something that was filmed secretly,
but not meant to be seen by anyone
else. For that reason, it achieves
a kind of living dream quality --
like it was filmed on another planet
or something.
In a plot that’s similar to
The Hills Have Eyes,
a married couple (and their child
and dog) are driving through the
desert and get lost. They come across
an old shack and pretty much invite
themselves to stay the night. Despite
the advice of Togar, the weird guy
that guards the house, the family
makes themselves at home. Little
do they know that the house hides
the inner sanctum of “The
Master” and his many wives,
all of whom worship and kill for
the demon known as Manos.
While there may be moments that
cause you to chuckle (witness Togar’s
elephantitis-of-the thighs-hobble
and gratuitous women groping), the
overall feel of this picture is
just...weird. Poor photography,
badly composed shots (heads cut
off!), inappropriately wild jazz
cues, and a film completely post-dubbed.
Elements such as these can sometimes
signal a complete waste of time
(see H.G. Lewis and Bill Rebane's Monster
A-Go-Go for a great example).
However, Manos makes
it work. It’s like you’re
a fly on the wall, unable to take
your prying eyes away...
AUDIO AND VIDEO
The print used for this DVD is,
as expected, a bit rough and splicey.
In this case, it completely adds
to the home movie/Super-8 feel of
the film. The colors are faded.
The mono sound is fine. I didn’t
notice any compression problems,
which is a big positive.
EXTRAS
Nothing, save for an Alpha cover
gallery.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This film is a definite curiosity
for fans of very strange cinema.
Alpha DVDs are cheap, and it’s
worth having in your collection. |
"Oh, he's so sinister."
Nice art
Wife fight
The Master
|
