THE REINCARNATE (1971) Directed by Don Haldane
Magnum VHS
THE FILM
I was reincarnated and all I got was this lousy movie.
Sakana! That's the name of the reincarnation cult which states, "God is trying to castrate you." Therefore, we can safely assume that Sakanists deal in heady beliefs. Beliefs so heady, in fact, that The Reincarnate proves to be incapable of handling them. You know what that means: one blown-up car, one death via glass shard, and 70 seconds down. But what of the remaining 94 minutes?
God, please don't castrate me. Help me.
The Reincarnate concerns lawyers, artists, immortality philosophies, and talking. And talking. And talking. In short, lawyer Everet Julian, he of the Vincent Price timbre and Julius Caesar toupee, is the reincarnation of many famous Sakanists throughout history. With but a month to live, Jules chooses a pompous sculptor to advance the legacy. There's a sub-plot about a fetching girl named Ruthie, but she disappears. A black cat runs around in an alley. Julian repeatedly pronounces "Yes" as "Yesch". Finally, the whole thing poops out with a tame sacrificial sex act (there's Ruthie!) and some fire. Burn, Sakana, burn.
With it's competent photography, decent acting, and stunning monotony, The Reincarnate feels like an excerpt from a less-successful Amicus anthology, just stretched out to 95 minutes. Think Torture Garden, rather than Asylum. Furthermore, the intelligence on display...obviously tells us...that...
...
Geez. I just wrote myself to sleep.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
On with the complements! The darkness, grain, and ghosting aligned perfectly with the film's preference for anti-stimulation. Yet, the warbled, pitch-shifting soundtrack turned out to be a boon. It kept my mind at attention when nothing else would.
EXTRAS
Still sleeping.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Immortality at its bust. The Reincarnate has a nifty plot and looks pro. Alas, the film's insistent banality makes it difficult to sit through. Speaking of 1971, didn't Death By Invitation do the reincarnation thing much cheaper, quicker, and better? Yesch. Yesch it did.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 12.13.07 | 
Sakana at work
Riveted
Ruthie, get happy
Exactly.
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