Movies lost and found: THE PYRAMID (1975)

THE PYRAMID is a lost curio of 1970s regional independent cinema. Released in 1975 in Texas before being pulled from theatres over a dispute with the distributor, the film was shelved for over 30 years until a recent DVD release via Kent's website (garywarnerkent.com) has made it available.

It's a prime example of the Me Decade and the growing interest of existentialism and self-exploration during the angry and violent sociopolitical climate in America. The dialogue certainly reflects this: "Christ was a Capricorn and so is Nixon. Now how in the hell do you figure that?" The film is an ambitious and at times meandering docudrama that explores television news and it's exploitative tactics.

The main character is Chris Lowe (Charlie Brown) a disenfranchised TV news cameraman who along with his reporter buddy known as L.A. Ray (Ira Hawkins) trek out on the street with their mic and camera and cover everything from a whiny movie actress promoting a movie to a fatal inner city shootout between young offenders. Sick and tired of cynical news, Chris defies his boss and takes his camera out to record positive human interest stories. His superior wants nothing of it and eventually fires him. This doesn't stop him from hanging onto his camera and filming documentaries of his subjects which act as a counterpoint to the strife and bloodshed that dominate the local news. He meets a sexy primal therapist (Tomi Barrett) who opens his eyes to conciousness raising and self help therapy...remember primal screaming?

THE PYRAMID was written and directed by Gary Kent, a stuntman and actor on various low budget exploitation pictures. His film wants to cover the many bases of the 1970s zeitgeist: news media, street violence, politics, depression, self help therapy. It wants to tackle so much that it seems to lose focus at times although never becoming unengaging. It's also very dated but it made me consider how this film would work if made (or re-made) today. No doubt the character of Chris would be even more outraged and resigned in the age of incendiary 24 hour cable news and internet blogging like The Huffington Post. The Pyramid does retain a certain relevance in terms of cynicism in news broadcasting and the hopelessness people feel in the face of a world going down the tubes. Comparisons can be made to films like MEDIUM COOL (1969) and NETWORK (1976). A devastating scene involving an on camera suicide conjures up thoughts of the real life televised suicide of local TV host Christine Chubbuck a year before THE PYRAMID was released. A bus crash involving young children, which Chris lingers over with his 16mm camera, is also jarring and it displays Kent's master of stunt coordinating.


With it's Age of Aquarius style new age idealism, it's a rather hippy dippy affair but as a very modest lost indie, it does paint a illuminating portrait of the turbulent 70s and it contains some genuine performances.

**Footnote: A podcast interview with Gary Kent will be streaming on this blog very soon!

Three Films by Michael Ritchie (#1) SMILE (1975)

I decided to write a few posts about the work of a remarkable and very underrated American filmmaker, notable for some outstanding 1970s films: Michael Ritchie (1938-2001). Ritchie directed many popular movies such as Semi Tough (1977) Fletch (1985) and The Bad News Bears (1976), but there are a few that seemed to be overlooked. Last night I viewed Smile (1975) starring Bruce Dern, a razor sharp satire on beauty pageants.

Written by Jerry Belson (writer for The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Odd Couple, among others), Smile is a very wry and acerbic take on America's obsession with beautiful women and competition. Shot in the same documentary style seen in Ritchie's 1969 feature Downhill Racer, Smile is a portrait of the days leading up to the Young American Miss pageant, in which one of the judges, a chipper car salesman named Big Bob Freelander (Bruce Dern) is more than enthusiastic about. His buddy Andy (Nicholas Pryor) is his polar opposite: self pitying, depressed and disillusioned about his dull suburban life and dissatisfied with his wife (Barbara Feldon) a former beauty queen who is in charge of the pageant.

In the film's opening scene, a contestant is chosen after auditioning by demonstrating how to properly pack a suitcase. The judges cynically choose her for her tits and ass while scoffing at what she's doing on stage. When all the contestants are gathered in Santa Fe, where the pageant is taking place, we meet the usual suspects: the ultra bubbly, optimistic but dumb young girls who develop a fierce sense of competition, including one Mexican girl (Maria O'Brien) who bakes guacamole for the judges and is more than happy to declare her love for her new home in "Amereeca"

One contestant stands out: a quiet and unassuming brunette (Joan Prather) who despite patronizing from the judges, is actually quite bright and uncertain about how to present herself amongst all the cheery and showy young women competing with her. A fellow contestant (Annette O'Toole) confides in Prather's character and gives her tips to give her more of an edge: "Tell them you don't have a father!" she advises. When she is thrown questions by the judges, one of them, a Catholic priest, burdens her with a question about abortion: "I thought a lot about that." she replies, "Then I just thought that I'm so glad I'm too young to vote!"



Another standout character is the show's dance choreographer (Michael Kidd) a Hollywood has-been whose talent is only equal to his pessimistic attitude which provides some sharp laughs. In one scene, he exchanges some harsh words with the show's stuffy organizer (Geoffrey Lewis) "You and I got off to a shaky start. It doesn't have to stay that way." Lewis says; Kidd pauses to think it over and then replies, "No, let's keep it shaky."

Smile is a knowing film that shows 1970s America draped in garish polyester and artificial cheeriness. Almost everything in the film rings true and is more fascinating in a retroactive way since the idea of the 70s is now considered something of mythic relic. One scene involving Andy having a fight with his wife that leads to something unexpected seems too contrived, but with the exception of that scene, Smile is consistently believable and involving. Behind the curtains of this pageant there's a sense of jadedness and banality. Even happy old Big Bob can't sustain his happy go lucky outlook on the proceedings. There's a pageant every year and I doubt the following one brings forth anything new or surprising. Yet so many people involved take it very seriously. Why? I guess it makes them feel important.

R.I.P. Vonetta McGee

American actress Vonetta McGee, best known for her work in several blaxploitation films of the 1970s, has passed away at the age of 65 after suffering cardiac arrest and being on life support for two days in hospital in Berkeley, Ca.

McGee is a familar face to film fans who love the blaxploitation subgenre popularized by films like Shaft (1971) and Blacula (1973) which McGee had the lead female role in. She also appeared alonside Fred "The Hammer" Williamson in Hammer (1972) with Richard Roundtree in Shaft In Africa (1973) and Max Julien in the western Thomasine and Bushrod (1974). She had a lead role in the thriller Melinda (1972) starring opposite Calvin Lockheart and Jim Kelly. But despite her notable work in "soul cinema", McGee strongly resented being typecast in blaxploitation films but she did have many other diverse credits in her filmography such as acting alonside Clint Eastwood in the 1975 action thriller The Eiger Sanction. One standout role was as a sympathetic widow to Jean Louis Trintignant's mute protangonist in the 1968 spaghetti western The Great Silence, directed by Sergio Corbucci (Django). In 1984, she appeared in the cult classic Repo Man with Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton.

She was also prolific on television, making appearances on Diff'rent Strokes, Starsky & Hutch, L.A. Law, Cagney & Lacey, and EZ Streets. She even had a regular role in the shortlived Robert Blake TV series Helltown.







I find the best way to pay tribute to a talented actor or actress is to show clips of their work for you to enjoy, maybe even for the first time. Take a look at Vonetta McGee in a montage of clips from the haunting film The Great Silence and an interview she did on Soul Train in 1973. By looking at the interview, she was not only a great beauty but she also seemed to be a natural charmer.