THE OUTRAGE

Paul Newman

THE OUTRAGE (1964). Director: Martin Ritt.

In the late 19th century in the southwest, three men take refuge from a rain storm at a train depot: A priest (William Shatner), a prospector (Howard Da Silva) and a con man (Edward G. Robinson), with the first two telling the third the conflicting stories they heard at a murder trial. The trial centers on the notorious bandit Carrasco (Paul Newman), who is accused of raping a southern woman (Claire Bloom) and murdering her wealthy husband (Laurence Harvey). The bandit, the wife, the dead man (via an Indian medium) and then the prospector all tell their stories, but trying to figure out which is the correct one will drive you crazy. The Outrage is an interesting remake of the much more famous Japanese film Rashomon, and while it's generally a good picture (it helps if you're unfamiliar with the original), it's also a mixed bag. On the plus side is a charismatic and quite adept performance from Paul Newman, who's much better in what is essentially a character part than you might expect. Newman is on top of things in every scene. The next best performance is from Edward G. Robinson, whose expert acting skills are on marvelous display in his winning performance as the not very likable con artist. Although Claire Bloom [Three Into Two Won't Go] could be accused of being a little stagy and overly theatrical at times, she's playing many different interpretations of the same person and playing them well, with near-perfect line readings. Howard Da Silva scores as the prospector, and Laurence Harvey is fine in an underwritten part in which he is tied up and gagged for most of the running time. Shatner tends to overact a bit as he did as Captain Kirk -- he always seems to think he's doing Shakespeare -- but he's effective enough in the part.  James Wong Howe's cinematography is typically outstanding. While Alex North's score has some lovely things in it, it also seems inappropriate at times given the subject matter, but then again, The Outrage has several sequences that border on black comedy (which in of itself is inappropriate). Still, whatever its flaws, The Outrage is absorbing, good to look at, and features several excellent performances. Whether it has the kind of attitude towards rape that you might find today on, say, Law and Order:Special Victims Unit, is debatable. Martin Ritt directed Paul Newman in Hud the previous year.

NOTE: Apparently I had already reviewed this film on Great Old Movies eight years ago.  I liked it a little better this time around, and think it might even have more emotional impact than the original.

Verdict: Newman gives a striking performance in an unusual role for him. ***. 

STAR TREK MEMORIES: WILLIAM SHATNER

STAR TREK MEMORIES. William Shatner with Chris Kreski. HarperCollins; 1993.

William Shatner looks back at his days making the original Star Trek series in this 1993 combo memoir and behind-the-scenes journal. He relates the origins of the series, how he got hired for the role, the network’s attitude toward the show, the characters, and creator Gene Roddenberry, and the problems shooting some episodes and making the comparatively cheap FX work look adequate. We learn that those bald, pointy-headed old male aliens on "The Menagerie" two-part episode [a reworking of the first, rejected pilot show] were actually played by women, and that the actress playing Yeoman Rand disappeared after a few episodes due to personal addictions and even wound up as a prostitute for a time. Shatner relates being taken to task by cast member Nichelle Nichols, who was hurt when he suggested a line [of hers] be cut to save time when in many episodes all she had was a line or two, and also tells how he was genuinely frightened during a sword fight in "The Naked Time" that George Takei was going to run him through. There's Shatner's friendship/rivalry with Leonard Nimoy, and reactions of cast members to his writing this book. Overall, this is a good, informative, sometimes gossipy read for fans of the show. NOTE: You can also read about the new Star Trek movie as well as the old animated series.

Verdict: Good show, Shatner! ***

STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES

STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES 1973 - 1974. Created by Gene Roddenberry.

All in all this filmation series based on the original science fiction program was not that memorable. The lead actors of the show -- William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy -- all gave voice to the main characters, with James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and Majel Barrett voicing not only their own characters but many others. The series' animation was competent but unimpressive.

Out of two seasons there were about six above average episodes, which include: "The Survivor," in which a man who was missing for years and is reunited with his fiancee turns out to be a shape-shifting alien; "The Terratin Incident," involving a shrinking gas that affects the crew; "Practical Joker," in which the Enterprise itself has a nervous breakdown; "Albatross," wherein Bones is accused of causing a plague that killed thousands; and "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," in which the crew battles a powerful flying serpent that claims to be the Mayan god, Kukulcan. Perhaps the best episode of the series was "The Counter-Clock Incident," in which the Enterprise winds up in a universe where time goes in reverse, making the ship's first captain [Robert April, a name that was used before being changed to James Kirk] and his wife, both elderly, become young again.

Verdict: Another speed bump in the Star Trek saga. **.

THE OUTRAGE

THE OUTRAGE (1964). Director: Martin Ritt.

Did outlaw Juan Carasco (Paul Newman) murder a man (Laurence Harvey) and rape his wife (Claire Bloom), or is the story more complicated than that? In this serio-comic American version of Roshomon, different characters tell their stories while the law tries to arrive at the truth. Although Newman received mostly criticism for his performance, he's actually quite lively and effective. Bloom, Howard Da Silva (as a prospector) and William Shatner (as a preacher) also give good performances, and Edward G. Robinson is a stand-out -- as usual -- as a con man. Superior black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe and a fine score by Alex North.

Verdict: Uneven but not without moments of interest. **1/2.

THE DEVIL'S RAIN

THE DEVIL'S RAIN (1975). Director: Robert Fuest.

A small town is beset by a satanic cult run by Jonathan Corbis (Ernest Borgnine), who has indoctrinated several members of the Preston family into the cult against their will. Mark and Tom Preston ( William Shatner and Tom Skerritt) do their best to fight Corbis after their mother (Ida Lupino) and others have succumbed. It all leads to a seemingly interminable climax where the title downpour melts all the satanists into blobs of flesh and putty. Keenan Wynn and Eddie Albert are also on board. The performances are certainly good, but the movie has no horrific or taut atmosphere and director Fuest never really works up enough suspense. The satanists all sport pasty faces with empty eye sockets and look like -- pun intended -- Hell. But isn't the whole point of devil worship to improve your life and, presumably, your appearance? It's enough to make one wonder why anyone would have willingly joined the group.

Verdict: We won't tell the Devil if you don't watch it. **.