Connie Sellecca Beyond Westworld (1980)

Westworld (1973) is one of those films I just can't watch. It's extremely creepy and unsettling. It spawned a sequal (Futureworld [1976]) and this television series in 1980. The premise is Simon Quaid (James Wainwright), the scientist who created the robots that ran amok in the previous two films is plotting to take over the world by planting his robots in key positions throughout the planet. John Moore (Jim McMullan), the chief of security for Delos, the firm that created the parks and employed Quaid, is charged with finding the androids and foiling Quaid's evil plot. He's assisted in this quest by Pamela Williams (Sellecca).

This series flashed by very quickly. 5 episodes were produced, but only 3 aired. It's never made it to DVD, and clips, but not full episodes are available on YouTube. Above is a clip from the first episode, which finds the team on a nuclear sub trying to find Quaid's robot among the crew. It was uploaded to YouTube by StatesEdgeFilms.

Obscurity factor: 10 (not well remembered, hard to find, not on DVD)

Kim Darby & William Shatner in The People (1972)

So often TV movies are wonderful trash - fun to watch, but campy and without depth. This film is the rare exception. Melodye Amerson (Darby) leaves a complicated life in the city behind to live among an isolated group of people in a rural valley as their school teacher. Upon arrival she finds the children hard to reach and the townspeople closed and uncommunicative. As she tries to make progress with the kids she begins to discover a remarkable truth about the community that sets them apart. Instead of giving in to their fear of her knowledge of their secret, the people find the courage to accept her and grow into their gifts.

This lovely film, produced by Francis Ford Coppola and based on a series of books by Zenna Henderson, has warmth and a gentleness that is uncommon in popular entertainment. Look for a restrained, likable William Shatner as a country doctor. It's available on DVD, though the transfer is very poor quality, according to most of the reviews. It's also above, available in full on YouTube, uploaded by TVTERRORLAND.

Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD & YouTube, largely forgotten)

Julie Christie in Demon Seed (1977)

Just like Hal 9000 in 2001, this film features a homicidal computer (Proteus IV), but unlike misunderstood Hal, this one is cruel and willful. Susan Harris (Christie) is the wife of Alex (Fritz Weaver), a computer programmer working in the area of artificial intelligence. Because of his total immersion in his work, Susan thinks he's becoming dehumanized and they've decided on a trial separation. Meanwhile, the project Alex is working on - a super computer designed to mimic human reasoning and abstract thought - is starting to become somewhat difficult to handle. Little does Alex know that it's taken over his highly computerized home and is holding his wife captive as it tries to convince her to submit to heinous experiments into the human condition.

MoviePosterShop.com

This disturbing film has has some scary moments in it, and has an extremely bleak outlook on our relationship with technology. It also has some far reaching plot points that tend to bend ones ability to suspend disbelief. The computer is voiced menacingly by Robert Vaughn

This film is available on DVD and is moderately well known, though not a classic by any stretch of the imagination. The trailer is above, uploaded to YouTube by warnerarchive.

Obscurity factor: 6 (somewhat known, on DVD)

Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman & Anne Francis in Haunts of the Very Rich (1972)

Back in March I posted a film called Between Two Worlds (1944). In a comment, one of my readers, Propagatrix, brought this film to my attention. It's loosely based on the same idea - what happens to a group of people after they die. The film opens on a luxurious airliner flying to an unknown destination. On it are various archetypes of society - the young couple in love, the workaholic business man, the wallflower, the housewife, the clergyman... Unlike the film its based on, the plane arrives at its destination early - a beautiful tropical resort where every need is met. The guests are pampered in every way until things begin to go wrong, starting with a huge storm that knocks the power out. As life begins to get more and more difficult for the guests it dawns on them that perhaps it's not life at all and they're actually dead and in hell.

Though this film deals with the same circumstances as the 1944 version, it has a much bleaker, 1970's outlook and draws conclusions from a particularly pessimistic point of view. The cast is quite the who's who, also featuring Donna Mills, Ed Asner, Moses Gunn, Robert Reed and Michael Lembeck. Clothes horse, Cloris Leachman wears many of the same clothes she wears as Phyllis Lyndstrom in Mary Tyler Moore (1970). Though it's never been released on DVD, it can be found on YouTube in its entirety thanks to TVTERRORLAND. The whole film is above.

Obscurity factor: 9 (hard to find, largely forgotten, not on DVD, available on YouTube)

Desi Arnaz Jr. In Automan (1983)

This week is shaping up to be all about sci-fi TV shows. In this one, Walter Nebicher (Arnaz) creates holographic superhero Automan (Chuck Wagner), able to leave cyber space and fight crime in the real world. His sidekick is a floating object called Cursor, who draws objects such as cars, clothing and helicopters that become three dimensional reality and can be used by Automan to save humanity. This imaginative concept was only marginally successful because of weak scripts. The visuals were good for the time, resembling those in Tron (1982), with glowing blue elements. Look for Heather McNair as the token female.

This series lasted only 12 episodes and a commercial release DVD has never been made. It can be found on YouTube and various fan sites. Above is the first installment of the pilot episode, uploaded to YouTube by imstillstuckinthe80s.

Obscurity factor: 7 (has devoted cult fans, not on DVD, available on YouTube)

Lou Gossett Jr. In The Powers of Matthew Star (1982)

Continuing in the supernatural realm of aliens on earth, this series tells the story of Matthew Star (Peter Barton), an alien prince living on earth, waiting for his chance to launch a counter attack on the armada that seized power on his home planet. He lives life as an American teenager with faithful guardian, Walt Shepherd (Gossett) protecting him and nurturing his powers.

This series was only on for one season and no DVD release has been announced. The role of Matthew was auditioned for by Tom Cruise and Heather Locklear read for the part of his girlfriend. Above is part one of the pilot episode, which has a few curious differences to the rest of the series as detailed by Matthew at the beginning. It was uploaded to YouTube by sierramoon131.

Obscurity factor: 9 (little known or remembered, except by hard core fans, not on DVD, available on YouTube)

Robert Hays & Pam Dawber in The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything (1980)

Obscurity factor: 8

Based on a novel of the same name by John D. MacDonald, this TV movie tells the story of Kirby Winters (Hays) and the watch his wealthy uncle leaves him. It's no ordinary watch, however. With the press of a button, the person holding it is able to stop time and move freely in the limbo he's created. Once Kirby inherits the watch, he becomes target number one of his uncle's arch rivals Charla and Joseph, who scheme to find the source of the power he had. While on the run, Kirby meets Bonnie Lee (Dawber). She helps him foil the crooks and in the process they fall in love.

This film isn't available on DVD, nor is the sequel it inspired - The Girl, The Gold Watch & Dynamite (1981). It can be seen in full on YouTube, however. Installment one is above, uploaded by MorkandMindy333. If you're interested in film production methods, an account of some of the elements that went into putting it together can be found in Creative Producing from A to Z, by Myrl A. Schreibman who produced the film.

Obscurity factor: 8 (hard to find, not on DVD, available on YouTube, remembered by some)

Robert Wagner & Richard Basehart in City Beneath The Sea (1971)

Obscurity factor: 6

It's 2053 and the earth is experiencing a rash of earthquakes. To protect the country's wealth the president (Richard Basehart) recalls the former commander of Pacifica, a fabulous submerged city to help direct the transfer of gold as well as a new, highly radioactive element from Fort Knox. There's dirty work a foot, however, when the commander's brother (Wagner) plots to steal the newly transferred loot. Add to that the fact that an asteroid is on a collision course with earth, due to hit close to Pacifica and you have a four star action plot.

This film (though cheesy by today's standards) has a great sci-fi vibe, thanks to director/producer Irwin Allen. Fans of Allen's previous series will recognize lots of props, actors and music from those productions. This TV film - a failed episodic series pilot - was recently released on DVD by the Warner Archives collection. Above is the trailer, uploaded to YouTube by GeneAvenir.

Obscurity factor: 6 (on DVD, known to Allen fans, otherwise forgotten)

David Nivin & Kim Hunter in A Matter of Life and Death

Obscurity factor: -2

Yesterdays film dealt with the afterlife during the period of the Second World War, so I thought this one, which has a similar basis would make a good follow up post.  Squadron leader Peter David Carter (David Niven) is about to bail out of his doomed plane without a parachute. He's resigned to his fate and his last communication is with the American girl manning the radio at the air base in England. Imagine his surprise when he awakens, washed up on the beach. He believes he's in heaven, but is disabused of that belief by a naked boy on the beach. The boy points out a cyclist pedaling home. Peter chases her down and finds that it's June, the American girl from the previous night. Meanwhile, up in heaven they're missing him. By the time they've located him on earth, he's fallen in love with June. He refuses to return with the Conductor and argues that, due to extenuating circumstances he should be allowed to remain on earth for a normal lifespan. He's granted a trial to prove his case.

This is the first film I've posted with a negative obscurity factor rating. It's not largely known to the general public, but has been named the second greatest British film ever made (by the magazine, Total Film in 2004) and is well known to film buffs. It is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The cinematography is breathtaking and the sequences in heaven are rendered on a scale so vast and majestic you would think that the set designer had inside knowledge. Interestingly, the earth bound sequences are shot in Technicolor, while the heavenly sequences are in black and white. The cast is quite impressive as well, including in addition to Mr. Niven and Ms. Hunter, Raymond Massey and Richard Attenborough.

This film is available on DVD (though it's out of print and a bit pricey) and on YouTube. I've included the first installment above, uploaded by littleiceage. I suggest you do yourself a favor and either watch it on a large TV in a dark room or preferably look for it at a revival house. It's worth the effort to see this beautiful film on the big screen. The poster above is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: -2 (Available on DVD, well known among critics and film buffs, relatively unknown among the general public)

John Garfield & Paul Henried in Between Two Worlds (1944)

Obscurity factor: 6

When a couple (Paul Henried and Eleanor Parker) who have just committed suicide together find themselves on a steamship with other passengers, only they are able to surmise the truth - that they're in a modern day purgatory, sailing to their own judgment day. The assembled lot, all killed in an air raid, is diverse - a business man, a reporter (John Garfield), an actress, a wealthy couple, a sailor and others are alone on the ship with only one porter and believe they're sailing from England to New York.

This film is based on a play of the same name and still retains some of its wordiness, but is a compelling portrait of the then prevailing idea of the afterlife. In addition to Mr. Garfield and Mr. Henried, look for Sidney Greenstreet, George Coulouris and Edmund Gwenn.

This film is recently available on DVD, thanks to TCM. It can be seen there occasionally as well. The trailer is on YouTube and can be seen above, uploaded by Passthejointplease. The poster is available at Movieposterdb.com.

Obscurity factor: 6 (little remembered WWII film, available on DVD)

Christopher Walken & Natalie Wood in Brainstorm (1983)

Obscurity factor: 4

In 1983 we lost a great star - Natalie Wood. Her last film was this one, and though it's not a great film, it wonderful to see her in it. She plays Karen Brace the wife of Michael Brace (Christopher Walken).

They're working on a system that will record and play back human experiences with all their associated senses and emotions. We pick up the story just as they're having a breakthrough. A bright future seems certain for the project until people at the lab start getting addicted to pornographic recordings and the US military gets wind of it and descends on them with all sorts of nefarious plans and schemes. Meanwhile, one of the lead researchers (Louise Fletcher) has a heart condition, and one night, alone in the lab she has a heart attack. Her last act is to put on the recording device and start the machine, taping her death. When another researcher dies while playing it back, it's put under lock and key. Michael Brace is determined to play it through to the end though, and Karen helps him break into the lab to do it. The story line wanders a bit, but there are some very interesting ideas explored in the film. It's worth a look, especially if you're a Natalie Wood or Sci-fi fan. Look for Cliff Robertson as the head of the lab.

Brainstorm is on DVD and is notable because of it's status as Natalie Wood's last film. It's been somewhat lost to the sands of time, however. The trailer above was uploaded to YouTube by RETROvisions. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 4 (available on DVD, some scenes available on YouTube, relatively unknown except to specific fan groups)

Solaris Directed Andrei Tarkovsky 1972

I'm a big fan of elegant sci-fi films like 2001. I'm fascinated by the thought experiments they present. Solaris is one of those films. A psychologist is assigned to survey a remote outpost in space that was created to study a planet that has a strange form of alien intelligence on it. It takes the form of a skin covering a vast sea. The other scientists at the base have either committed suicide or withdrawn into themselves. He arrives to find the base in disarray and shortly thereafter he begins to be affected by the  intelligence as well. He is visited by his wife who has been dead for 7 years. She is unaware of why she is there, though she is quite conscious of who and where she is. It seems that the intelligence is able to search the minds of the people on the base and present, in seemingly living form the people and circumstances that haunt them the most. The visions seem to have lives of their own, however when the wife tries to commit suicide she's healed and continues to live. The experiences of the other members of the team are only hinted at, but seem to be much worse.

The film is based on a 1961 novel by Stanislaw Lem and is very cerebral. It explores the nature of consciousness and questions our understanding of reality. The film is almost hypnotic in its pacing. It's presented in the original Russian with English subtitles. It was remade for an American audience by Stephen Soderbergh in 2002 with George Clooney in the lead, and that film is also somewhat obscure.

This movie is quite well known in film circles - Tarkovsky is one of Russia's premier directors and this is one of his best known films in the west - so its only claim to obscurity is that it has never really entered the public consciousness. It's available on DVD and can be seen in its entirety on YouTube, thanks to an upload by IgorRusland. I have never seen it screened on TV, though it isn't out of the realm of possibility. The poster above is available on MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 3 (on DVD, well known in film circles, largely unknown by the general public)

Cheryl Ladd & Kris Kristofferson in Millenium 1988

I've always liked cheese, in all its many forms. This film is one of them, but like with most cheese it has robust flavor and heady aroma. The premise is simple (and based on a short story by John Varley). Several thousand years in the future the human race has become sterile in a world overrun by pollution. To ensure a future populated with humans, the ragtag, stitched together  elders have created a system to take people off of doomed airline crashes before they die and replace them with identical replicas of their bodies. One of the women who facilitates the exchanges leaves a tool on one of the flights which is found in the wreckage and must be retrieved before it causes a time paradox. Louise (Ladd) goes back to 1988 to retrieve it and meets handsome flight crash investigator, Kris Kristofferson. They fall in love and complications ensue that threaten the future world Louise lives in. The story line is engrossing, and has some interesting things to say about our effect on our environment, and our relationship with time. It's occasionally mixed with a style of humor that's a bit too cute and sit-commie for the setting, but if you can overlook that it's very entertaining. While not a big budget SciFi film, Millenium has some very interesting effects and some very admirable makeup, especially for the elders. Look for Daniel J. Travanti as a professor who has a pivotal part in the action.

This film has been largely buried by time. It's rarely, if ever shown on television now, though they did do a DVD release of it in 2001. The entire film is available on YouTube, but it's been dubbed into German. Above is the trailer uploaded by Dayneiac. The DVDs are available for as little as $0.80 on Amazon If you're a sci-fi fan, it's worth a watch. If you find the DVD, be sure and look for the hidden alternate ending buried at the end of the cast bios.

Obscurity factor: 7 (largely forgotten, DVD available, on YouTube, but in German)