FILMS… Tales That Witness Madness (1973)

#1970s #AllPosts

 

A 1970s stylish Kim Novak gets her teeth into a meaty horror role…

 

This is not an Amicus anthology, but it does have all those vital ingredients with a framing story, four horror tales and an ending that will shock from director Freddie Francis.

 

Donald Pleasence

Jack Hawkins

Tales That Witness Madness 1973 Trailer HD, Screenbound Pictures AND PHOTOS © EMI FILMS AND BRITISH LION FILMS

 

Regular readers will probably understand exactly just why this was on my review pile after reading the following quote about this 1970s horror film. On its release at the cinema, Vincent Canby from the New York Times described Tales that Witness Madness (1973) HERE as,

“Mr Francis’ glossiest, most absurd, almost-all-star horror film yet.”

Tales that Witness Madness is an anthology film that was released a year after Asylum (1972). Both are 1970s Freddie Francis directed portmanteau horror films, and it’s possibly due to the fact that many people mistake the former film for an Amicus film. Tales that Witness Madness was in fact one from World Film Services and is remembered more accurately by us kids, who watched it on the telly back in the day, for two things..  the first is Joan Collins and the second a tree. Or maybe that’s just me…

Now read on and find out more about this film with a British cast and also starring an American, Kim Novak. She swans in wearing the most chic of 1970s fashion and looks stunning in every shot and her fashions of that day deserve a post of their own. In her segment, Ms Novak’s wonderful 1970s wardrobe changes even out glam others in the cast for her final story in this beguiling anthology.

Ms Joan Collins came a very close second in the fashion stakes – in her separate story – where I also adore Ms Collins’ attire in every dress change, in practically every scene (as pointed out by my Darlin Husband and viewing companion). I loved her more animated performance which wasn’t as wooden (pun intended) as that of her on-screen love rival. Anyway on with the plots…

The film’s framing story tells about the events, one dark night after Dr Nicholas (Jack Hawkins) arrives at a forensic mental health research unit. At the Department of Psychiatric Medicine Research Department – based at a British based prison – Nicholas meets up with his good friend, Dr Tremayne (Donald Pleasence). Tremayne runs this secure, ultra white and squeaky-clean mental health unit, which houses four inpatients who were involved in murders.

Tremayne is making a celebratory drink in his lab, as he believes he has made a breakthrough with these 4 research subjects and “solved” their cases like a “detective”. He introduces Nicholas to those inpatients. Tremayne believes he has now found out the truth behind their part in a murder. Their “involvement” in these crimes had led to their mental health deterioration and their current beliefs and presentation. Tremayne then relays these stories to Nicholas, as he introduces him to those patients one by one…

 

Mr Tiger

The first room has an immediately eerie feel for any kid brought up in the early 1970s. In this room, a wee 10 year old boy, Paul Patterson (Russell Lewis) is seen playing on a wee piano in this toy filled room. All seems “normal” until Paul – almost immediately – asks Tremayne if he’s brought some bones. Lots of bones.

Then in a flashback, we discover Paul’s recent childhood was far from rosy. As an only child, he lived with his rich, vacuous mother and distant father, Fay (Georgia Brown) and Sam (Donald Houston). His parents bickered with each other all the time, and the poor kid had to listen to their constant arguments, belittling and accusations in his bedroom.

Luckily, this wee kid has an imaginary friend to talk to and it is a tiger. Only Paul’s private tutor (David Brown) believes that it’s normal for Paul to have such an imaginary friend. He reassures Fay that imaginary friends are perfectly okay and he’s the only one who supports Paul.

Fay is also not convinced her son’s behaviour is normal after finding her son has been procuring bones and meat from the kitchen staff to feed his friend. Paul also keeps his bedroom window open so his imaginary friend can visit and come and go as he pleases. Meanwhile, her son gets a wee bit creative with his artwork with a delightful picture of his mummy being attacked by his feline friend…

She’s livid in a stereotypically 1970s mum way after she tells Paul his friend can “use the front door” if he’s going to visit him. She later goes ballistic after she discovers Paul has stolen a huge slab of meat from the kitchen and there are scratch marks on his bedroom door and muddy paw prints on a blanket. Paul tells his tutor, that his tiger friend likes him, but not his parents as they squabble. Fay asks her husband to have a talk with their son…

My Darlin Husband aptly described this segment as a Calvin and Hobbes origin story. It’s creatively filmed as we see this story from this wee boy’s perspective. Little touches suggest Paul’s friend is real. These include the front door opening and then nothing is seen suggesting this tiger is out of the film shot and there is credible evidence that a tiger exists and this is seen by Paul’s parents. There are even a few shots of convincingly used tiger footage to add to the story.

The later scenes that are shown from the tiger’s point of view, track its movements and actions in the house. This episode is convincingly acted with this young actor talking to his imaginary friend in a natural way. I loved seeing familiar pictures and toys from my childhood in those scenes where Fay talks with Paul’s tutor and in Paul’s bedroom.

Russell Lewis also starred as one of Nanette Newman and Hywel Bennett’s on-screen kids in The Love Ban (1973) and as the young British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill in Young Winston (1972). For this former film, he coincidentally shared an on-screen cast member with Georgia Brown, his on-screen mother. She also had a role in a Nanette Newman starring movie as both starred in Raging Moon (1971).

Lewis worked as a child actor until just after the mid-1970s and later had a career in writing for television for such series as Taggart (1983-2010) and Inspector Morse (1987-2000). Coincidentally a television writing career was also the fate for another child actor, John O’Farrell who starred in the Amicus portmanteau, From Beyond the Grave (1975) in An Act of Kindness… and a twist in this tale, he also starred in a segment with Donald Pleasence.

 

Penny Farthing

In this story, Nicholas is introduced to a young man, Timothy (Peter McEnery) who has a badly scarred face. A over dramatic Timothy believes very strongly that he killed his Uncle Albert. In flashbacks from this scene, Timothy runs an antique shop with his girlfriend, Ann (Suzy Kendall). Timothy is left a load of possessions by an aunt in her will, including a black and white portrait of his Uncle Albert and a penny farthing. One night, he thinks he sees a wheel spinning independently…

After this, whenever Timothy is alone he is compelled to sit on this penny farthing as an unseen force pushes him to do this (somewhat comically) from wherever he is. He cycles on this contraption and then – by the power of film magic – goes back in time to Victorian times to ye olde Hyde Park in London. He is observed by a scarred man and meets a girl in this park. She is named Beatrice (Suzy Kendall) and is a dead ringer for his girlfriend in the present.

When Timothy returns to the present day he believes that he became this Uncle for a short time. Eerily, his Uncle’s portrait seems to take on different appropriate facial expressions as this storyline develops. Ann thinks her boyfriend is just tired… until she notices Timothy along with the head of Uncle Albert from the painting are missing and the penny farthing has disappeared, these then reappear soon after.

This story was quite well told with convincing Victorian scenes and a time travel romance plot that merges with the present day. However, the story is let down by the confusion as to who was observing Timothy when he became “Uncle Albert”. It seemed Albert – who in the flashbacks, looks like one of those surprise dancing statue acts from the Edinburgh festival – didn’t have any scars in his portrait, observed the Victorian set story and Timothy believed he was this uncle.

To serve up a twist of fate, both of these leading stars were married at one time to other familiar acting names. Suzy Kendall was married to the diminutive comic actor, Dudley Moore and McEnery was married to British Soap Coronation Street’s Julie Peasgood who played a memorable head barmaid, Bet Lynch. Frank Forsythe who played Uncle Albert also has a horror meets soap connection or two.

Forsythe starred in small often uncredited roles in three of those Amicus anthologies The Vault of Horror (1973), Asylum and Tales from the Crypt (1972). He also had a role in the feature film, Now the Screaming Starts (1973). In two of these films, he starred with a future Soap matriarch and bitch. In  Now the Screaming Starts, it was Stephanie Beacham, later Sable from Dynasty II: The Colbys (1985-87). In Tales from the Crypt (1972), he starred with Joan Collins who played Beacham’s on-screen cousin, uber-bitch Alexis Carrington in Dynasty (1981). This last fact brings us – quite neatly – to the one with “Joan Collins” and “the tree”…

 

Mel

This room has a catatonic middle aged man, Brian (Michael Jayston) staring into space, alone and surrounded by plants… In his flashbacks, he is married to a screen stealing, Joan Collins as Bella. Bella gets more than a wee bit worried after returning from his morning jog – in a 1970s tracksuit that any 1970s gym teacher would be proud of – when her husband brings back a tree stump. He plonks it in the middle of the living room (and who can blame her) and calls it art, and she calls it ugly…

This tree stump seems to watch this happily married couple as they cavort on the sofa. After Brian leaves for the pub, it gets really pissed off with Bella after she hoovers up its discarded leaves. The stump deliberately shakes more leaves off and as a petulant Bella reaches to clean these up, the branches then jab Bella’s hand with some thorns… Bella wants to throw it out and is (delightfully) bitchy about this stump.

After Bella discovers it’s called Mel, she throws a drink at it after he husband sticks (no pun intended) up for it and he seems to look at it lovingly. Bella then stomps to their bedroom… As if by magic, in the next shot, Bella is wearing some wee 1970s negligee and she beckons her husband to come to the bedroom for a romp. But he is busy wiping the drink tenderly from Mel’s face…

After Bella finally gets her husband in the bedroom, he comes to bed and they make love. Bella dreams she’s in a funky 1970s lit forest where she is attacked by a tree, which appears to rape her and leaves her for dead. It rips her top open exposing her boobs. The next day she goes to attack Mel with a handy machete (?)… but she is stopped by her husband…

Joan Collins was well suited for this role, as no one can play the hurt and spurned lover better than Joan. Joan excels in her performance as this third wheel in her marriage, with an emotionally charged performance and cutting comments about her rival. Bella calls Mel “vile” and “ugly” in Collins own unique style, which we love her for. Her side of the dialogue could almost be added word for word to her then future, Dynasty role after she discovers as the first Mrs Blake Carrington clashes with Krystle (Linda Evans) who had replaced her in her ex-husband’s affections.

The love for inanimate objects is a recognised form of sexual attraction.  This condition also was commented upon in Her (2014), this film told of a man falling for the virtual assistant on his computer, voiced by the always sultry, Scarlett Johansson. The twist in the tale that connects this with this story in Tales That Witness Madness... this man was played by Joaquin Phoenix, who as a child actor was known as Leaf.

 

Luau

The final inpatient is a stunningly dressed and immaculately made up middle aged woman, Auriol (Kim Novak). She looks like she has just walked off a catwalk and out of a salon. Her story tells of a young “Hawaiian” man, Kimo (Michael Petrovitch) who promises his dying mother that he will help her reach the next world and rest in peace by fulfilling an ancient ritual.  Kimo has prepared for this ritual by abstaining from sex and alcoholic drinks.

Kimo is then seen promoting a book with his publicist, Keoki (Michael Petrovitch). The book launch party is to be carried out by his literary agent, the very glam and stylish, Auriol at her huge country mansion. Over dinner, Kimo meets Auriol’s young hot and virginal (but legal) daughter, Ginny (Mary Tamm) and he seems more interested in her than her mother.

Both women develop a bit of a thing for this handsome author and are superflirty. Ginny however is going away the next day to visit friends, and her mother allows her to go in the hope she can hook up with Kimo. But Kimo convinces the love struck Ginny to meet him instead, and she tells her mother she has gone on holiday.

Auriol is hosting a Luau for this book launch, and after Ginny leaves for her “holiday” Keoki helpfully offers his assistance. He offers to prepare the meat dish for this special Hawaiian themed event. Meanwhile, Ginny gets naked in the hope of seducing Kimo but is then drugged by Kimo who slips something into her wine.

As Ginny gets groggy, he presents her body to a wooden carving in the shower. We then see further flashbacks of Kimo with his dying mother as they discuss the specific kind of meat to be used in this ritual. After killing Ginnie with a knife, Kimo confides with his publicist – who has arrived with a suitcase – that his plan is coming together…

Darlin Husband states this film had clear signs of cultural appropriation which you will discover in its full gory glory. Novak who was taking a break from acting at the time, returned to films for this production to replace Rita Hayworth who had left this production. Novak seems to delight in this trampy vampy mother role as Auriol obviously sees her daughter as a bit of a love rival. As Auriol, Novak goes full tilt cougar on to the hunt… with her purring of every line of her shared dialogue with Kimo and has some stunning 1970s wardrobe changes to snare him.

In her role, Novak was described as “playing a London literary agent in her most inept Lyiah Clare style” by Vincent Canby. This quote referred to another Novak film role as both the titular character and her doppelganger in The Legend of Lyah Clare (1968). This film’s plot is described on Wikipedia HERE. It is delightfully serendipitously written in the same taste as Novak’s segment,

A satire on Hollywood, full of references to similar films, it recounts how an untalented beginner is hired to play the legendary Lylah Clare, a tempestuous actress who died mysteriously 20 years ago, and is herself consumed by the system.

This story leads to the final wrap-up segment. where we return to Donald Pleasence in his apparently revolutionary psychiatrist role. It’s also not the last we see of his inpatients or his drinking companion as this framing feature and then the movie concludes…

In our final true story with a twist, like the stories suggest, you should believe what you hear. If you’ve been listening carefully, you will note this film has not one but two men who played Blofeld in those James Bond movies… and did you spot that roaring presence before the final credits?

 

Weeper Rating: 😦 😦😦😦😦 😦 😦😦  😦 😦/10

Handsqueeze Rating:  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂  /10

Hulk Rating:  0 /10

 

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The Kim Novak Blogathon, A 90th Birthday Celebration 2023, No 4

This post was entered into The Classic Movie Muse‘s The Kim Novak Blogathon, A 90th Birthday Celebration. Other reviews with this cast are David Brown in Jackanory, Donald Houston in Voyage of the Damned, Where Eagles Dare and Doctor in the House. Donald Pleasence stars in Lovejoy, Telefon, The Eagle Has Landed, The Black Windmill, From Beyond the Grave, Escape from New York, and Halloween. Georgia Brown in The Raging Moon aka Long Ago, Tomorrow, Jack Hawkins in Theatre of Blood,  Joan Collins appears in Quest for Love, I Don’t Want to Be Born, Star Trek, Batman, The Time of Their Lives, The Cartier Affair and Prime Time Soap Stars in 80s Adverts. Kim Novak in The Mirror Crack’d and Middle of the Night. Suzy Kendall in To Sir With Love, Michael Jayston in Dominique and Jack the Ripper. Mary Tamm in Doctor Who, Bergerac, EastEnders and The Likely Lads. 

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