Cage), Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
DR. SYN: ALIAS THE SCARECROW (1964)
âOn the southern coast of England there's a legend people tell, Of days long ago when the great Scarecrow would ride from the jaws of hell . . .â
â Theme song for Dr. Syn: Alias the Scarecrow
Years before he would find fame as Number Six on TV's
The Prisoner
, Patrick McGoohan was Dr. Syn, a hero dressed like a scarecrow in an eponymously named movie. Originally made as a four-part mini-series for
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
in 1962,
Dr. Syn: Alias the Scarecrow
was repackaged and released theatrically two years later.
Based on a Russell Thorndike novel first published in 1915, the story has been committed to film three times, first in a 1937 black-and-white film starring George Arliss, and twice in the early '60s by Disney and the British Hammer Films. Despite having been voted Best TV Actor of the Year by the British public in 1959, the American-born, U.K.-raised McGoohan was an unknown in America when he was signed to a three-picture deal by Disney in 1961. He had already turned down the role of James Bond (which eventually went to Sean Connery), but Disney recognized that he had the smoldering good looks and charisma to carry an action-adventure film, and molded
Dr. Syn
as a star vehicle for him.
The movie is set in 1736, and McGoohan plays Dr. Christopher Syn, a real-life English pastor who led a double life â upright citizen by day, and rogue smuggler by night. Disguised as âThe Scarecrow,â Syn leads a rebellion across the English countryside against the oppressive taxes of King George iii. When the cruel General Pugh (Geoffrey Keen) is dispatched to the area to quell the insurgents, Syn and his underground army step up their efforts, looting the King's coffers and doing their best to avoid the ferocious press gangs that roam Romney Marsh, looking to force young men into the service of the Royal Navy. To make an already complicated situation even more complex, an escaped American revolutionary prisoner and an awol sailor (and son of a leading town official) both seek the help of Dr. Syn. Swashbuckling scenes abound as the legendary Scarecrow does battle against the forces of tyranny.
McGoohan ably handles the dual role of the pastor and the rebellious Scarecrow, imbuing each character with a distinctive personality. His Scarecrow isn't just the pastor with a mask, but a completely separate and well-rounded character that doesn't simply rely on a costume à la Batman or Superman to define his personality. Also look for Geoffrey Keen as the evil General Pugh. Fifteen years after shooting
Dr. Syn
he undertook his best-known role, that of M's deputy, Sir Frederick Gray, in six James Bond movies from 1977's
The Spy Who Loved Me
to 1987's
The Living Daylights
.
McGoohan's strong lead performance coupled with great historical action-adventure makes
Dr. Syn
a great romp for the family, but may be too intense for younger children.
DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS (2002)
âDeath to Invadersâ
â Graffiti on Dogtown wall
A close-up look at the birth of skateboard culture in Southern California,
Dogtown and Z-Boys
has attitude to burn, just like the sport it documents. Directed by Stacy Peralta, one of the legends of the sport, it captures the punk-rock spirit of skateboarding and perfectly places it into the context of its time â the 1970s â and location â Dogtown, a marginal area of California including parts of Venice, Ocean Park, and South Santa Monica, described by the boys as âthe last great seaside slum,â and âwhere the debris meets the sea.â
Even if you are not a fan you'll be fascinated by the story about street-wise teens who traded in their surfboards for homemade skateboards. Based at the Zephyr Surf Shop, the Z-Boys (and one Z-Girl) altered the course of modern skateboarding, redefining the sport by inventing gravity-defying stunts honed to perfection in dried-out
DR. SYN: ALIAS THE SCARECROW (1964)
âOn the southern coast of England there's a legend people tell, Of days long ago when the great Scarecrow would ride from the jaws of hell . . .â
â Theme song for Dr. Syn: Alias the Scarecrow
Years before he would find fame as Number Six on TV's
The Prisoner
, Patrick McGoohan was Dr. Syn, a hero dressed like a scarecrow in an eponymously named movie. Originally made as a four-part mini-series for
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
in 1962,
Dr. Syn: Alias the Scarecrow
was repackaged and released theatrically two years later.
Based on a Russell Thorndike novel first published in 1915, the story has been committed to film three times, first in a 1937 black-and-white film starring George Arliss, and twice in the early '60s by Disney and the British Hammer Films. Despite having been voted Best TV Actor of the Year by the British public in 1959, the American-born, U.K.-raised McGoohan was an unknown in America when he was signed to a three-picture deal by Disney in 1961. He had already turned down the role of James Bond (which eventually went to Sean Connery), but Disney recognized that he had the smoldering good looks and charisma to carry an action-adventure film, and molded
Dr. Syn
as a star vehicle for him.
The movie is set in 1736, and McGoohan plays Dr. Christopher Syn, a real-life English pastor who led a double life â upright citizen by day, and rogue smuggler by night. Disguised as âThe Scarecrow,â Syn leads a rebellion across the English countryside against the oppressive taxes of King George iii. When the cruel General Pugh (Geoffrey Keen) is dispatched to the area to quell the insurgents, Syn and his underground army step up their efforts, looting the King's coffers and doing their best to avoid the ferocious press gangs that roam Romney Marsh, looking to force young men into the service of the Royal Navy. To make an already complicated situation even more complex, an escaped American revolutionary prisoner and an awol sailor (and son of a leading town official) both seek the help of Dr. Syn. Swashbuckling scenes abound as the legendary Scarecrow does battle against the forces of tyranny.
McGoohan ably handles the dual role of the pastor and the rebellious Scarecrow, imbuing each character with a distinctive personality. His Scarecrow isn't just the pastor with a mask, but a completely separate and well-rounded character that doesn't simply rely on a costume à la Batman or Superman to define his personality. Also look for Geoffrey Keen as the evil General Pugh. Fifteen years after shooting
Dr. Syn
he undertook his best-known role, that of M's deputy, Sir Frederick Gray, in six James Bond movies from 1977's
The Spy Who Loved Me
to 1987's
The Living Daylights
.
McGoohan's strong lead performance coupled with great historical action-adventure makes
Dr. Syn
a great romp for the family, but may be too intense for younger children.
DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS (2002)
âDeath to Invadersâ
â Graffiti on Dogtown wall
A close-up look at the birth of skateboard culture in Southern California,
Dogtown and Z-Boys
has attitude to burn, just like the sport it documents. Directed by Stacy Peralta, one of the legends of the sport, it captures the punk-rock spirit of skateboarding and perfectly places it into the context of its time â the 1970s â and location â Dogtown, a marginal area of California including parts of Venice, Ocean Park, and South Santa Monica, described by the boys as âthe last great seaside slum,â and âwhere the debris meets the sea.â
Even if you are not a fan you'll be fascinated by the story about street-wise teens who traded in their surfboards for homemade skateboards. Based at the Zephyr Surf Shop, the Z-Boys (and one Z-Girl) altered the course of modern skateboarding, redefining the sport by inventing gravity-defying stunts honed to perfection in dried-out
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