Hard-to-find movies on You Tube (Pt. 1)

As you may know, there are brave individuals out there who have ignored license rights and managed to upload entire movies on You Tube in multiple segments. Because watching something on YouTube is like watching a well-worn VHS copy, in most cases, like Ugetsu or Smiley Face, I would just say to go rent the movie on DVD. However, much to my liking I have discovered that there are many hard-to-find movies on the site.

Being a film buff who seeks out these things, I'm willing to get past the poor image quality and rejoice. And now, in the first part of a series, I will highlight many of these discoveries, some of which I have not yet watched. (To save space, I will only include the first part of each movie, but if you continue with the link by clicking on the viewer, you will be brought to the video's You Tube where you will be able to access the subsequent parts):



Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

Unavailable on Netflix, Quatermass and the Pit is the third and final Quatermass movie that Hammer Studios made. Long before there was The X-Files, the Brits had Dr. Quatermass, a character created by Nigel Kneale for BBC Television whose speciality was (in typical British fashion) to apply scientific rationality to fantastical situations. Here is the All Movie overview for Quatermass and the Pit:

"As in previous chapters in the Kneale saga, the film begins with a baffling scientific discovery. This time it's a bunch of prehistoric skulls, discovered during a subway excavation in the heart of London. Sequestered in a lab, the skulls start to emanate a bizarre force over the populace, resulting in death and destruction. Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) concludes that the skulls are the residue of an extraterrestrial invading army -- a theory which (as usual) is scoffed at by the authorities until it's almost too late."

Since elements of this movie resemble elements from the most-recent and just-released-on-video Indiana Jones film, I thought it appropriate to highlight this Quatermass movie instead of the first two. But if you're interested, you can the first two Hammer Quatermass movies here and here.



The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Probably because of a myriad of rights issues, Penelope Spheeris's documentary The Decline of Western Civilization hasn't yet been released on DVD. If you want to learn about the Los Angeles Punk Scene of the late 70s and early 80s, here's your chance. Here's the All Movie synopsis:

"The performers, attitudes, and music of late '70s, early '80s Los Angeles punk scene are documented in this film by director Penelope Spheeris. Not merely a compilation of concert footage, The Decline of Western Civilization compiles numerous viewpoints on the meanings of the punk movement, from journalists -- one of whom calls punk the folk music of the 1980s -- to club security guards, to the punks themselves. The center of the film, however, is the music, which is fast, loud, and abrasive and often played with purposeful ineptitude; the lyrics are intentionally controversial and shocking, often seeming to embrace violence, sexism, racism, and even Nazism, though usually in an ironic manner. The performances, by bands such as Black Flag, X, The Circle Jerks, and Fear, are mostly shot from within the audience, where the camera often becomes an unwitting participant in the crowd's slam dancing. Especially fascinating are the performances by The Germs, thanks to the antics of their violently self-destructive lead singer Darby Crash, who would later die of a drug overdose and gain a martyr status within the punk community. The film was followed several years later by a sequel focusing on the world of heavy metal."

The mentioned sequel can likewise be found here. But be forewarned-- not all metal is Black Sabbath.



Gabriel Over the White House (1933)

Before the Hayes Codes was instilled into the fabric of Classic Hollywood Cinema, in the 30s studios managed to make some provocative films that contradict how simple we think the past was. Gabriel Over the White House is no different. Here is a part of the All Movie synopsis:

"In 1933, at the height of the bleakness and desperation of the Depression, MGM released this genuine curiosity piece -- directed by comedy (!) director Gregory La Cava -- concerning a Warren G. Harding-like partisan hand-shaker President of the United States who, after seeing a vision, revokes the Constitution, becomes a reigning dictator, and solves all of the nation's problems. Walter Huston plays Judson Hammond, recently elected President of the United States, who treats his elected office as a joke and acts as a dispenser of Party favors. But after an automobile accident, he sees the Archangel Gabriel, who inspires him to declare himself dictator."

Sound familiar? Some things never change. This movie evokes both America's recent past and it (possible) near-future. If there is an old movie that eerily taps into out current zeitgeist, this is it.

*******

This ends part one of this series. Stay tuned for future entries.