fbpx
Wikipedia

Darker than Amber (film)

January 01, 1970

Darker than Amber is a 1970 film adaptation of John D. MacDonald's 1966 mystery/suspense novel, Darker than Amber. It was directed by Robert Clouse from a screenplay by MacDonald and Ed Waters.

Darker than Amber
Original poster
Directed byRobert Clouse
Written byJohn D. MacDonald
Ed Waters
Produced byJack Reeves (executive producer)
Walter Seltzer (producer)
StarringRod Taylor
Suzy Kendall
Jane Russell
Janet MacLachlan
Theodore Bikel
CinematographyFrank V. Phillips
Edited byFred A. Chulack
Music byJohn Carl Parker
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date
  • August 14, 1970 (1970-08-14)
Running time
96 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,607,328[1]
Box office$1,621,897[1]

The film starred Rod Taylor as Travis McGee, the protagonist of a series of successful novels by MacDonald. Darker than Amber and The Empty Copper Sea (adapted as the 1983 film Travis McGee starring Sam Elliott) remain the only McGee novels adapted to the big screen to date.

Critical reception was positive, but the film was not a financial success.

Plot edit

Travis McGee (Rod Taylor) and his close friend Meyer (Theodore Bikel) are fishing underneath a bridge in their coastal Florida home. To their shock a young woman is thrown off the bridge; she is bound and her ankles weighted with a dumbbell. Travis dives in and saves her, learning her name is Vangie. He is surprised when she insists that he not contact the police and Travis finds himself falling in love with the mysterious woman.

She gradually opens up to Travis, admitting that she was nearly killed due to her involvement in a prostitution ring and a murder scheme. Vangie was part of a team that worked in male/female pairs on cruise ships: pretty young women lured rich lonely men and then drugged their drinks to rob them when they were passed out. The male partner, a sadistic bodybuilder named Terry (William Smith), throws the men overboard to drown. Vangie became a target when she objected to the murders, having been led to believe the men would only be robbed.

Despite Travis and Meyer's efforts to protect Vangie, Terry tracks her down and murders her. Travis and Meyer then set out to dismantle the gang. They locate a woman named Merrimay, who bears a striking resemblance to Vangie. On a cruise ship, Travis poses as a wealthy man traveling alone, serving as bait for Terry and his new partner Del (Ahna Capri). Del approaches Travis and invites him to her room—but knowing their scheme he refuses to take the drinks she serves and warns that her life is in danger. Angry that Travis has located him, Terry, who was lying in wait in an adjoining room, savagely attacks Travis who is overwhelmed after wounding Terry.

Terry flees the cruise ship where Meyer and Merrimay are waiting at the pier. Merrimay, her hair dyed to closer resemble Vangie, calls out to Terry. Already bloodied by his fight with Travis, Terry goes berserk at the idea that Vangie survived and storms down the gangplank towards her, punching anyone in his way. Security guards try stopping Terry, but they only slow him until Travis appears and takes down the muscle-bound killer with a blow from a wooden 2x4.

The movie ends with Travis and Merrimay talking on his houseboat The Busted Flush. She asks if he still is in love with Vangie and hints that she might want a relationship with him, but McGee replies by saying he will need time to consider if he is ready for a new love in his life.

Cast edit

Production edit

Other actors considered for the role of Travis McGee were Jack Lord and Robert Culp. John D. MacDonald pushed for Steve McQueen or Vic Morrow. The movie was shot on location in Florida and Nassau.[2]

Reception edit

Critical edit

Though it did not gross well in the box office, Darker than Amber earned many positive reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of a possible 4. He wrote that Taylor, somewhat playing against type by showing more warmth than his usual taciturn performances, was well-cast as McGee and that the plot managed to transcend standard detective cliches to become "a surprisingly good movie".[3] Howard Thompson of The New York Times also gave the film reserved praise, stating that the cinematography was "excellent" and that the film was "better than average for this type [of crime film]" and Smith was "a truly horrendous giant of a psycho", but that the screenplay lagged in parts despite the good material to work from (in the original novel), and that the real star of the film was its Florida setting.[4]

MacDonald disliked the film calling it "feral, cheap, rotten, gratuitously meretricious, shallow and embarrassing."[5]

The film played a rare theatrical screening at Anthology Film Archives in New York City, New York, on August 14, 2009.[6][7][8]

Box office edit

The film recorded admissions of 17,351 in France.[9]

The film recorded a loss of $2,958,251. Producer Jack Reeves had bought the rights for another McGee novel The Deep Blue Goodbye but it was decided not to proceed with it.[1]

Fight scenes and rating edit

Initially rated R in the United States, in 1971 it was edited and re-rated GP (now PG).[10] The film was considered graphically violent for its time, especially the fist fight scene that ends the film, between Rod Taylor's Travis Mcgee and the film's villain, Terry (played by William Smith). Director Steven Soderbergh said the fight's ferocity was considered "jaw dropping" for its era.[11] With the cameras rolling Rod Taylor hit William Smith who retaliated in kind,[12] and a staged fight scene became a real fight. Smith later reported that Taylor was "a very tough guy" who broke three of his ribs while he broke Taylor's nose.[13]

After Darker Than Amber ran its course in theaters, both Rod Taylor and William Smith would reportedly be considered for the part of Caucasian martial artist Roper in the 1973 Bruce Lee blockbuster Enter the Dragon, which would also be helmed by Darker Than Amber director Robert Clouse.[14] The role would ultimately go to John Saxon, however.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood (Bear Manor Media, 2010) p154
  2. ^ Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood, Bear Manor Media 2010 p152
  3. ^ (Ebert 1971)
  4. ^ (Thompson 1970)
  5. ^ A MacDonald festival: Happy number sixty-three, John D!: MacDonald festival: He's so good, why isn't he better? Petersen, Clarence. Chicago Tribune 15 July 1973: f1.
  6. ^ Rapold, Nicolas. "True grit: Anthology Film Archives and William Lustig unearth some lost gems of '70s Hollywood", Time Out New York, Issue 723 : Aug 6–12, 2009
  7. ^ "Anthology Film Archives". Anthologyfilmarchives.org. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  8. ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  9. ^ 1971 Box Office Figures in France at Box Office Story
  10. ^ [1] [dead link]
  11. ^ Anthony Kaufman (2015). Steven Soderbergh: Interviews, Revised and Updated, University Press of Missouri
  12. ^ Tal, Tim (April 1, 2010). "William Smith: My fight with Clint Eastwood was longest two-man fight scene on screen". Bzfilm.com. BZ Film. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Louis Paul (2007). Tales from the Cult Film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema. McFarland, p. 226
  14. ^ "Sound file" (MP3). Cityonfire.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.

Bibliography edit

External links edit

January 01, 1970
darker, than, amber, film, darker, than, amber, 1970, film, adaptation, john, macdonald, 1966, mystery, suspense, novel, darker, than, amber, directed, robert, clouse, from, screenplay, macdonald, waters, darker, than, amberoriginal, posterdirected, byrobert, . Darker than Amber is a 1970 film adaptation of John D MacDonald s 1966 mystery suspense novel Darker than Amber It was directed by Robert Clouse from a screenplay by MacDonald and Ed Waters Darker than AmberOriginal posterDirected byRobert ClouseWritten byJohn D MacDonald Ed WatersProduced byJack Reeves executive producer Walter Seltzer producer StarringRod TaylorSuzy KendallJane RussellJanet MacLachlanTheodore BikelCinematographyFrank V PhillipsEdited byFred A ChulackMusic byJohn Carl ParkerDistributed byNational General PicturesRelease dateAugust 14 1970 1970 08 14 Running time96 minCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 2 607 328 1 Box office 1 621 897 1 The film starred Rod Taylor as Travis McGee the protagonist of a series of successful novels by MacDonald Darker than Amber and The Empty Copper Sea adapted as the 1983 film Travis McGee starring Sam Elliott remain the only McGee novels adapted to the big screen to date Critical reception was positive but the film was not a financial success Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 4 1 Critical 4 2 Box office 5 Fight scenes and rating 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Bibliography 8 External linksPlot editTravis McGee Rod Taylor and his close friend Meyer Theodore Bikel are fishing underneath a bridge in their coastal Florida home To their shock a young woman is thrown off the bridge she is bound and her ankles weighted with a dumbbell Travis dives in and saves her learning her name is Vangie He is surprised when she insists that he not contact the police and Travis finds himself falling in love with the mysterious woman She gradually opens up to Travis admitting that she was nearly killed due to her involvement in a prostitution ring and a murder scheme Vangie was part of a team that worked in male female pairs on cruise ships pretty young women lured rich lonely men and then drugged their drinks to rob them when they were passed out The male partner a sadistic bodybuilder named Terry William Smith throws the men overboard to drown Vangie became a target when she objected to the murders having been led to believe the men would only be robbed Despite Travis and Meyer s efforts to protect Vangie Terry tracks her down and murders her Travis and Meyer then set out to dismantle the gang They locate a woman named Merrimay who bears a striking resemblance to Vangie On a cruise ship Travis poses as a wealthy man traveling alone serving as bait for Terry and his new partner Del Ahna Capri Del approaches Travis and invites him to her room but knowing their scheme he refuses to take the drinks she serves and warns that her life is in danger Angry that Travis has located him Terry who was lying in wait in an adjoining room savagely attacks Travis who is overwhelmed after wounding Terry Terry flees the cruise ship where Meyer and Merrimay are waiting at the pier Merrimay her hair dyed to closer resemble Vangie calls out to Terry Already bloodied by his fight with Travis Terry goes berserk at the idea that Vangie survived and storms down the gangplank towards her punching anyone in his way Security guards try stopping Terry but they only slow him until Travis appears and takes down the muscle bound killer with a blow from a wooden 2x4 The movie ends with Travis and Merrimay talking on his houseboat The Busted Flush She asks if he still is in love with Vangie and hints that she might want a relationship with him but McGee replies by saying he will need time to consider if he is ready for a new love in his life Cast editRod Taylor as Travis McGee Theodore Bikel as Meyer Suzy Kendall as Vangie Merrimay Jane Russell as Alabama Tigress William Smith as Terry Ahna Capri credited as Anna Capri as Del Janet MacLachlan as Noreen Robert Phillips as Griff James Booth as Burk Oswaldo Calvo as Manuel Sherry Faber as Nina Marcia Knight as Landlady James H Frysinger as Dewey Powell Harry A Wood as Judson Jack Nagle as Farnsworth Judy Wallace as Ginny Michael DeBeausset as Doctor Jeff Gillen as Morgue Attendant Chris Robinson as RoyProduction editOther actors considered for the role of Travis McGee were Jack Lord and Robert Culp John D MacDonald pushed for Steve McQueen or Vic Morrow The movie was shot on location in Florida and Nassau 2 Reception editCritical edit Though it did not gross well in the box office Darker than Amber earned many positive reviews Roger Ebert gave the film 3 5 stars out of a possible 4 He wrote that Taylor somewhat playing against type by showing more warmth than his usual taciturn performances was well cast as McGee and that the plot managed to transcend standard detective cliches to become a surprisingly good movie 3 Howard Thompson of The New York Times also gave the film reserved praise stating that the cinematography was excellent and that the film was better than average for this type of crime film and Smith was a truly horrendous giant of a psycho but that the screenplay lagged in parts despite the good material to work from in the original novel and that the real star of the film was its Florida setting 4 MacDonald disliked the film calling it feral cheap rotten gratuitously meretricious shallow and embarrassing 5 The film played a rare theatrical screening at Anthology Film Archives in New York City New York on August 14 2009 6 7 8 Box office edit The film recorded admissions of 17 351 in France 9 The film recorded a loss of 2 958 251 Producer Jack Reeves had bought the rights for another McGee novel The Deep Blue Goodbye but it was decided not to proceed with it 1 Fight scenes and rating editInitially rated R in the United States in 1971 it was edited and re rated GP now PG 10 The film was considered graphically violent for its time especially the fist fight scene that ends the film between Rod Taylor s Travis Mcgee and the film s villain Terry played by William Smith Director Steven Soderbergh said the fight s ferocity was considered jaw dropping for its era 11 With the cameras rolling Rod Taylor hit William Smith who retaliated in kind 12 and a staged fight scene became a real fight Smith later reported that Taylor was a very tough guy who broke three of his ribs while he broke Taylor s nose 13 After Darker Than Amber ran its course in theaters both Rod Taylor and William Smith would reportedly be considered for the part of Caucasian martial artist Roper in the 1973 Bruce Lee blockbuster Enter the Dragon which would also be helmed by Darker Than Amber director Robert Clouse 14 The role would ultimately go to John Saxon however See also editList of American films of 1970References edit a b c Stephen Vagg Rod Taylor An Aussie in Hollywood Bear Manor Media 2010 p154 Stephen Vagg Rod Taylor An Aussie in Hollywood Bear Manor Media 2010 p152 Ebert 1971 Thompson 1970 A MacDonald festival Happy number sixty three John D MacDonald festival He s so good why isn t he better Petersen Clarence Chicago Tribune 15 July 1973 f1 Rapold Nicolas True grit Anthology Film Archives and William Lustig unearth some lost gems of 70s Hollywood Time Out New York Issue 723 Aug 6 12 2009 Anthology Film Archives Anthologyfilmarchives org Retrieved 26 June 2022 Cinema Strikes Back Anthology Film Archives Screens The Seventies Buried Treasures Series Curated by William Lustig Archived from the original on 2009 09 03 Retrieved 2009 08 15 1971 Box Office Figures in France at Box Office Story 1 dead link Anthony Kaufman 2015 Steven Soderbergh Interviews Revised and Updated University Press of Missouri Tal Tim April 1 2010 William Smith My fight with Clint Eastwood was longest two man fight scene on screen Bzfilm com BZ Film Retrieved July 12 2021 Louis Paul 2007 Tales from the Cult Film Trenches Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema McFarland p 226 Sound file MP3 Cityonfire com Retrieved June 26 2022 Bibliography edit Thompson Howard August 15 1970 Darker Than Amber 1970 The New York Times Ebert Roger January 12 1971 Darker Than Amber Chicago Sun Times External links editDarker than Amber at IMDb nbsp Darker than Amber at the TCM Movie Database Darker than Amber at AllMovie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Darker than Amber film amp oldid 1222590927, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.