X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

The month of June is nearly around the corner so I am trying to get in as many classic films for Sunday At The Classics as I possibly can before that challenge begins. While I was cruising through Amazon Prime, I stumbled upon a film that looked too good to pass up and the film I am talking about is 1963's X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes which was produced and directed by B-movie King Roger Corman (The Little Shop Of Horrors). The film stars Ray Milland (Dial M For Murder) as Dr. James Xavier, a man who is obsessed with the idea of wanting to see more than just what the human eye and brain allows you to see. Through some experiments, he develops an eye drop that instantly gives you x-ray vision, but the only problem is that it comes with a great cost that he does not yet understand. Despite the pleas of colleagues, he will continue his research to the extent that he reaches the point of no return. The film also stars Don Rickles (Toy Story 2) as Crane, Diana Van der Vlis (The DuPont Show Of The Month) as Dr. Diane Fairfax, Harold J. Stone (The Doctors and The Nurses) as Dr. Sam Brant, and John Hoyt (Attack Of The Puppet People) as Dr. Willard Benson.

This was an excellent film and one that I was happy to watch because Ray Milland who I often mix up with Jimmy Stewart was an excellent actor who absolutely commanded the screen every time he was awarded it. As minuscule as they were in terms of what can be done with today's special effects, I thought the effects they used in this film were great and helped tell the story with all of the bizarre colors helping convey his strange visions. I wouldn't mind seeing the film get a remake, but I am afraid that the club scene would actually show nudity in today's version where the original didn't and they really didn't need to because you got the gist of what he could see. The visions definitely worked as colorful as they were, but you could understand how frustrating they must have been for him as much as he may have astonished the fact. The film really has that battle as he fights it within because this is after all what he has always wanted, but the consequences of it are weighing heavily on him as well. It's both a gift and a curse if you get what I am saying and it's one that some will try to expose for their financial gain like the completely serious role that Don Rickles has in this film. I have to be honest in saying that it worked because I could honestly believe the character that Rickles was portraying as being money hungry and misleading. This was probably one of my favorite Sunday At The Classics films that I've watched all year so far which is why I am going to be giving the film an A- for a final grade.

The Little Shop Of Horrors (1960)

It's another edition of Sunday At The Classics and I couldn't think of a better guy to check out a film from then the legendary b-movie director/producer Roger Corman (The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent). The man in his career and lifetime has directed over 50 films and has produced 415 of them and today we are checking out a film he directed in 1960 in The Little Shop Of Horrors. The film stars Jonathan Haze (X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes) as bumbling idiot Seymour who works at a struggling flower shop on skid row. One day as he is about to get fired, he presents a flower that he had created as a way to save face and make more business for his boss in order to keep his job, but this new plant could end up costing him his life. The film also stars Jackie Joseph (Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol) as Audrey, Mel Welles (Attack Of The Crab Monsters) as Gravis Mushnick, Dick Miller (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) as Fouch, Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest) as Wilbur Force, Myrtle Vail (A Bucket Of Blood) as Winifred Krelborn, Karyn Kupcinet (Hawaiian Eye) as Shirley, Leola Wendorff (Alfred Hitchcock Presents) as Mrs. Shiva, Wally Campo (Tales Of Terror) as Sgt. Joe Fink, and Jack Warford (Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype) as Detective Frank Stoolie.

Maybe it was just the type of film that they used at the time or maybe the type of camera, but this was kind of poorly shot. It makes me believe that whatever master copy there is of this film didn't do well over time and what you see is certainly what you get. I was so used to the 80's version of this film with Rick Moranis that I think I was expecting a little bit more from Audrey Jr. only because the 80's version was so much more animated than the caveman feed me more version we had in this film. If the 80's version was the big Hollywood film this was definitely B-movie gold because there were a lot of things to like about this film and that was the acting. Jonathan Haze was exactly what you want a bumbling fool with no confidence to be and he played it with perfection. Even when things were seemingly going great for him, he never lost his identity of who he truly is. I thought Mel Welles was terrific as the owner of the shop who sets of morals were a little twisted around a dollar bill. Sure, what Seymour was doing was bad, but it was bringing him money so why would you talk to the cops? One of the best moments in the film though belongs to the brief introduction of the legend himself Jack Nicholson who plays this twisted idiot who loves pain a little too much. The whole time I kept thinking to myself is that who I think it is? For all the faults the film had, it had some bright spots in it for sure, but I am going to give this film an C+ for a final grade.