Monday, March 09, 2015

Brief Thoughts - TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS (1983)


Until very recently I had never heard of this RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) rip-off but it seems to have quite the cult following. It was the second film from the team that brought the world the first 3-D spaghetti western called COMIN' AT YA in 1981.  Strangely, although I knew nothing of this film, I actually saw COMIN' AT YA in the theater in its original release. I was taken to see it by my mom's second husband in what I can only imagine was an attempt to bond with thirteen year old me. I can remember thinking the 3-D was pretty cool if headache inducing but can remember little else about this very late to the game Italian western. I'd love to get the chance to rewatch it but the current DVD is OOP and expensive! 

But back to TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS - it's not a good film by any stretch but I can see why people might have some affection for it. It's goofy in ways it really should NOT be, but its all done with a real sense of fun and the desire to just entertain an audience. It's dumb, silly and filled with scenes that exist just to shove some object at the camera to let you know its still in 3-D. I have to admit that it was worth seeing but not probably worth rewatching- at least for me. But I did listen to the first forty minutes of the commentary track on the DVD. Its done by a big fan of the film and I have to say it is something I think I'll return to and finish eventually. His enthusiasm didn't turn me into a fan but it did make me appreciate his affection for the movie and I did get caught up in the fun of learning about this odd piece of cinema history. 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Have you seen any of Tony Anthony's films? Blindman is probably the easiest to get a hold of. I saw The Stranger films on TCM once and enjoyed them. His films aren't great, but they're fun. Have you any thoughts on them?

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

When this first came out on video it was a sensation in my group. Many times we watched the goofy adventures of Tony Anthony which officially made him TONY TONY to us forever. Where is that guys's Oscar along with the kid in Gymkata.