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The Invincible Six · The Next Reel Film Podcast

• 0:03
  Pete Wright: I'm Pete Wright.
• 0:04
  Andy Nelson: And I'm Andy Nelson.
• 0:05
  Pete Wright: Welcome to the next reel. When the movie ends,
• 0:08
  Andy Nelson: our conversation begins.
• 0:11
  Pete Wright: The Invincible six is over.
• 0:13
  Pete Wright: Wherever these people have gone, there's one thing we know
• 0:16
  Pete Wright: for sure, the women bathe more than the men do. That was maybe the greatest mystery of the film, Andy, is who bathes more? The women Right. Or the men? Invincible six.
• 0:35
  Boy, did I have never seen a film from director Jeanne Negulesco.
• 0:45
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Jeanne. Jeanne.
• 0:47
  Pete Wright: I'm not sure. Jeanne. But,
• 0:48
  Andy Nelson: you know, he's he's a big filmmaker.
• 0:51
  Pete Wright: I know.
• 0:51
  Andy Nelson: He's he's a hardcore The father of
• 0:55
  Pete Wright: the what was it? The father of Cinemascope or something or other? What is it? The feel around godfather sense around King?
• 1:03
  Andy Nelson: Not the feel the first real master of CinemaScope.
• 1:07
  Pete Wright: Yeah. That's what I I was trying Yeah. To
• 1:09
  Andy Nelson: That's better than what you were coming up with.
• 1:11
  Pete Wright: Yeah. But mine I mean, they were fine. So they're Sequel.
• 1:15
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. But like How to Marry a Millionaire. Yeah. Humorants. Belinda.
• 1:18
  Titanic. Not titanic. Not a night to remember. This is the 1953 Titanic. He also did Roadhouse.
• 1:27
  Not the eighties Roadhouse. This is the 1948 Roadhouse. Daddy long legs, three coins and a fountain. And so, very much a prominent Hollywood filmmaker of the forties and fifties that still continued working all the way up
• 1:45
  Pete Wright: to this point. And here we are in 1970, The Invincible Six. So all of those movies were on the list, and we picked this one to enter into the collection of Nikolasco's films.
• 2:01
  Andy Nelson: Well, let's just say, I didn't think Three Coins in the Fountain quite fit into The Seven Samurai Family. I I mean, I tried. I tried. I'm like, okay. Let's see how, you know, what is Louis Jourdan?
• 2:15
  What is his role in the scope? There's three coins, seven samurai. Maybe the coins. No.
• 2:23
  Pete Wright: Yes. Anyway. Each coin is a protector of the village.
• 2:28
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. So no. Here we are adding to our seven samurai family series. This is the let's see. We've done the seven samurai.
• 2:38
  We've done the magnificent seven. We've done the magnificent seven remake. We did three amigos. We did Bug's Life. We did Chole, and we did last week, Battle Beyond the Stars.
• 2:50
  So seven films. And I'm wondering if we should have left it at seven films. Because here we are with our eighth one. Yes. The Invincible six.
• 2:59
  Pete Wright: Yeah. It is quite a movie. It is interesting for a number of reasons. I don't think any of those reasons are what we actually see on screen. But it is interesting because it represents a time in filmmaking when Iran was doing foreign language co productions filmed in Iran and all pre revolution, seventy nine revolution, and they're able to make movies like this.
• 3:27
  And I think that's fascinating because this is not an Iran that we've seen for a a number of, decades since in our lifetime, which is I think fascinating.
• 3:39
  Andy Nelson: No. It's a it's a very different time that I mean, we're seeing a different view of kind of Iranian women, like what they're wearing and everything. It's Yeah. Like the whole thing comes across much different. Now granted a lot of the characters that we're seeing might be quote Iranian, but are actually American or European or something.
• 3:59
  Pete Wright: Still, when we're talking about representation on screen, this is different.
• 4:03
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Right. This is different. So it it was interesting. And, actually, you know, Nego Lesko was actually very excited to do this film.
• 4:12
  And as he would say, to kind of continue this run of other Iranian American co productions that that he was gonna be working on doing together. And it was like this whole next phase of his career, meant to be this next phase in his career. And, you know, the film wasn't received very well, and so that kind of put a kibosh on the entire thing. But it was it's interesting to see what they actually were were putting out at the time. You know, very much a b movie.
• 4:42
  Pete Wright: Try yeah. Trying to do. Yeah. Yeah. I the the the quote I found was, this was in reference to the Pleasure Seekers 1964, the Invincible Six in '70, and Hello Goodbye in '70, which are best described as best forgotten.
• 4:58
  Oh, ouch. Well, yeah. That's smart.
• 5:01
  Andy Nelson: You know, I will say though, this is very much a b movie. It's not a good movie. But I wasn't bored. And I guess that's where I would start. It's like, I I continued watching this whole thing rolling my eyes like, god, this is just like that whole opening heist sequence.
• 5:20
  Like, there's no setup. We don't know who any of the characters are. We don't know who's on the team. Just suddenly, there's this attempted heist of the actual crown jewels. Like, we're actually like, that's how ready Iran was to get involved in these productions.
• 5:34
  Like, those are the real crown jewels that they let film at this whole opening heist. And, I mean, it was kind of a fun heist because a guy gets crushed by these doors. Like, there's these two women dressed as nuns. It was like this crazy little heist scene scene to do it, and it all gets screwed up because somebody forgets to turn off the alarm. I don't know.
• 5:54
  But they try to shoot through the bulletproof glass, and that fails, and the alarm goes off. It was a mess. But, like, it was so shoddily put together. I had no idea who the characters were. I didn't have any sense of the relationship, who was supposed to be doing what.
• 6:09
  Like, there wasn't any setup. Yeah. It just happens. It gets botched, and then everyone's on the run. And that's kind of like how the film starts.
• 6:16
  And like, that's how the film kind of continues. It's like, okay. It's it's a rough one, but I still had fun in in kind of a crappy b movie late night sort of way.
• 6:26
  Pete Wright: Yeah. No. And I'll I'll absolutely agree with that. I think the movie is super chunky until it becomes really predictable. Right?
• 6:33
  Like right up about the point you figure out, oh, I see what they're doing, then you can see around every corner. You can see exactly what's gonna happen next. So you go from being completely bamboozled by what the hell the movie is to being absolutely ahead of the movie on every page. And yet and yet, by the time we reach the final shooting of the principal bad guy on the the hangman's DS, and he's shot 19,000 times before he falls. I thought that was the biggest swing this movie could possibly make, and I was I was in it.
• 7:16
  This is I I just feel like this is gonna be one of those movies that does get a heart from me even though its stars will be probably served to others on Letterboxd. It's not a great movie. But when he dies, it earns a lot back for me. It's bonkers.
• 7:34
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. It is pretty bonkers.
• 7:36
  Pete Wright: And I will say, we should go through the the actual Invincible six because there's I mean, they built a team. They ended up building a team. They did. They did. Are any of them memorable to you?
• 7:50
  Andy Nelson: You know, I mean, I can remember who they are, so I suppose that counts for something. Right? It's lit quite literally. Like like, we start off with our initial three from that first botched robbery. We've got Tex and Ronnie as the two I I I guess I'll just kind of say the kind of the main characters from that first robbery.
• 8:14
  They are on the run. They end up going to some little town where they're gonna meet Mike, their mechanic, who was part of that first robbery as well. We also end up following Giorgio, an Italian who is, we we meet him, and we know he's already in a stolen vehicle. He's in a stolen Jeep. He's putting paint on the all the information that would give him away.
• 8:42
  And he's trying to hide it all so that he can get through the checkpoints. So we see him and he ends up, like, they the police are like, hey, we're looking for this guy. It's an Iranian guy. This is our, like, very prominent I believe he's a fairly prominent Iranian actor, Behrouz Vousou Vousougi. He plays Jehan.
• 9:02
  And so and so he finds him on the street and says, hey. You're wanted. Come on with me. The two of them go off. They end up at the same cafe as that first three.
• 9:13
  And through a little created situation, they end up kind of getting a ride from them working together. And then on their on the road, they end up coming across Baron Karl von Bitterhofen. Right. You heard your guns. Right.
• 9:28
  We call him Stromberg. Yeah. He's he's fantastic. And so that's that's kind of our team. And and they he he comes across like, I'm this baron.
• 9:41
  You know, I I'm I'm this rich guy. But when he drops his bag, it's full of, like, gun and objects to, like, break into safes and all sorts of stuff. So like, okay. I think we're on the same page. Now we have the team.
• 9:53
  That's so, yeah, we do get kind of like that team building bit.
• 9:57
  Pete Wright: And I think one of the things that this movie has where it does not live up to its own aspirations in terms of structure, script, plot, it does have a charismatic team. I am fall well, first of all, I'm following Juergens because of James Bond. Like, it was just such a treat to see him in this movie, not as our villain. But I think Stuart Whitman and and certainly Ronnie, Ian Ogilvie, are very charismatic people, and I will just watch them bumble through this crazy script. I I was in it for their weirdo relationship.
• 10:37
  Andy Nelson: Well, I think you can see why I mean, you know, they're not like top stars, but they're all No. They're all name actors. They're all
• 10:44
  Pete Wright: They certainly are.
• 10:45
  Andy Nelson: They do character parts. They're in b films, and this is certainly a b film. Jean Negelesco is directing. You can see them saying, oh, yeah. I'll sign on to do that.
• 10:53
  Yeah. That could be fun. And even Elka Summer, who plays Zari, she's also a prominent person who, you know, I think I probably remember from, like, some of the Pink Panther films, things like that. But For sure. She pops up in this as well.
• 11:07
  And so you're seeing faces you recognize. Oh, and I didn't even mention our villain, James Mitchum, Robert's son. One of Robert's sons.
• 11:15
  Pete Wright: James
• 11:16
  Andy Nelson: Mitchum. So we've got a lot of faces in this.
• 11:20
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Yeah. James Mitcham. I mean, he's chewing up every frame that he is in.
• 11:28
  Andy Nelson: Not with his eyes, though. His eyes are pretty sleepy just like his dad's.
• 11:31
  Pete Wright: Yep. Just like his dad's. He's he's just this movie is crazy. So that's I mean, that's essentially the plot that leads us into the save the James Mitcham is our is our bad guy, and he is terrorizing this town.
• 11:47
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Well, and we would we should say like there there is a little bit of a difference in the team building here, because this team is built to rob things. Like that's the purpose of this team. They're all bank robbers, thieves. Their intent is to, hey, you do this too, so do we.
• 12:02
  Let's all get together and we can go pull off some big job is kind of their their aim. Yes. Right?
• 12:08
  Pete Wright: Yeah.
• 12:09
  Andy Nelson: And so they they're they go through a moment of hiding from the cops at one point. And again, that was another prominent moment where they're hiding in I can't remember what the ruins are. I I had it opened, but they're going off and it's it's clear Iran is like, hey. Yeah. You can film here.
• 12:27
  Just make sure you're filming in some of these spots because we wanna make sure that you're showing off the countryside. Right? And some of our historic places. It's the Persepolis Ruins. That's what it was.
• 12:41
  So they end up in this little town that's completely devoid of people, and they're poking around trying to figure out what's going on. They find out that there is this this problem with these bandits and thieves, and they don't want anything to do with it. And so it's taking from the Seven Samurai concept and putting it into this, but then they're like, nah. No. Good luck.
• 13:05
  And only only the Iranian stays because he's like, hey, I'm these are my people. I need to stay and help them.
• 13:13
  Pete Wright: Right.
• 13:14
  Andy Nelson: And so I I guess my first question in the scope of all of that for you is, how does that element play where we're not we're not given as much a strong reason for again, I know what movie we're talking about here. But we're not given a strong reason as to their reasons to stay. Like, how did that play for you?
• 13:39
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Well, I mean, you said it. We I I think it's I think we didn't get a strong reason because it wasn't written there. And I think the I like, the intention is to give these guys eventual reason to turn from their malcontented ways to doing the right thing even if accidentally they manage to do the right thing. And I think the degree to which you believe they've done that and at what point in the film that happens for you, that's gonna be whether or not the the movie works.
• 14:13
  Right? Is it when Ronnie is inconspicuously returned to the village? Maybe that was the turn. Maybe that was the thing that made the guys, decide they're gonna go up against Nazar. Is it about the woman?
• 14:27
  Is it about like, what is it what is the inciting incident that turns them from we're not gonna do this to, yeah, we have to do this.
• 14:35
  Andy Nelson: Well, but I mean, that we do get that moment. Yeah. It's just pretty poor. It's like Jahan says, I'm gonna stay. And they're like, okay, best of luck.
• 14:44
  And they drive away. Yeah. And as they're driving away, they're they they kind of like pause and they're like, I don't know. Should we? And they're they're debating it.
• 14:55
  So they already have a moment of indecision. So you're like, okay, is it just because they're kind of the good guys? And that's when they start getting shot at. And they're like, oh crap. We gotta go back.
• 15:06
  And they're stuck. Now, and that's that's kind of like the setup is like, they really can't get up because they're in this valley surrounded by these hills with these people.
• 15:14
  Pete Wright: Surrounded by snipers. Right. Well and but that's what I mean. Like, I feel like that sequence, they go back, and I you're right. It's it is a poor reason.
• 15:25
  They're uncommitted. They're going back because of logistics. Right? But at some point, it becomes a believable commitment to the village. Yeah.
• 15:35
  And and that's the that's the part that I'm that I think is the interesting one. Right? Like
• 15:40
  Andy Nelson: I I just don't know where it is. I don't either.
• 15:43
  Pete Wright: I don't either. I I feel like Tex gets a good scream when Ronnie come is is dropped Ronnie's body is dropped. Yeah.
• 15:51
  Andy Nelson: And But that's like that's like the end of the movie. That's like leading into our climax. Yeah.
• 15:55
  Pete Wright: That's the yeah. Right. Is that it? Like, I came away thinking, okay. Now they're in it.
• 16:00
  Because now it's a vengeance story. Why didn't this happen at about thirty minutes in?
• 16:05
  Andy Nelson: Right. Because before that, I mean, they go up against the gangs, the the the villains, the the thieves and bandits a few times when they come to attack, and then they hold them back. And and they sneak out and take out wipe out a whole squadron or whatever. There's a whole back and forth that's going on. But I mean, I I don't get the sense that they have committed, but I also don't get the sense that, like, I I feel like they're having opportunities to sneak out and get past these guys, but never actually do.
• 16:36
  Pete Wright: Mhmm.
• 16:36
  Andy Nelson: And so that's the thing. It's like, it's it's again, I think these are issues with the film. It's it's very wishy washy in actually presenting us with any sense of reasoning or logic with the characters.
• 16:50
  Pete Wright: Yeah. There are no strong bonds, I think, except for our initial three maybe. But in the film, there are no real strong bonds that that are emotionally compelling. And that's a script thing.
• 17:05
  Andy Nelson: No. I mean, Jahan ends up falling for the the daughter of the police chief. Mhmm. So he's connected. And then, yeah, I mean, Tex does kinda fall for Zari, you know, the the hot woman who
• 17:17
  Pete Wright: Teaches him how to eat.
• 17:18
  Andy Nelson: Teaches him how to eat, go hops in the little throws him in the tub. Yeah. Few moments, there's so surprising I I don't know. Again, the fact that this is Iranian American, I was surprised that we had some of the violence and nudity that we had. You know?
• 17:35
  I was like, wow. Okay. I guess they're not too concerned with some of this at this point in time.
• 17:39
  Pete Wright: They there is some reciprocal slapping. Right? Like, Tex smacks her at one point during the dance scene when they have the drive by. When she's crying, he hits her in the face. And then he shows up in a room, and she smacks him, and he smacks her again.
• 17:56
  Like, there's a lot of smacking that feels inappropriate for people to do to each other.
• 18:02
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. When you're starting a relationship Yeah. It's And yet they I
• 18:07
  Pete Wright: mean, I guess led to
• 18:08
  Andy Nelson: speaks to a particular type of relationship that you're looking for.
• 18:12
  Pete Wright: We call that the the precoidal slap, the precoidal smack
• 18:16
  Andy Nelson: Yeah.
• 18:17
  Pete Wright: Which is which it was, you know, troublesome treatment some in some cases of the female characters. It felt very of its time.
• 18:26
  Andy Nelson: Yes. Very much so. Yeah. Very much so. We do get complications in the plot.
• 18:32
  They get to this village, and they find out that they there's a a body, a dead body, Malek, lying in the I don't know. In in like a church or temple. And he's got this big amulet on his chest. And they find out from the sheriff and his daughter that this was the leader of the bandits. He had been caught and killed and was brought back here because I guess this is where he's from.
• 18:58
  And his mother lives here, and they're gonna bury him. But these bandits are trying to steal his body. This is kind of the whole conundrum. The new leader, Nazar, James Mitchum's character, wants the body because it's like some superstition that the bandits have that the the leader has to take the body of the other leader. I I don't even remember.
• 19:21
  It's just a strange thing. They need to somehow get the body so that he can prove his leadership skills. In reality, as we find out, he he, along with Zari and along with Malik's mom, know that this amulet that he's wearing has a secret map into it in it's to like this massive treasure trove. That might be the reason that our group stays, because they find out there's treasure.
• 19:48
  Pete Wright: That is so subtle that before you said it, I'd forgotten that that was there. This was the the sequence where he says where there was a there was a discussion. He says, well, we need the body. Well, the body's buried. Well, dig him up.
• 20:03
  And then they start fighting. They go fist Right.
• 20:06
  Andy Nelson: Right. Right.
• 20:07
  Pete Wright: Seems a little out of the blue, the fist cuffs, until you remember there's a map on the amulet.
• 20:11
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Like, that's what it's all about. And Zari wants it because she wants the money. And she's, you know I I I don't know. It's an it's an interesting element.
• 20:21
  And and Nazar also, because Zari was Malik's woman, Nazar feels he has a right to have her as his woman now too. And she apparently had kind of also been his woman.
• 20:34
  Pete Wright: Mhmm.
• 20:35
  Andy Nelson: But now she doesn't want that anymore and she likes Tex. And so, yeah, again, a lot of things that are plotted, but only feel plotted. They don't feel like I'm buying into the character motivations behind any of it.
• 20:51
  Pete Wright: Yeah. That's the struggle with it. That's the struggle on in every sequence. Yeah. I I I wonder though, like, how much of this movie do you think is is built on its really kind of compelling technical effectiveness.
• 21:09
  Right? Like, certainly budget budgetary limitations. But I do think the look and the location really serve the film. There are some really interesting uses of shadow, incredibly bright highs, and very visceral darks even in the outside sequences that I think play for a a good often a good looking scene, even if what's happening in the scene is not that great.
• 21:40
  Andy Nelson: Watching this film was frustrating because the only version is a crappy four by three VHS rep of the film. Knowing that this film was shot in two three five to one aspect ratio, knowing that Nego Lesko is called the father of CinemaScope, I I can't help but feel that there's there's it's not a great film, but there's an opportunity for a restoration just so we could see how this looks. I I can imagine that this is a a kind of a beautiful looking film. Like, we're seeing some incredible landscapes. I already mentioned the Persepolis ruins.
• 22:28
  We're seeing a lot of images that clearly were shot widescreen that are now getting cropped. I didn't even notice pan and scan. The the know, it's just once you get to the credits at the end, everything gets squished because they gotta squeeze it all in there.
• 22:42
  Pete Wright: It's there are some funny sequences, though, of pan and scan. Like, because the blocking is hard to do when you have six people in a Jeep, and there'll be there's an entire sequence in the woods where you're looking at the whole crew, and I think it's the Italian who's talking, and he's in the front passenger seat, and the entire frame crops him out as he's speaking. I thought, okay. This is it. This is the problem that we're experiencing right now.
• 23:08
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Yeah. So and so that's, you know, it's a problem. It's
• 23:12
  Pete Wright: not Yeah.
• 23:12
  Andy Nelson: It's not great. And so to to your point, I do feel like there was enough in here that looked like this would be a a really surprisingly, probably good looking film for as b level as it is, if it were given the chance to actually, you know, be shown properly.
• 23:32
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Yeah. Because they they just I I think the film I I maybe I'm giving it too much credit, but I think the film takes advantage of its location really effectively. I think they they, you know, shooting in these locations across Iran, it it looks good. It looks cool.
• 23:50
  It looks compelling. It looks of a piece to the story they want to be telling here. And so I was I was definitely on team on team location shooting.
• 24:02
  Andy Nelson: Like, this is better than a backlot. It's based off the Heroes of Yuca by Michael Barrett, which was actually set in South America. It is pretty similar. It the the story sounds fairly similar. Six men in a stolen Jeep arrive at the deserted South American township of Yucca, where they find a gallows and a dead man lying in an empty church.
• 24:25
  So the story is very, very similar. It sounds like the book really kind of pulled straight or the script pulled straight from that other than perhaps that that opening Mhmm. Heist failed, heist attempt. But do you feel that that matters that we're moving this? Because I mean, yeah, Iran looks great on film here.
• 24:47
  Do you feel it matters having this moved from somewhere in South America to Iran? Or is this it's fine telling this anywhere?
• 24:55
  Pete Wright: I think it's fine telling it anywhere. I only thought about that wondering, like, this was this was really supposed to be taking place in the Old Old West, South America, Central America, you know, Old West Americana. Yeah. Because it's in Iran, and it looks so it it looks so normal to me for a western. Like, it has all of the aesthetics of of of a western film.
• 25:26
  I did not notice a lick. You tell me it was supposed to be shot in South America. Sure. I don't think it matters at all that it was that it was here. Not even a little bit.
• 25:36
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I I definitely think well, I I suppose in the scope of this seven samurai family, I mean, you can take this and kind of put it anywhere
• 25:43
  Pete Wright: Yeah.
• 25:43
  Andy Nelson: And it works. You know, whether it's a, you know, farmland, a farm planet, whether it's a, you know, little bug area, Mexico, the Old West. I think the it's kind of a it's become kind of this universal story that can be transplanted anywhere.
• 26:00
  Pete Wright: Anywhere there are bullies.
• 26:02
  Andy Nelson: Anywhere there are bullies. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it plays fine. And and shooting it in Iran gives them the opportunity, like you said, show some interesting landscape.
• 26:11
  Pete Wright: Yeah. For sure.
• 26:13
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. You that familiar with many of the cast other than Kurt Juergens?
• 26:18
  Pete Wright: You know, I'm I'm not. And I I find that strange because it feels they they feel notably familiar to me. Their the faces are notably familiar, and yet, I I look at, you know, particular Stuart Whitman. I look at his catalog, and I would not have been able to tell you that's
• 26:37
  Pete Wright: who
• 26:37
  Pete Wright: he is. He just has become a face to me, another face in Hollywood. A face of, holy smokes, a 191 credits. And yet, I I wouldn't be able to tell you a single film beside this one that he was in that I've seen.
• 26:51
  Andy Nelson: He's been in parts like in the longest day, those magnificent men and their flying machines, night of the leapfits. He was nominated for best actor for his performance in The Mark. And TV, I mean, a team, Bruce Joe County Junior. I know. Things that were just brought up last week.
• 27:11
  Yep. So, I mean, he's he is kind of very much a face who's been in a lot of things. Yeah. And so but as you said, he is kind of a that guy sort of face. And I think when you're working on a project like this, you're bringing in people like him who are are to the big names, but they're a name enough that you can call up his agent and cut a deal, and he'll fly off to Iran to make this little movie with you.
• 27:37
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Yeah. Elke Summer, shot in the dark. You know, I'm familiar with a couple of of things that she did. But I I think mostly I knew her because my parents were a big fan of Elke Summer and
• 27:52
  Andy Nelson: Oh, really?
• 27:52
  Pete Wright: Bring her up. Yeah. Occasionally. Interesting. Again, there are reasons Over a 100 credits for Elky Summer.
• 27:58
  Andy Nelson: Because of her performances, or were there other things about her that they liked so much?
• 28:02
  Pete Wright: What are you suggesting? She's a
• 28:04
  Andy Nelson: beautiful woman. I'm just saying.
• 28:06
  Pete Wright: You're suggesting that my parents are superficial? Is that what you're is that what you're suggesting? My parents only care about what somebody looks like. That's fine.
• 28:14
  Andy Nelson: That's fine.
• 28:15
  Pete Wright: That's fine. That's fine.
• 28:16
  Andy Nelson: I don't know. I don't
• 28:18
  Pete Wright: know the answer to that.
• 28:20
  Andy Nelson: It's very funny. Very funny.
• 28:22
  Pete Wright: Especially because she was she was well, I mean, I guess she was, you know, her her what were the big years of Elky Summer? Really, the the sixties, seventies?
• 28:33
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I feel like it was, you know, kind of I I am I'm very much not familiar with pretty much like her German career. Yeah. So it's for me, it really just boils down to when she started popping up in Hollywood, like those early, like, shot in the dark, things like that. So, yeah.
• 28:52
  I don't know. I I feel like she's somebody who's probably more that I thought of more like as a pin up girl sort of than her performances, you know?
• 29:03
  Pete Wright: I I think so too. I think probably so. I think my dad had a crush on Elke Summer. That's what we're saying.
• 29:09
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Could be.
• 29:10
  Pete Wright: It's it's fine. It's fine. Let's get your dad on the line.
• 29:13
  Andy Nelson: Let's try to talk to him.
• 29:14
  Pete Wright: See see what your dad thinks of Elke Summer.
• 29:18
  Andy Nelson: Do you do you know of Kurt Juergens from anything other than The Spy Who Loved Me?
• 29:22
  Pete Wright: No. I I I don't think so. Should I? Was there is there something as you're perusing the list that you think, oh, Pete's gonna be really embarrassed that he didn't think of this?
• 29:32
  Andy Nelson: No. Actually, I don't think so. But there are, you know, a few other things that I'm like, oh, right. Like, and God Created Woman is like a film that I know of. Never seen it, but I know of that movie.
• 29:47
  And so I'm like, okay. So he was
• 29:49
  Pete Wright: in that too. I mean, his top four in IMBB, I know of all of them. Battle of Britain, Longest Day, The Enemy Below, and The Spy Who Loved Me. Only one of those have I seen. I don't think I've seen any of the other three.
• 30:01
  Andy Nelson: Battle of Britain, I've seen. He was also in Battle of Noretva, which I've seen. And so, yeah, so I've seen I've seen a few a few of his. And then he was out in in Smiley's People, the miniseries.
• 30:12
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Which I did not see either. I didn't either. I didn't either. It comes very highly recommended.
• 30:18
  Andy Nelson: Yes. James Mitcham is, again, looks so much like his father. Very much kind of that laconic hang dog look that that his dad has. He has that also. Another person who I haven't seen in much.
• 30:35
  Though I'm sure I I'm sure I've seen him and stuff, you know?
• 30:40
  Pete Wright: Yeah. I I guess. I mean, he's another one where it's just a face that I know so well, probably because of his dad. And I look at his his credits. I have not I I haven't seen any of the other movies that he's in.
• 30:52
  I just know that face.
• 30:54
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I think that's it. Tulane Blacktop is probably the big one on my list of his that I've always been meaning to check that one out. I just haven't gotten around to it, but he does pop up in that as well.
• 31:04
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Young Guns of Texas seems like a thing that's been pilfered. Not a lot of great movies. Right? The the movies that he's in, if you if you peruse his rankings, the seventies, he had some sixes.
• 31:22
  He had one seven. You're right. Tulane Black top. But everything else is really in the fours and fives with some twos, which is probably why we haven't seen a whole lot. Not not of his not a lot of his stuff bubbles up to the watchable.
• 31:40
  Yeah. I have to put this on my watch list kind of territory.
• 31:44
  Andy Nelson: Right. Ian Ogilvie, he plays Ronnie. Man, he is a brutal death. Yeah. Right?
• 31:52
  Yeah.
• 31:53
  Pete Wright: Obviously, I've seen death becomes her, Wuthering Heights. Haven't seen My Life in Ruins. I, Claudius, was the TV miniseries. I didn't watch it. My mom loved it.
• 32:05
  Andy Nelson: I love I I it was a great one. Yeah. Yep. He may be best known as Simon Templar in Return of the Saint on TV when he took that over from Roger Moore.
• 32:16
  Pete Wright: Oh. Yeah. And he is still cranking them out. He's got two upcoming projects? No.
• 32:25
  Is that even possible? Apparently.
• 32:27
  Andy Nelson: He's still active. Yeah. Wow. He's a wee 82. Pete, no time to slow down.
• 32:33
  Pete Wright: No time to slow down. Yeah. Oh, he was, yeah, he was the broadcaster in Moonraker, the radio play.
• 32:41
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. He's done or actually, he was considered for James Bond. When Roger Moore was leaving, he was the guy that they were actually considering and didn't quite pan out. But, yeah, he could have been a name we very much knew had that happened.
• 32:59
  Pete Wright: I definitely like him, in this film. I think he is you you can see the charm, the charisma. You can he has a little bit of what Robert Redford has in Butch and Sundance. Right? He's got just a little bit of that wit, that charm, that sandy blondish brown hair, good looking western guy.
• 33:23
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I think that he he does great for it, you know. He's he's again, they're all they're they're not asked to do a lot in this one. No. I think he's fine.
• 33:34
  I think he's fine. You know, I had mentioned that Behrouz Vesugi is a prominent Iranian actor and also still active, also still very active. And he's been in quite a bit. I'm trying to see if there's anything that he was in that I talked about when I did my Iranian New Wave conversation over on CinemaScope.
• 33:55
  Pete Wright: Oh, right.
• 33:56
  Andy Nelson: I'm not seeing anything, but there is a film that he did called Geysar, which I know we at least discussed. We brought up, but we didn't discuss it as one of the films, specifically. But so, yeah.
• 34:10
  Pete Wright: You don't wanna try and shoehorn this into Iranian New Way of part two, do you?
• 34:15
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I'll see what my guest thinks. See if we can bring this one back in. Lon Satin is Mike. He is the mechanic of the team who sabotages Jeeps or puts them back together.
• 34:29
  Not a big career. Not a big career. He does pop into Live and Let Die and Revenge of the Pink Panther. But really, I I think it's Starlight Express on Broadway that he was probably most known for. That's one of your favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber's, isn't it?
• 34:45
  Pete Wright: Stop it right now. Stop it. I know I wore roller skates for like a month after that. We don't need to litigate that again.
• 34:54
  Andy Nelson: Oh, man.
• 34:55
  Pete Wright: Well, this was a this this was a tricky one to watch. I I think I this is the thing. Like, what I'm trying to do is figure out what is the conversation for this film in what is its place in cinema history? Right? It hasn't really risen to to importance in the cultural history of the time.
• 35:22
  It is pretty wildly dated in some places. It's you know, I I guess if I if I were more of a student, if I of post Iranian revolutionary history, it would be easier to to maybe have a cultural conversation about what this film represents. And I guess that probably is its place in ignominy ignominy. It's an ignominious kind of plat stature in cinema history because it also represents one of the worst films of one of the better directors that we haven't explored very much. Like, it it just feels like around every corner, I'm looking at this movie thinking we are missing out.
• 36:09
  We're missing out on a better version of this film, certainly a better looking version if we had the CinemaScope rip. And why did we start with one of with his last most forgettable work? That's sad. That's just sad.
• 36:26
  Andy Nelson: Well, yeah. I mean, there are reasons, but I do agree. It would be nice to do some more exploring of Negelesco just to see what else what else he's what else he's capable of.
• 36:37
  Pete Wright: I kinda think so. Isn't that funny? Where they okay. Can I just one question? They spend the whole time in the High Desert.
• 36:45
  Right? That really is where they are. Yeah. The final credit run, they're they leave the the sort of wooded area. They're in the jeep, and they take off.
• 36:57
  And it cuts from them in the jeep. There are some clouds behind them, and they turn around and they're in the snow. It is a hard, hard left turn that takes them into the unknown. They are not prepared to go into the weather that they're in right now. It's a flip of the Jurgen's flips a coin, and they turn, and they head to the mountains, and there's a ton of snow in the next cut.
• 37:24
  Andy Nelson: It's weird that I don't even remember the snow. So much snow.
• 37:27
  Pete Wright: Maybe it's not weird. Maybe it's not weird. It's not weird. No. You're okay.
• 37:31
  Andy Nelson: So much snow. This is the base. This is when they get to the base, like the bad guy's base. Right?
• 37:36
  Pete Wright: This is, like, at the very end of the movie after the shooting and everything. Oh, after they're No. Literally, when I say credits roll, I mean, the the cut in the snow Uh-huh. Is credits going up.
• 37:48
  Pete Wright: That's it.
• 37:49
  Pete Wright: Oh, okay. Gotcha. Yeah. Is well over. So weird.
• 37:52
  And now it's I mean, it is snow. It's snow drifts. It's snow packed snow on the road. It's like, that's the next cut. Where do they go?
• 38:04
  Andy Nelson: That yeah. It's strange. God, it's so strange. So strange.
• 38:09
  Pete Wright: Everything about this movie is just weird choices. I feel like, for a movie that I know I'm not gonna rate very highly, we actually spoke more highly of it than I think. I think we're we're trying to forgive it for something.
• 38:19
  Andy Nelson: Well, okay. It is worth just talking about the nature of this sort of movie because it's not a great movie. We've already discussed. It's kind of like bad, but it's not bad. Like, there are movies that I watch where I'm just like pissed that I'm watching it.
• 38:37
  I'm sitting there. I'm like, this movie is so boring. This is so stupid. Like, I I'm hating myself for still not being able to turn off a movie. Like, once I started, I have to finish the damn thing, and it's like, curse me and my stupid thing.
• 38:49
  Why can't I just let that go and just turn this bloody movie off? Because I hate it. I'm hating all of this. This isn't one of those movies. And So weird.
• 38:59
  That's the thing that like, what is it? Is it just like, is it Nego Lesko's smooth hand by the camera? Like, what is it that's keeping us or is it just the nature of this type of genre film where it's like, you know what? You know, I've talked about this a number of times. Like, are movies where it's very easy for me to just put on, like, late night in a hotel and just lay there and watch.
• 39:26
  And usually, I'm trying to fall asleep, but I can't because now I'm like in it. I'm like, this is terrible, but I can't turn it off because it's I just have to watch it now. Yeah. Yeah. This is one of those movies.
• 39:39
  So is it just the nature of just kind of like a cheesy cheap genre film that kind of like makes this play fine?
• 39:47
  Pete Wright: Well, I think that but for me, it's it's all about that the performances elevate the weak material and that this international ensemble cast has weirdly interesting chemistry. And I am curious around every corner how those two things are going to shave off the sharp image the sharp edges of really weak script material. Right? I I think that that's what I have to hang my head on for this movie. These people are charismatic and fun to watch.
• 40:24
  And the melodrama of the final act, the final shootout, is that that is actually a winning bit for me. I can't believe it.
• 40:33
  Andy Nelson: That whole final battle actually is quite fun. Yeah. Like, they mysteriously find dynamite that they never knew it was, like, in the back of their jeep. They're like, oh, look. There's all this
• 40:43
  Pete Wright: around with this the whole time?
• 40:45
  Pete Wright: You should have been more gentle.
• 40:46
  Andy Nelson: Right. So they have all this dynamite. And, yeah, it's it's kind of a fun little takeover of the base, of of Nazar's base. Yes. As they're blowing things up, they're trying to save like all these women prisoners who have been taken hostage for the men.
• 41:03
  They're trying to save them. They're trying to go after Nazar. And Giorgio has his his brutal final moment where he's he's getting attacked by that big bald muscle guy that Nizar has working for him. And then just like, basically takes the dynamite and like throws him and grabs that guy, throws themselves to the ground and boom. Mhmm.
• 41:26
  Like, there's some, like, surprisingly violent moments again throughout this movie. Yes. There are. And then, yeah, the whole thing with Nazar when he gets back to the to the place because he wants that amulet. And it is a Bonnie and Clyde ending for him as everybody in the village just shoots him.
• 41:46
  And he's hanging on to a rope like the hangman the other end of the hangman's rope, and he's just dangling there. It is, like, brutal.
• 41:54
  Pete Wright: Yes. 19,000 times. It's incredible. It's incredible. I I feel like I came into this conversation today expecting both of us to be particularly acidic about this movie.
• 42:11
  Andy Nelson: It would have been easy to be. Yeah.
• 42:12
  Pete Wright: It it would have been easy to, but I think we may we may have convinced me that I enjoyed this movie movie even more than I I did. Yeah. And that's okay because I'm not gonna watch it again.
• 42:25
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Right. I I I tell you, I would watch it again if there was an actual restoration so I could see what Nageleski was doing with the images. But
• 42:34
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Me too.
• 42:36
  Andy Nelson: Just a question. What do you think the mom's motivation? We at the end, after Malik, like so the the amulet is now been rescued. Zari is trying to get back to their village to get it, but Malik's mom has it. And she pulls the map out, looks at it, and then throws it in the fire, and then pretends she's like mourning over Nazar's body.
• 43:08
  Right. What do you and and then Zari comes up, finds the amulet empty, and realizes that she had burned it. What do you think of that ending? What is are we meant to think mom is in it for herself and she's gonna make off with all the money? Because she looks at it like she's like, I'm gonna memorize this real quick.
• 43:23
  Oh, no. Or is she just like, no. Nobody deserves this. Let it die with my son. Where's your what's your read?
• 43:30
  Pete Wright: Oh, Andy. I god. Damn.
• 43:34
  Andy Nelson: Did you not think maliciously of mom?
• 43:36
  Pete Wright: I hadn't not at all. And now it's all I can think about.
• 43:40
  Andy Nelson: That If she didn't mom look at it, I wouldn't have thought it. But she literally Totally. Opens it up and looks at it like I'm memorizing this real quick, and now I'm gonna throw in the fire.
• 43:47
  Pete Wright: Yeah. I'm gonna
• 43:48
  Pete Wright: throw in the fire. I'll be the only one who has it. Nobody else is gonna get yeah. Well, now that, of course, is all I thought. Originally, I thought, well, look at mother.
• 43:55
  She opens it up, notices that it's the map, and chooses to burn it to protect the village. Now there's they don't have anything. There's no way anybody's gonna get there. But of course, you're I'm sure you're right. She's Malik's mother.
• 44:14
  Like, of course, that's what she's going to do. I I hate that that exists in my head now.
• 44:21
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. I know. That's the sad truth.
• 44:25
  Pete Wright: Of course, I'm supposed to feel
• 44:27
  Andy Nelson: this way. The sad truth.
• 44:28
  Pete Wright: That is the sad truth. Yeah. Alright.
• 44:31
  Andy Nelson: Well, it's an interesting one. I had a fun time. I I had a fun enough time with it, surprisingly. Didn't like it, but I did have a fun enough time with it. Me too.
• 44:40
  Fun one to talk about and an interesting way to end this particular series.
• 44:45
  Pete Wright: Well, let me let me ask you. As a palate cleanser, what would you recommend is the next film that someone should watch if they like this vibe? Maybe it's a another Seven Samurai movie. Maybe it's a, you know, another Nagalescu film. Maybe it's just another film where moms betray everything for the treasure.
• 45:11
  Andy Nelson: Interesting. I am gonna go it's hard for me to seriously recommend going from this and jumping into, like, Seven Samurai or something. Like, I just don't think that that's really gonna be the vibe. If you're if you enjoyed this and you're ready for something else, I wanna say three Amikos, actually. I'm gonna say stick with stick with the theme, but do something that is is also pretty fun.
• 45:36
  I Okay. Yeah. Alright. I think that's, yeah, where I'm gonna go.
• 45:40
  Pete Wright: Ironically, I might say watch these in reverse, and and go watch Battle Beyond the Stars. Like, it's it's different enough and crazy enough. I would say that if you are exploring the movies of the seven samurai, some with some frequency, you should go back and watch seven samurai because
• 45:58
  Andy Nelson: Very true.
• 45:59
  Pete Wright: You've gotta reset expectations around what these movies are trying to do from time to time because some of them just come off the rails.
• 46:06
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. Yeah.
• 46:07
  Pete Wright: So Very true. Alright. Oh, gosh. That was fun.
• 46:10
  Andy Nelson: Fun movie. Great chatting about it. And, we'll be right back. But first, our credits.
• 46:27
  Pete Wright: The next reel is a production of True Story FM Engineering by Andy Nelson, music by Alter, The Magnetic Buzz, Dan Zaitoon, Oriole Novella, and Eli Catlin. Andy usually finds all the stats for the awards and numbers at d-numbers.com, boxofficemojo.com, imdb.com, and wikipedia.org. Find the show at truestory.fm. And if your podcast app allows ratings and reviews, please consider doing that for our show.
• 47:06
  Andy Nelson: When you're on a mission to explore the vast world of cinema, you need a reliable partner by your side, a sidekick that's always ready to help you navigate the twists and turns of the film landscape. That's where Letterboxd comes in, your trusty companion on your movie watching journey. Letterboxd is here to help you plan the perfect cinematic heist. Whether you're tracking down hidden gems or exploring the latest blockbusters, Letterboxd is your go to resource for all things movies. With Letterboxd by your side, you'll have access to a wealth of knowledge and tools to help you assemble your crew and plan your next movie watching adventure.
• 47:43
  From personalized watch list to in-depth reviews and discussions, Letterbox is your secret weapon in the quest for cinema greatness. And here's the best part. We've got an exclusive deal that's as tempting as a glittering diamond. Head over to the nextreel.com/letterbox or sign up directly on letterbox and use the code next reel to score a sweet 20% off your membership. This code works for both new sign ups and renewals so everybody can join the crew.
• 48:09
  With a letterbox pro or patron membership, you'll unlock a treasure trove of features like ad free browsing, personalized stats pages, streaming service notifications, and so much more. It's like having a master plan for your cinematic escapades all at your fingertips. So what are you waiting for? Gather your crew and join the Letterboxd community today. With Letterboxd as your trusted ally, you'll be ready to take on any movie watching mission that comes your way.
• 48:33
  Visit the nextreel.com/letterboxd, or sign up on Letterboxd now with the code next reel, and let the heist begin.
• 48:42
  Pete Wright: So you went to the Iranian Library of the Ages, and you found where they keep the budget for all the movies that they make there that are co productions, and you were able to give us some encyclopedically detailed information on the dollars.
• 49:06
  Andy Nelson: I now want a building called the Iranian Library of the Ages. Yes.
• 49:11
  Pete Wright: Yeah. It'll be in Poughkeepsie.
• 49:13
  Andy Nelson: Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. This is one of those movies that when I decided to add it to the series, I pretty much knew I would never be able to find any information on it. And sure enough, I didn't.
• 49:27
  The movie did open 06/10/1970. The other bit of trivia, I think, can help us understand how it fared a little bit. And we've talked about this some. IMDb's trivia page had this to say. Gene Nagelescu spoke of making a whole slate of film projects in Iran with this as the first film in the program.
• 49:44
  He claimed he had had talks with the Iranian government and found them enthusiastic. However, this film was poorly reviewed and a box office disaster, not released until some time after it was made, several years in the case of The UK. Nagalesco abandoned his plans at once. So there you have it, Pete. A box office disaster.
• 50:04
  Oh, well.
• 50:05
  Pete Wright: I'm I'm sad for that. Yeah. There are worse movies that have fared better.
• 50:12
  Andy Nelson: There is a whole slew of boutique distributors out there right now with quite an odd slate of films that they are restoring and re releasing. And a lot of those, I like less than this. I would say, this is something, sure. Give it a nice restoration. Put it back out there.
• 50:33
  Let people enjoy it for what it is.
• 50:36
  Pete Wright: You know what they're doing? At the sphere in Vegas. Right?
• 50:41
  Andy Nelson: Are they gonna show this? Are they doing the the three d or the the the AI expansion of the space?
• 50:46
  Pete Wright: AI expansion. Right? Like, this is a movie that if we can't find that CinemaScope or VistaVision print, there you know, that we're gonna be able to AI it probably in real time in no time. Yeah. The planet will be on fire, but we'll be able to do real time frame expansion.
• 51:04
  Andy Nelson: When they get to doing that with the Invincible six, it might just be the end of the world. Yeah.
• 51:12
  Pete Wright: Alright. One thing I would like to call out just so everybody knows behind the scenes, Andy, so that he doesn't have to be burdened with this, has completely removed my cue to ask him about award. Take that as you will. I will just say, I I can't believe I'm saying this. I enjoyed my time talking about this movie.
• 51:37
  Probably more than I enjoyed watching it, but I did enjoy it.
• 51:40
  Andy Nelson: Well, it's not a long movie. So it's an easy one to just roll by. For sure. You know? It's it's I mean, you know, we talked about like the sloppiness of that heist.
• 51:50
  We also have the really sloppy back story and flashbacks of Jahan. I'm like, is he did he just kill his wife? Who is he killing? What just happened there? Like, he's wanted for something.
• 52:01
  I couldn't figure it out. I guess when I was reading something, I guess he killed his wife's lover. I was like, I didn't even see a lover and all that. It was just, like, really poorly constructed. Like, we get a lot of that.
• 52:10
  It's a it's a rough film, but Yeah. Yeah. I still had fun with it, surprisingly. Crazy. Absolutely crazy.
• 52:20
  Pete Wright: Alright.
• 52:21
  Andy Nelson: Yep. Well, that's it. That's the end of the our conversation about this movie. That's the end of our return to our Seven Samurai family series. And next week, we kick off a very brief one film return to our Ricardo Duriem series.
• 52:35
  That's right. We are talking about our favorite Argentine actor. We're looking at Fabian Bialinski's 2005 film, The Aura. We'll be right back for our ratings.
• 52:44
  Pete Wright: Like water to a man in the desert, that Ricardo Doreen.
• 52:52
  Andy Nelson: I watched, you know, I watched that. And because I just couldn't get enough of him, I'm like, need more Doreen in my life, so I watched another of his films,
• 53:00
  Pete Wright: The Summit. I saw that. Did you like it?
• 53:04
  Andy Nelson: Less than the aura, but it's interesting. It has its moment.
• 53:23
  Pete Wright: Hi. I'm Giorgio's cousin, Marco. You probably don't remember me from the Invincible six because, well, I was in the bathroom when everyone left for the jewel heist. And honestly, was the best bathroom break of my life. While those guys were out there dodging the police, fleeing into the desert, getting shot at by the bandits, and defending a village from James Mitchum.
• 53:48
  James Mitchum playing an Iranian warlord. I I was safe at home enjoying my podcasts. Specifically, I joined the Next Real Family of Film Podcasts membership program. For just $5 a month or $55 a year, I get access to five amazing film podcasts. The Next Real, that's this one, Sitting in the Dark, The Film Board, CinemaScope, and Movies We Like.
• 54:14
  I get bonus episodes.
• 54:16
  Pete Wright: I get early access and ad free versions.
• 54:18
  Pete Wright: I get my own personal podcast feed. I feel so special. I get access to the live stream recordings and exclusive Discord channels if you want to get your chat on. Plus, and this is key, nobody shoots at me. Sure.
• 54:33
  Those guys got to be heroes and everything, but I got to avoid heat stroke in the Iranian Desert and directly support the podcast that I love. So you head to truestory.fm/join. That's truestory.fm/join and become a member today just like I did. Trust me. It is way better than defending a village.
• 54:57
  Sorry, tax. It's just way better.
• 55:02
  Pete Wright: Letterboxd, Andrew. We are talking about Letterboxd, and that's where we put our stars and our hearts over at letterbox.com/the next reel. It's where you can find our HQ page. And today, we are going to assign probably hearts and some stars to this movie. What are you gonna do?
• 55:21
  Andy Nelson: Yeah. This is you talked about this last week when you were wanting to rate Battle Beyond the Stars, I think, star and a heart and didn't. But I feel like this is this is this is really the sort of film that ends up warranting that. Is it one star? Is it two stars?
• 55:40
  I'm gonna actually say one and a half stars. But I am gonna also give it a heart because, yeah, this was a weirdly fun movie. It just is such a mess, but I didn't I did enjoy my time with it.
• 55:54
  Pete Wright: I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm, yes, going to give it a heart. That's settled science. But I am going to actually half up you by giving it the full two star treatment. Two stars in a heart for the Invincible Six.
• 56:09
  Maybe only after our conversation have I come to this realization Yeah. That it's two star worthy.
• 56:17
  Andy Nelson: Wow. Hey, you know, who it's it is entertaining. It's an easy watch. Terrible, but easy. Yeah.
• 56:26
  Pete Wright: That's it.
• 56:27
  Andy Nelson: Well, that averages out to 1.75, which rounds to two stars and a heart. And you can find that over on our account on Letterbox at the next reel. You can find me there at Soda Creek Film, and you can find Pete there at Pete Wright. So what did you think about the Invincible six? I'd love to know that somebody else actually watched it.
• 56:46
  Give it a try. Let us know what you think. Hop into the ShowTalk channel over at the Discord community where we will be talking about the movie this week. When the movie ends, our conversation begins.
• 57:12
  Pete Wright: Letterbox giveth Andrew.
• 57:14
  Andy Nelson: As Letterboxd always doeth.
• 57:16
  Pete Wright: Not a lot of choices this week. Not a lot of choices.
• 57:20
  Andy Nelson: That's very true. The film has been marked as seen by a total of 64 people over on Letterboxd. Yeah. And of those, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve people have written a review.
• 57:37
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Not very many.
• 57:38
  Andy Nelson: Not very many.
• 57:39
  Pete Wright: And yet, we have we have found reviews, Andy. Would you like to kick us off?
• 57:43
  Andy Nelson: I would love to kick us off. I went for the same rating that I did, although no heart. Amos Healy, one and a half, says this feels like a random VHS movie your grandma would have.
• 57:59
  Pete Wright: Why your grandma? I know. My grandma would not have trucked
• 58:03
  Andy Nelson: for this movie. This would not have been one my grandma would have had. No. I just love the fact that Amos' grandma might have.
• 58:10
  Pete Wright: Yeah. That actually does tell us a lot about Amos' grandma.
• 58:14
  Andy Nelson: Not only that, but also the fact that Amos assumes from the fact that his grandma would have this, that everybody's grandma would have this on VHS.
• 58:24
  Pete Wright: Yeah. Wow. That is some next level presumption.
• 58:29
  Andy Nelson: Right?
• 58:30
  Pete Wright: Well, I've got one from Mehdi Chamet with the two and a half stars. This is what industry means. Someday you wake up with the ring bell of some postman who brought you the script of the latest Jean Negulesco movie based on seventh Samurai with elements of western genre, which will be shot in your home country, Iran. And you'll be costarring Stuart Whitman, and, of course, your people can watch it in theaters. Man, I really miss those days.
• 59:01
  Today's cinema is just governmental sack of poop. Long live Beirouz Vashoggi. Long live Film Farsi. Long live industry.
• 59:12
  Andy Nelson: Look at that. A little celebration of Iranian cinema. I love it. I love it. Yeah.
• 59:19
  Pete Wright: Glad we did this movie, Andy. Me too. Me too. Yeah. Long live industry.
• 59:25
  Thanks a lot. Long live Letterboxd.