Saturday, June 28, 2014

The Scream of the Butterfly (1965)

After David runs over Marla with his car, their story is told via flashback while the District Attorney, Prosecutor, and Public Defender discuss the case, and debate about whether to make a deal or really put the screws to guilty old David. The Public Defender thinks none of this would have occurred if Marla weren't such a skank.

Twelve days after meeting, gold digging tramp Marla married rich simpleton Paul.  A few days into the  honeymoon, business calls Paul back to the office. So Marla goes to the beach alone and meets David, a Lothario punk who owns a stupid hat.

Soon Marla is spending all her time at the beach rolling on the sand with David. After a long day of cheating on her husband, she is disappointed to find Paul has returned.  Oh Paul, you poor deluded fool, but then again, you shouldn't leave your wife by herself on your honeymoon.

More trouble is brewing for Paul as Marla decides that it would be a good idea to murder him. That way she can have all his money plus her new man David.  But Marla doesn't know that David has been keeping secrets from her, and Christian, the older semi-drunk man at the bar, is one of them.

Ray Dennis Steckler was the cameraman, which is appropriate since this movie is similar to his movies.  The dialogue is awkward, the acting isn't that good, and sometimes it's boring.  But I'm all for any movie which has sixties bands and club scenes. Another plus is that the guy who played Paul also appeared in Steckler's, "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Become Mixed Up Zombies."


Ridiculous dialogue-

Public Defender - And believe me, when I get through with him the whole word will know that he was such a gunboat in bed that this wife would rather have a fairy."

Bill (to Paul) - You're the luckiest guy I've ever seen.
Other Guy - You'll never beat him, Bill. He's too lucky.

Christian - This is like a bad play, all about a strange triangle with four people.

Marla - You don't even know what you're doing. Look at you. The great lover. You don't even know which side of the fence to walk on.

David - Christian! Christian! I got her to shut up!


I can't believe he landed a chick while wearing a Gilligan hat. 
Reaching toward the camera? This shot is so Steckler.
Lift a bottle of wine, find a head.
Flat top in 1965? The very definition of squaresville.
I never knew pouring burning hot sand on
someones chest was an aphrodisiac.
I don't know if I'm more distracted by Paul's pajamas,
or the amazing horse lamp next to the bed.
Let's see.... flat topped Paul in his patterned pj's? Or David?
Well that's not a pretty face.

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