HARLEQUIN (1980)
Label: 88 FilmsRegion Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Cert.15
Duration: 96 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD (2.39:1)
Audio: English PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Simon Wincer
Cast: David Hemmings, Robert Powell, Carmen Duncan, Broderick Crawford
Synopsis: For fans of Ozploitation it is the likes of MAD MAX (1980) or even the trash-tastic TURKEY SHOOT (1982) that may first pop into many a horror hound's mind - however, the cycle offered so much more and never is this clearer than with the surrealist shocks of HARLEQUIN (1980) a true genre standout that was also released under the more ominous moniker of DARK FORCES. In this oddball mix of sci-fi, horror and political espionage (yes, you read that right) a mysterious healer appears in the abode of a leading American senator who finds that his terminally ill son is quickly cured of his leukaemia. The appreciative politician opts to keep this puzzling presence around... although all is not as it seems. With a cast that includes such acclaimed thespians as Robert Powell (TOMMY) and David Hemmings (DEEP RED), the thrills come thick and fast in this genuine curiosity that, once seen, is hard to forget - exactly what one might expect from a script penned by the legendary Ozploitation hand Everett De Roche (LONG WEEKEND, PATRICK, ROAD GAMES, FORTRESS)!
The somewhat surreal political thriller Harlequin (1980) begins with Deputy Governor Eli Steele spearfishing in coastal waters when he goes missing, neveragain to resurface, despite being surrounded by secret police. In his absence Senator Nick Rast (David Hemmings, Deep Red) is moved into a position of power, at home Nick's wife Sandra (Carmen Duncan, Turkey Shoot) grows distant from her husband who has been increasingly consumed by political aspirations. At home she cares for their terminally ill son Alex (Mark Spain, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome), but she's been informed by the family physician that further treatments will only prolong the boy's suffering. Enter a mysterious Rasputin-type character named Gregory Wolfe (Robert Powell, Asylum) who infiltrates the senator's guarded compound disguised as a party clown during the boy's birthday party, seemingly curing the boy's illness with the wave of his hands. Wolfe fast forms a friendship with the young boy, andsoon begins romancing his attrractive mother. The senator doesn't really raise an eyebrow about any of this, being distracted himself with his own side-lover and career aspirations, aligning himself with dark political forces who would rather the influence of Wolfe be eliminated.
This is a 80's modern Rasputin sort of story, with the magical healer casting a strange spell over the family, a multi-faceted political thriller filtered through weird fantasy, it's a weird mix but I found it refreshing in how odd it was. Powell is really channeling his inner David Bowie here as the mysterious healer, and Hemmings does good work as the conflicted politician, he's not the most attentive family man but he comes off as more a cog in the wheel in the service of bad men, more so than straight-up evil. The story has some nice intrigue and melodrama about it, the performances are strong, but also a little strange, owing the strange mix of political intrigue and surreal fantasy. The special effects are a little wonky at times, a lot of the optical special effects are sorely dated, but also charming in their own vintage way/ It's hard not to love it when Wolfe throws a cymbal at a pigeon perched atop a man's head at a party, slicing it in half!
Audio/Video: Harlequin (1980) arrives on Blu-ray from 88 Films in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen - it looks faithful to the source, filmic but inherently soft with heavily filtered lensings. The source here looks to be a print, or at something less than original film elements, so there's only so much to be done with it. It leans towards the softer side and doesn't have a lot of depth and clarity, but is still considerably sharper and cleaner than my Elite DVD version of the film, released under the alternate release title of Dark Forces.
Audio comes by way of an English PCM 2.0 stereo, the track is solid if unremarkable, very minor hiss can be heard in the track at times, dialogue is typically clear though a few lines of spoken dialogue can be lost in a few of the action sequences when things get slightly chaotic. The Brian May (Nightmares) score sounds very good in the mix, optional English subtitles are provided.
Special features kick off with a vintage audio commentary with director Simon Wincer and producer Antony Ginnane, speaking about the influence of Rapsutin the Mad Monk and the real-life disappearance of an Australian Prime Minister on the story. They also touch on the cast and producing the film and putting it into context of where the Aussie film scene was at during this time.
Cult-film writer/critic Kim Newman shows up to discuss the exploitation cinema of Australia in the wake of Mad Max, and the body of work by writer Everett De Rocha in particular. It's a sort of meandering conversation as his usually are, but I do love hearing him wax-on about cult-cinema, always a welcome presence, describing Powell's turns as a Rasputin performance with a bit of Charles Manson thrown in.
We also get a vintage six-minute interview with Robert Powell and David Hemmings with Hemmings pointing out the similarities to the Rasputin story, plus fifty-minutes of extended interviews with Director Simon Wincer, Producer Antony I Ginnane, Screenwriter Everett de Roche, and Actor Gus Mercurio from Mark Hartley's Not Quite Hollywood doc. The last of the disc extras is a trailer for the film.
Special Features:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase [First Print Run Only]
- Limited Edition Booklet notes by Calum Waddell [First Print Run Only]
- Destruction From Down Under, An Ozploitation Retrospective: Interview with Kim Newman (15 Min)
- Archive Interview with Robert Powell and David Hemmings (6 min)
- Audio Commentary with Director Simon Wincer and Producer Antony I. Ginnane
- Cast and Crew Interviews with Director Simon Wincer, Producer Antony I Ginnane, Screenwriter Everett de Roche, Actor Gus Mercurio (50 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD
Harlequin (1980) is a tough slice of ozploitation to nail down, it's not the over-the-top actioner or bloodfest you might expect from an ozploitation film, it's a quirky political intrigue movie with fantasy leanings, it's an oddball mixture but the film did cast a bit of a spell on me. The new region-free Blu-ray from 88 Films looks and sounds good, the extras are probably a little better than the actual film in my opinion, but if you're looking for something a little bit different the film delivers just that.
