Gas-s-s-s: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 60: | Line 60: | ||
<blockquote>When Roger left for Europe to shoot ''[[Von Richthofen and Brown]]'' for [[United Artists]], he turned over the rough cut to us. Jim [Nicholson] and I viewed it, and realized it needed substantial work. We so informed Roger, who didn't disagree... Roger's handpicked editors eliminated lines, entire scenes, and even one of the leading characters in the film. They also cut out a final shot that Roger adored, in which he positioned the leading man, his lady, and three hundred extras on a mesa... The camera panned back while the words of God were heard in a voice-over. For some reason, the voice of God had an accent. Roger thought it was one of the most spectacular shots of his film career. The editors thought it belonged on the cutting room floor, which was right where they left it... We had tried, but the editors just couldn't save the picture.<ref name="sam">Samuel Z Arkoff, ''Flying Through Hollywood by the Seat of My Pants''</ref></blockquote> |
<blockquote>When Roger left for Europe to shoot ''[[Von Richthofen and Brown]]'' for [[United Artists]], he turned over the rough cut to us. Jim [Nicholson] and I viewed it, and realized it needed substantial work. We so informed Roger, who didn't disagree... Roger's handpicked editors eliminated lines, entire scenes, and even one of the leading characters in the film. They also cut out a final shot that Roger adored, in which he positioned the leading man, his lady, and three hundred extras on a mesa... The camera panned back while the words of God were heard in a voice-over. For some reason, the voice of God had an accent. Roger thought it was one of the most spectacular shots of his film career. The editors thought it belonged on the cutting room floor, which was right where they left it... We had tried, but the editors just couldn't save the picture.<ref name="sam">Samuel Z Arkoff, ''Flying Through Hollywood by the Seat of My Pants''</ref></blockquote> |
||
==Reception== |
==Reception== |
||
The film premiered in New York as part of a retrospective on Roger Corman's work.<ref>Film Retrospective to Honor Kazan |
|||
By A. H. WEILER. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 27 Jan 1971: 32. </ref> |
|||
According to [[Samuel Z. Arkoff]], "when ''Gas-s-s-s'' was released, it was promoted with ads that proclaimed, 'Invite a few friends over to watch the end of the world.' The picture didn't make any money."<ref name="sam"/> |
According to [[Samuel Z. Arkoff]], "when ''Gas-s-s-s'' was released, it was promoted with ads that proclaimed, 'Invite a few friends over to watch the end of the world.' The picture didn't make any money."<ref name="sam"/> |
||
It was the last film Corman directed for AIP, although he went on to produce ''[[Boxcar Bertha]]'' for them. |
It was the last film Corman directed for AIP, although he went on to produce ''[[Boxcar Bertha]]'' for them. |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
*''[[Jeremiah (TV series)|Jeremiah]]'', a 2002 TV series set in a [[post-apocalyptic]] future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus (based on the 1979 Belgian [[Jeremiah (comics)|comic book of the same name]]). |
*''[[Jeremiah (TV series)|Jeremiah]]'', a 2002 TV series set in a [[post-apocalyptic]] future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus (based on the 1979 Belgian [[Jeremiah (comics)|comic book of the same name]]). |
||
Revision as of 10:43, 4 December 2014
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2013) |
| Gas-S-S-S | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Written by | George Armitage |
| Produced by | Roger Corman |
| Starring | Robert Corff Elaine Giftos George Armitage Alex Wilson |
| Cinematography | Ron Dexter |
| Edited by | George Van Noy |
| Music by | Country Joe & the Fish Barry Melton |
Production company | San Jacinto Productions |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 79 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Gas-s-s-s (also known as Gas! or It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It) is a 1970 motion picture produced and released by American International Pictures. It was producer Roger Corman's final film for AIP, after a long association. He was unhappy because AIP made several cuts to the film without his approval, including removing the final shot where God commented on the action - a shot which Corman regarded as one of the greatest he had made in his life.[1]
The movie is a post-apocalyptic dark comedy, about survivors of an accidental military gas leak, of an experimental agent that kills everyone on Earth over the age of twenty-five. (A cartoon title sequence shows a John Wayne-esque Army General announcing — and denouncing — the "accident"; the story picks up after the victims have died.)
The lead characters, Coel and Cilla, were played by Robert Corff and Elaine Giftos, and the cast features Ben Vereen, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort and Talia Shire (credited as "Tally Coppola") in early roles. Country Joe McDonald makes an appearance, as spokesman "AM Radio".
Plot
In Dallas, at the Southern Methodist University, news comes in about a gas which has escaped from a military facility. It starts killing everyone over 25.
Hippie Coel meets and falls in love with Cilla. They discover a Gestapo like police force will be running Dallas and flee into the country.
Their car is stolen by some cowboys. They then meet music fan Marissa, her boyfriend Carlos, Hooper his girlfriend Coralee. Marissa leaves Carlos who finds a new girlfriend. They meet Edgar Allen Poe who drives around on a motorbike with a girl on the back.
They have an encounter with some bikers who play golf.
The gang attend a dance and concert where AM Radio is performing, and passes on messages from God. Coel sleeps with Zoe but Cilla is not jealous.
Coel, Cilla and their friends arrive at a peaceful commune where it seems humankind can start fresh. Then a football team attacks them.
Eventually God intervenes. Coel and Cilla are reunited with all their friends, and there is a big party where everyone gets along.
Cast
- Robert Corff as Coel
- Elaine Giftos as Cilla
- Bud Cort as Hooper
- Talia Shire as Coralee
- Ben Vereen as Carlos
- Cindy Williams as Marissa
- Alex Wilson as Jason
- George Armitage as Billy the Kid
- Country Joe McDonald as AM Radio
- Pat Patterson as Demeter
Production
Corman says filming commenced using a first draft, which was rewritten constantly throughout the shoot.[1]
Post Production Controversy
Roger Corman was angry what AIP did to the film. He later wrote:
I ended the film with a spectacular shot from on top of the mesa, with a view sixty, seventy miles to the horizon... God, who was a running character throughout the film, made his final comments on what went on...There must have been three hundred people on top of that mesa. It was one of the greatest shots I ever achieved in my life. And AIP cut out the entire shot. They ended the picture on the couple's cliched kiss - because they didn't like what God was saying. The picture ended and made no sense... Final cut approval had never been put in writing at AIP. It was more a tacit agreement... AIP had grown into the biggest independent in the U.S. It was now a publicly held company. The more irreverent the film, the greater the financial risk... Jim [Nicholson] had grown conservative and it was his objections to my work that lead to the cuts. Jim had done this on four films in a row. [Gas-s-s-s was] the one that really did it for me.[1]
Samuel Z. Arkoff of AIP had a different version:
When Roger left for Europe to shoot Von Richthofen and Brown for United Artists, he turned over the rough cut to us. Jim [Nicholson] and I viewed it, and realized it needed substantial work. We so informed Roger, who didn't disagree... Roger's handpicked editors eliminated lines, entire scenes, and even one of the leading characters in the film. They also cut out a final shot that Roger adored, in which he positioned the leading man, his lady, and three hundred extras on a mesa... The camera panned back while the words of God were heard in a voice-over. For some reason, the voice of God had an accent. Roger thought it was one of the most spectacular shots of his film career. The editors thought it belonged on the cutting room floor, which was right where they left it... We had tried, but the editors just couldn't save the picture.[2]
Reception
The film premiered in New York as part of a retrospective on Roger Corman's work.[3]
According to Samuel Z. Arkoff, "when Gas-s-s-s was released, it was promoted with ads that proclaimed, 'Invite a few friends over to watch the end of the world.' The picture didn't make any money."[2]
It was the last film Corman directed for AIP, although he went on to produce Boxcar Bertha for them.
See also
- Jeremiah, a 2002 TV series set in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus (based on the 1979 Belgian comic book of the same name).
References
- ^ a b c Roger Corman & Jim Jerome, How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never lost a Dime, Muller, 1990 p 166 Cite error: The named reference "roger" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Samuel Z Arkoff, Flying Through Hollywood by the Seat of My Pants
- ^ Film Retrospective to Honor Kazan By A. H. WEILER. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 27 Jan 1971: 32.
External links
- Gas-s-s-s at IMDb
- Gas-s-s-s at AllMovie
- Review of film at New York Times
- Gas-s-s-s at Grindhouse Database
- Review of film at AV Club
- Review of film at Variety
 | This science fiction film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This film article about a 1970s comedy film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |