Ben Carruthers Movies
- 1971
George Lazenby (of On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Kentucky Fried Movie) stars in Universal Soldier. Lazenby plays an adventurer for hire who returns to London after several years of excitement. He tries to settle down to a "respectable" existence, but discovers he can't shake his past. Eventually he is overwhelmed by echoes (both real and imaginary) of his previous exploits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
Not a sequel to Richard Harris' A Man Called Horse as is sometime alleged, 1971's Man in the Wilderness nonetheless bears a marked resemblance to that earlier film. Star Harris plays a trapper who joins a Northwest Territory expeditionary group. Left for dead after running afoul of a grizzly bear, Harris struggles to regain his strength and exact vengeance against John Huston, the man who deserted him. Flashbacks reveal who Harris is and how he's come to this. Man in the Wilderness alternates between a blood-spattered retribution tale and a gutsy one-man show for frostbitten Richard Harris. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, John Huston, (more)
- 1968
This film takes a decidedly satirical look at the inner workings of the gangster underworld. Alfred Lowell (Ben Carruthers) is a washed-up actor sent to London to take care of some mob business. Alfred's mind is not on his job, as he prefers to probe his past for the reasons why he has failed as a thespian. He entertains thoughts of suicide, but his involvement in the gang prevents him from ending his life. This appears to be the only full-length feature to emerge from Holland in 1968. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Carruthers, Al Mancini, (more)
- 1968
A desperate group of convicts stage a minor riot to divert attention in an escape attempt. Red (Gene Hackman) and two others perpetrate the uprising, but word has leaked out and the riot is quickly changed into a symbolic protest against prison conditions and alleged cruelty by sadistic guards. Cully (Jim Brown) is the convict who is caught up in the riot of which he had no prior knowledge. As the prisoners take over the institution, a drunken party is hosted by two homosexuals in drag. The prisoners set up a mock court in which prison informers and guards are tried, convicted and brutally punished. Knives slash, fists fly and blood is spilled leading to the return of the vacationing warden. Red becomes the media spokesman for the group as the siege continues and the prisoners administer their own macabre brand of justice to those found guilty. The film is based on an actual riot that took place in Minnesota, an event that is chronicled in the novel by Frank Elli. An aura of authenticity is provided by real-life warden Frank A. Eyman, who added his personal experience to the realistic prison escape saga. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Brown, Gene Hackman, (more)
The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Porter, Suzanna Leigh, (more)
- 1967
A super spy must simultaneously help some secret agents and the daughter of a mad professor in this James Bond spoof. The professor is pursued by Russian and US agents because he has invented a weapon that neutralizes nuclear arms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this eccentric independent comedy filmed in Chicago, Frank (Jon Voight) is a hayseed who heads north to the big city of Chicago, only to run afoul of gangsters and wind up murdered. Frank soon finds himself resurrected as a virtuous superhero, Fearless Frank, but a mad scientist (Severn Darden) soon crafts an evil twin, False Frank, to do his sinister bidding. Monique Van Vooren plays Plethora, one of the gangster's molls, and novelist Nelson Algren appears as Needles; much of the supporting cast was drawn from the Second City comedy troupe, including David Steinberg and Ben Carruthers. Frank's Greatest Adventure was the first solo directorial credit for Philip Kaufman and the screen debut for Jon Voight, though it would not receive wide distribution until after his breakthrough role in Midnight Cowboy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Monique Van Vooren, (more)
- 1967
The good news is that at last a scientist has discovered a way to disarm all the nuclear weapons in the world. The bad news is that he doesn't have altruistic intentions with regard to his new invention. Fortunately for fans of somewhat (?!) improbable spy movies, the professor is being sought by agents of both the Russians and the Americans, among others. The evil old professor has been keeping his daughter under wraps, almost a prisoner. He has also been keeping a mysterious sea monster in a pool on his estate, for reasons which remain unclear. What is clear is that somehow the professor's daughter will be saved, he will come to a bad end, and the world will be saved yet again from mad scientists. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-France Boyer, Ben Carruthers, (more)
Director Robert Aldrich took what he considered a hopelessly old-fashioned script by Lukas Heller and Nunnally Johnson and fashioned The Dirty Dozen into one of MGM's biggest moneymakers of the 1960s--and the sixth highest-grossing film in the studio's history. Lee Marvin plays Major Reisman, assigned to coordinate a suicide mission on a French chateau held by top Nazi officers. Since no "normal" GI can be expected to volunteer for this mission, Reisman is compelled to draw his personnel from a group of military prisoners serving life sentences. This "dirty dozen" includes a sex pervert (Telly Savalas), a psycho (John Cassavetes), a retarded killer (Donald Sutherland), and the equally malevolent Charles Bronson, Trini Lopez, Jim Brown, and Clint Walker. On the dim promise of receiving pardons if they survive, the criminals undergo a brutal training program, then are marched behind enemy lines dressed as Nazi soldiers, the better to overtake the chateau and kill everyone in it--including the innocent wives and mistresses of the German officers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, (more)
- 1965
This plodding and pretentious film finds Keve (Keve Hjelm) as a self-proclaimed cinematic genius visited by American actor Ben Carruthers (playing himself). Although Carruthers is there to appear in Hjelm's next film, the director spends his time flying his kite in beautiful Southern Sweden. Director Bo Widerberg was obviously influenced by Fellini's 8 1/2 in making the feature. The saving grace of this film are the beautifully photographed and erotic love scenes. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keve Hjelm, Eva-Britt Strandberg, (more)
Based on a novel by Richard Hughes, this drama takes an unusual look at both seafaring pirates and the true nature of children. The Thorntons, a British family living in Jamaica, decide to pull up stakes and sail back to England after Frederick Thornton (Nigel Davenport) and his wife (Isabel Dean) decide that life in the Caribbean is having a negative effect on her children's sense of order and discipline. While returning home, their ship is attacked by Capt. Chavez (Anthony Quinn), who along with his first mate Zac (James Coburn), begins to loot the ship for valuables. However, in the midst of the confusion of the pirate raid, the Thornton children scurry onto the pirate ship, and it's not until they've left the other ship behind that Chavez and Zac discover that they have new passengers. While most of the pirates are unenthusiastic about having a pack of kids on board, Chavez declares that they must be allowed to stay on board until they can be taken to a safe port. As they get to know each other, Chaven develops a soft spot for the children, especially ten-year-old Emily (Deborah Baxter), but in time, the kids' mischievous playfulness begins to transform itself into something more sinister. The supporting cast includes Dennis Price, Lila Kedrova, and Gert Frobe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, (more)
- 1964
Jonas Mekas wrote, produced, directed, and photographed this arty experimental study of the beatnik movement in America. A bleak portrait of modern existentialism and despair, Guns of the Trees tells the story of young Barbara (Francis Stillman), who is desperately trying to find some value in her life but is weighed down by depression. She seeks solace in the church but instead is met by Gregory (Adolfas Mekas), an intellectual who seems to have an even worse opinion of life than she does. For a time, she seems close to rescue by Ben and Argus (Ben Carruthers and Argus Carruthers) a married couple who seem to have found genuine value in life through each other. Ultimately, they cannot save her from her own despair. This beat portrayal of angst is interspersed with poetry readings and rather blatant symbology. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adolfas Mekas, Ben Carruthers, (more)
Vincent Bruce (Warren Beatty) is a Korean War veteran who becomes an occupational therapist in a private mental hospital that cares for wealthy, schizophrenic clientele. He slowly begins to fall for Lilith Arthur (Jean Seberg), a patient who is mentally locked in her own little world. Vincent eventually begins his own psychological disintegration over his feelings for the woman and asks for help. Watch for early career performances from Olympia Dukakis and Gene Hackman in this depressing psychodrama. This was the final film from the gifted director Robert Rossen, who died in 1966. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg, (more)
The Hebrew prophet Elijah (played by Lou Gilbert) comes from Lake Michigan--rather than Gilead of Biblical legend--into the city of Chicago in the appearance of an elderly tramp. He proceeds to wander about, coming into contact with various characters and their assorted problems. Among those who meet him are a sculptor, the sculptor's pregnant ex-girlfriend, a violinist/beggar and the like. Even the Chicago author Nelson Algren appears onscreen as himself, pondering the difficult choices an artist must face. After his many adventures throughout the city of Chicago, Elijah vanishes back into the lake. Though interpretations of this work vary, it is most likely a retelling of the Biblical story in modern times. Regardless of symbolism or metaphor, Goldstein successfully captured the attention of critics at the time of its release. This was the first film for screenwriters/directors Benjamin Manaster and Philip Kaufman. Kaufman would go on to direct and/or write such critically acclaimed features such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Right Stuff (1983) and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Gilbert, Thomas Erhart, (more)
Shadows was John Cassavetes' first directorial effort. Like his later critically acclaimed films Faces and Husbands, Cassavetes fills the screen with probing, unflattering closeups. Unlike his other films, however, Shadows zips along at 87 minutes, avoiding the pitfall of putting the director's nonfans to sleep. The film is a straightforward account of a biracial romance (a far less common film subject in 1960 than today). Light-skinned African-American Lelia Goldoni falls in love with a white man Anthony Ray, who spurns her when he meets the rest of her family. Far from subtle, Shadows benefits from the undisciplined energy of its direction and the excellence of its individual performances. Costing a scant $40,000 (less than the average half hour TV episode of the era), Shadows won the Critic's Award at the Cannes Film Festival and led to more expensive studio assignments for John Cassavetes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lelia Goldoni, Ben Carruthers, (more)
