Jo Anna Kneeland Movies
- 1976
Walter Slezak plays Dr. Coppelius in this misleading titled fantasy feature. Not a horror flick as one might assume, The Mysterious House of Dr. C is a respectable adaptation of Ted and JoAnna Kneeland's ballet Coppelia. The non-dancing Slezak plays a daffy but essentially decent inventor who creates a "clockwork girl," who comes to life in the form of lovely American ballet star Claudia Corday. As the life-sized doll Swanilda, Corday is paired with Caj Selling of the Royal Swedish Ballet. A few beguiling animated sequences add icing to this spooky but nonthreatening confection. Mysterious House of Dr. C was one of a handful of films produced by Samuel Bronston after his fall from grace as King of the Historical Epics (El Cid, Fall of the Roman Empire, et. al.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Slezak, Claudia Corday, (more)
- 1971
- R
Sexual situations abound throughout this Italian/English language film, which uses many quickly shown images (montage) to further the mood and the story. Nino Castelnuovo is Mario, the boyfriend from hell, who consigns his girlfriend Licia (Adrienne La Russa) to a whorehouse for an evening in order to get the photographic goods with which to blackmail her father (Rossano Brazzi). To get her out of the way, Licia is then consigned to a mental hospital by her father. When she goes genuinely insane, she is released. Revenge for all this mistreatment is the order of the day. No one escapes Licia's tricks as she uses sex, psychological torture and murder to get even. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The grand ballet Coppelia is familiar to most dedicated dance aficionados. This film uses the music and some of the story of the ballet but focuses on the inventor of the marvelous mechanical doll of the story, Dr. Coppelius (played by actor Walter Slezak), rather than on the doll itself, Coppelia. However, a substantial portion of the original ballet is incorporated into the story, most notably by Claudia Corday of the Harkness Ballet as Coppelia, and Caj Selling of the Royal Swedish Ballet as Franz. The orchestra and corps de ballet of the Gran Teatro del Liceo de Barcelona provides the essential musical and dance support. If reports are correct, this film adapts the original ballet into something approaching a musical comedy format. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Slezak, Claudia Corday, (more)
