Condorman (1981) in Classic Disney Scares Forum

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Condorman (1981)

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hermanthegerm	Condorman (1981)	Lead	[-]
Jun 14 12 3:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Made on the heels of the success of Superman (1978) and not afraid to drop names, this is not quite a superhero film. It is more akin to a 007 spy film, even if at times it resembles the Pink Panther films, being filmed in several European locations and even with music by Henry Mancini. A better photographer and a better director could have done wonders with just that. The first event in an Istanbul cafe is quite close to a Clouseau movie, but it quickly distances itself from that feel. The film was quite ambitious for that Disney period, with lots of potentially exciting chases (which never quite get there,) we get custom spy cars & a Rolls-Royce chase, laser shooting speedboats, a sky lift escape, a helicopter and a mechanical wing contraption, which sometimes works and sometimes does not. Oliver Reed as the villain is an absolute mess, but the two male leads (Michael Crawford and James Hampton) have a quirky relationship that brings to mind The Greatest American Hero (also 1981) down to even having a toothy lead with curly blond hair. Too bad there is no chemistry with Barbara Carrera. While the description might superficially resemble Kick-Ass (2010), the movie features a comic book artist living out his heroic fantasies, one has really nothing to do with the other. The animated title sequence is by Richard Williams? The DVD has no end credits. "There is a lot of money tied up in this film and people expect to hear a boom when something blows up, so I'll give them a boom." George Lucas as quoted by Harlan Ellison's WATCHING Last Edited By: hermanthegerm Jun 14 12 3:50 PM. Edited 4 times.
reddog122		#1	[-]
Jun 22 12 6:49 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	hermanthegerm wrote: A better photographer and a better director could have done wonders with just that. Not to mention a better script. The pits
Scathach80		#2	[-]
Jan 1 13 8:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The original 1966 novel by Sheckley had a more Van Wyck Mason/Eric Ambler/Helen MacInnes feel. One could contigently posit that Disney Studios had an option for it, put it on the backburner, but quickly rushed it into production, anticipating that Star Wars (Flash Gordon derivative) and Superman would inspire numerous comic strip/comic book influenced films. (Disney acted a bit prematurely; as I have noted in other threads, the exhaustion of less bizarre adventure films did not occur till a tad bit later.) Of course, Disney now has committed itself to adaptations of actual comic book properties. http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/reply/850756/Hollywood-Reporter-Zack-Snyder-directing-new-Superman-movie#reply-850756 This film, Condorman, came out the year after Hero At Large with John Ritter. Check my list for the numerous other such films (where someone emulates a comic strip or comic book property). Espionage films seem dominated by rather outlandish scenarios anyway. Not too many prominent espionage films received R-ratings or try to stay relatively grounded, especially in recent years (i.e. since 1999 or so). Cultural sensitivity plays into this situation. Jeff Rovin once stated that an Australian series had the same premise, down to the same civilian name for the protagonist. Last Edited By: Scathach80 Jan 3 13 6:50 PM. Edited 3 times.
Grant		#3	[-]
Jan 3 13 9:47 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"This is not quite a superhero film. It is more akin to a 007 spy film." Is there a thread for movies or shows or whatever that are real hybrids of the two things? The obvious one to me is always "Argoman / The Incredible Paris Incident" - that much more than ones like "Superargo," because Argoman's other identity (instead of being a "Clark Kent") is a jet-setter with a flippant attitude, putting that one right into Bond territory. And because (unlike Diabolik etc.) he makes more of a point of causing trouble for bad people, instead of anyone he feels like (even if he gets something out of it either way). Are there others that are really divided up between the two categories?
davlghry		#4	[-]
Jan 3 13 11:38 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Scathach80 wrote: Not too many prominent espionage films received R-ratings or try to stay relatively grounded, especially in recent years (i.e. since 1999 or so). Cultural sensitivity plays into this situation. I don't know what you're talking about. THE GOOD SHEPHERD and TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY are recent recent examples that refute this. Or ARGO, an espionage film set in the real world that might even win Best Picture this year. I'd also argue that the popuar BOURNE films are a lot more grounded than spy films of the past about outlandish schemes for world domination carried out by larger than life villains. Heck, even the recent Bond films have been moving away from these more outlandish scenarios.
Scathach80		#5	[-]
Jan 3 13 6:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Grant wrote: "This is not quite a superhero film. It is more akin to a 007 spy film." Is there a thread for movies or shows or whatever that are real hybrids of the two things? The obvious one to me is always "Argoman / The Incredible Paris Incident" - that much more than ones like "Superargo," because Argoman's other identity (instead of being a "Clark Kent") is a jet-setter with a flippant attitude, putting that one right into Bond territory. And because (unlike Diabolik etc.) he makes more of a point of causing trouble for bad people, instead of anyone he feels like (even if he gets something out of it either way). Are there others that are really divided up between the two categories? Jet-setter dual identities stand as about as common or more common than "Clark Kent", by which I would guess you meant journalist or related professions (the latter trend owes a bit to the 1936 introduction Britt Reid, publisher of the newspaper Daily Sentinel, the alter-ego of the Green Hornet). Many adventurers in the pulp era had wealth: Lord Greystoke (Tarzan), Jimmie Dale (the Gray Seal), Richard Wentworth (the Spider), Kent Allard posing as Lamont Cranston (The Shadow), Curtis van Loan (the Phantom), etc. The Spanish California equivalent of a jet-setter, Don Diego Vega (Zorro), inspired such philandering lushes or drunkards (some just a pose, some attend AA meetings) as Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Kyle Richmond, etc. As I noted, elsewhere secret agent films tend more to the outlandish than domestic police films. I do not recall too many people who will reference Dragnet, for example, by putting on goat masks pace the 1987 Dragent film; they usually follow radio show/TV show/1954 Jack Webb film. More on this anon. The outlandish situation one sees in so many secret agent films tend to fit more in with those outlandish 1940's/1950's/1960's comic books that Count Karnstein would bring up. On radio, the Green Hornet tended to have generally mundane crime thriller adventures, not outlandish foes. Last Edited By: Scathach80 Jan 3 13 7:15 PM. Edited 1 times.
Scathach80		#6	[-]
Jan 3 13 6:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	davlghry wrote: Scathach80 wrote: Not too many prominent espionage films received R-ratings or try to stay relatively grounded, especially in recent years (i.e. since 1999 or so). Cultural sensitivity plays into this situation. I don't know what you're talking about. THE GOOD SHEPHERD and TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY are recent recent examples that refute this. Or ARGO, an espionage film set in the real world that might even win Best Picture this year. I'd also argue that the popuar BOURNE films are a lot more grounded than spy films of the past about outlandish schemes for world domination carried out by larger than life villains. Heck, even the recent Bond films have been moving away from these more outlandish scenarios. TTSS; did it gross $100 million domestically? Has it received a sequel yet? Do children dress up as George Smiley for Halloween? Do children buy George Smiley toys? Looking at the espionage film series that have reached part four, one encounters Spy Kids and Dean Martin's tacky Matt Helm* films. The Flint series had two entries. The Man From Uncle compilation films I guess grew as tacky as the antecedent television series. Tom Clancy has not had an adaptation in theaters in over a decade. Espionage films do tend to have the outre gadgetry and peculiar technology that rivals those tacky tales that Count Karnstein pointed out in his posts on the comic books of the 1940's to 1960's. That film that had the invisible car DIE ANOTHER DAY-did they get that idea from Wonder Woman's invisible plane? Did they remember it from Super-Friends? http://www.maxallancollins.com/blog/2012/12/04/ *At least early on, Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm novels played as more hard-boiled, less tacky. A shame that they did not reboot Matt Helm in the 1980's to fit in with this tone more. Just noting this so as to point out who majorly or completely deserves the blame. Last Edited By: Scathach80 Jan 3 13 6:51 PM. Edited 1 times.
davlghry		#7	[-]
Jan 3 13 11:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Again, I have no idea what you're talking about. I simply responded to this statement... << Not too many prominent espionage films received R-ratings or try to stay relatively grounded, especially in recent years (i.e. since 1999 or so). Cultural sensitivity plays into this situation. >> This statement has nothing to do with sequels or box office or even Robin's shaved legs. I'm pointing out that you're misinformed, that plenty of modern spy films are "relatively grounded." And many are R-rated. Maybe you should watch a few. If you need suggestions, I'd be happy to draw up a list.
Gojira		#8	[-]
Jan 4 13 6:08 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Does Count Karnstein keep having to be invoked here? He was a horrid blighter.
Scathach80		#9	[-]
Jan 4 13 6:49 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	davlghry wrote: Again, I have no idea what you're talking about. I simply responded to this statement... << Not too many prominent espionage films received R-ratings or try to stay relatively grounded, especially in recent years (i.e. since 1999 or so). Cultural sensitivity plays into this situation. >> This statement has nothing to do with sequels or box office or even Robin's shaved legs. I'm pointing out that you're misinformed, that plenty of modern spy films are "relatively grounded." And many are R-rated. Maybe you should watch a few. If you need suggestions, I'd be happy to draw up a list. Those secret agent or spy films tend not to fall into the "prominent" category, hence my reference to box office, sequels, merchandise, etc. I asssessed "prominent" in that respect. (Incidentally, I referred to Wonder Woman's invisible plane, not someone's shaved legs-though, of course, Wonder Woman seems to shave her legs.) Last Edited By: Scathach80 Jan 4 13 6:53 PM. Edited 2 times.
AnthonyOsika		#10	[-]
Jan 5 13 11:18 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I always come out of these threads knowing less than when I went in.
Scathach80		#11	[-]
Jan 25 13 9:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	From supidityinforme: Last night after some channel-surfing, I watched about the last 30-40 minutes of Condorman, Random thoughts: * It’s a really, really bad movie. * I get that it’s supposed to be parodying James Bond movies, but if truth be told, it’s not all that far off from the average crappy Roger Moore Bond outing (sure, there’s the goofy superhero costume and flying contraption – but is that any more tacky than Moonraker?)
hermanthegerm		#12	[-]
Jan 25 13 9:30 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's not "really, really bad", trust me on that. I've seen some bad films. It's a competent film at the very least. "There is a lot of money tied up in this film and people expect to hear a boom when something blows up, so I'll give them a boom." George Lucas as quoted by Harlan Ellison's WATCHING
Rider		#13	[-]
Jan 28 13 1:33 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I remember enjoying this as a child and had totally forgotten about it till now. Strange things is hadn't heard anything about this for 30 years, then suddenly 4 different people have mentioned this film to me. It's like someone edit the matrix to make me have new memories.
hermanthegerm		#14	[-]
Jan 28 13 10:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I saw it because of the recent DVD release, maybe that has something to do with it? "There is a lot of money tied up in this film and people expect to hear a boom when something blows up, so I'll give them a boom." George Lucas as quoted by Harlan Ellison's WATCHING
Scathach80		#15	[-]
Mar 5 13 8:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	davlghry wrote: Scathach80 wrote: Not too many prominent espionage films received R-ratings or try to stay relatively grounded, especially in recent years (i.e. since 1999 or so). Cultural sensitivity plays into this situation. I don't know what you're talking about. THE GOOD SHEPHERD and TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY are recent recent examples that refute this. Or ARGO, an espionage film set in the real world that might even win Best Picture this year. I'd also argue that the popuar BOURNE films are a lot more grounded than spy films of the past about outlandish schemes for world domination carried out by larger than life villains. Heck, even the recent Bond films have been moving away from these more outlandish scenarios. Regarding the prominent espionage films: http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot.com/2013/01/skyfall-has-crossed-300-million.html Even when playing the inflation card, it's the sixth biggest spy movie ever, behind the aforementioned 60's 007 films, Mission: Impossible II ($310 million adjusted gross/$215 million actual gross) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me ($315m/$205m), and the first Mission: Impossible ($318m/$181m).

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Condorman (1981)

Condorman (1981)