the manitou w/tony curtis
Added 1/31/2010
i loved this movie when it came out in the 70's mainly because i'm a tony curtis fan, but there are alot of great actors in this film. i was only in grade school at the time, but i remember also having the paperback book also. This was a very good addition to my film collection.
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Scary Movie
Added 6/8/2009
Manitou is a frightening movie which stars Tony Curtis. I quite enjoyed the film.
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Naked chick. Laser Beams. Demonic Midget. Brilliant.
Added 5/18/2009
To describe this movie in great detail would take away its charm and rob you of the roller coaster ride of fun that is awaiting you in William Girdler's cult classic 1978 'epic' The Manitou. As I am still giddy with laughing myself stupid from a recent screening - I'm gonna give it a good shot at giving you a basic outline of the flick yet still tease at the level of kookiness and sheer misguided brilliance that awaits.
To begin with, The Manitou is not a good movie. However, on the other hand it is brilliant. I know, I am contradicting myself already - but, it really is that kind of flick: Both awful and great in equal measure.
The story has Tony Curtis play fortune teller Harry Erskine. Hooking up with old flame Karen (Susan Strassberg), she informs him that she has recently had a strange growth form on the back of her neck. Thinking nothing of it, Harry informs her to get it checked out and he goes on about his business reading cards and conning old ladies. Until that is, a bizarre incident when one of his clients goes haywire midway through a fortune telling and throws herself down a flight of stairs (believe me, you have to see this to believe it. Its brilliant) and 'ol Harry starts to get suspicious. Across town, Karen's hospital check up has also gone wrong where the growth is deciphered to be not a growth at all . . . but, an unborn fetus.
Following a strange stop off at Burgess Meredith's house (who I swear is acting in another movie) and begging a native indian to help him save Karen, Harry returns armed with a medicine man (John Singing Rock who has obviously got a few days to spare) intent on battling the unborn child which has been revealed to us as the rebirth of an ancient indian shaman hellbent on revenge and world domination. (Stick with me, it gets better).
Now, the movie kicks into high gear and all kinds of drugs seem to have been consumed by the screenwriters and production crew as what follows not only makes no sense it also . . . er, makes no sense.
The shaman is born and is depicted as an evil midget with bad acne and greasy hair. Strange deaths follow and now our friend Singing Rock has to battle this rather short force of evil with all his might, whilst Mr Curtis' toupee also puts in a particularly frightened and convincing performance - culminating in one of cinema's best sequences ever! You haven't lived until you have seen Susan Strassberg in her birthday suit shooting cartoon laser beams from her hands at a midget dressed as a demon on a fake star field background. Its as if the film makers wanted to combine the space sequences from the old Buck Rogers TV show with the demonic possession scenes from The Exorcist and then decided to give it a Saturday Night Fever disco feel - I guess all they left out was the kitchen sink, but at least they tried.
I cannot recommend how good/bad this movie is - but, it excels as both and demands to be seen. Its strange that it hasn't had the notoriety that it so richly deserves as it is seriously a lost gem. Its a shame that director William Girdler died shortly after its completion - because, I am sure he would have had an interesting career after this. However, he has left us this movie that once watched, will surely never be forgotten. Highly recommended.
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wowwwwwww it was i good in 1979 i was 14 year old i love it and to this day it good i have it now iam 44 wowwwwwww that a long time
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Another movie I like. One thing I didn't like was the "No stereo" approach to this DVD. I seem to remember the VC had stereo on it and was much better. I miss that.
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