Customer Reviews

Berserk: White Hawk [VHS]

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Columbia has finally unleashed BERSERK on DVD, albeit on DVD-R. The transfer is gorgeous and presented at 1.85:1 aspect ratio for the time ever on home video. Perhaps the folks at Sony will get around to releasing Autumn Leaves, Esther Costello, Harriet Craig, and They All Kissed The Bride (Columbia's other Crawford titles not yet out on DVD.

"There's nothing certain in show business," Joan Crawford tells us in the aptly titled 1967 gem Berserk. "We've eaten caviar, and we've eaten sawdust." Connoisseurs of Bad Big-Top Movies We Love like Big Circus, Carnival Story and The Greatest Show on Earth can be certain of one thing, though: Berserk--which features Crawford looking even more butch and self-enchanted than usual--offers up the tastiest mouthful of sawdust to be found anywhere in this demented genre.

When 59-year-old circus ringmaster Crawford (a terrifying vision in her trim tuxedo jacket and fishnet stockings) introduces her world-famous high-wire soloist, the audience is definitely not ready for what happens next: the high wire snaps and coils around the performer's neck, leaving him dangling above their upturned faces. Oblivious to the human tragedy, a post-show Crawford busies herself with the night box-office receipts. "How can you be so cold-blooded?" asks her business partner. "We're running a circus, not a charm school," Crawford growls, going on to point out that the violent death will be good for business. Then she changes tack. "What can I do to cheer you up?" she queries. "I just may let you tuck me in tonight." God forbid! Even with Vaseline smeared on the lens and strategic shadows cast across her face, our star looks, at best, like a short, male senior citizen in elaborate drag.

The next day, who should turn up but a high-wire soloist in need of a job. The suspiciously useful newcomer is strapping studmuffin Ty Hardin, who is soon embroiled in a torrid affair with Crawford, despite the fact that he's 22 years her junior. The biggest scare in this whole movie is the appearance of a postcoital Crawford, done up in a negligee and a big-hair wig. "Long ago I lost the capacity to love," she purrs, very believably indeed. "If you want me to spell it out for you, I will. What we have is no more than a greeting card. Maybe not as friendly." Just as you're thinking that's not exactly what you'd say if you looked like an aging female impersonator and had somehow gotten Ty Hardin into bed, Hardin replies, "You're playing a dangerous game!"

When Crawford's business partner is murdered, the circus performers get agitated. The magician--obviously the thinker in the group--announces, "It is clear to me there is a killer loose." Enter blowsy, badly bleached blonde tootsie Diana Dors (who was at one time hailed as England's answer to Marilyn Monroe--i.e., Jayne Mansfield with bad teeth). As the magician's new paramour/assistant, Dors expresses her view that bosswoman Crawford is the killer. Overhearing this, Crawford snaps, "You slut!" Whereupon Dors demonstrates the accuracy of this assessment by boozily coming on to Hardin. You may want to memorize Hardin's reply for your own future use: "You're peddling your merchandise at the wrong booth." When Hardin tosses Dors out on her rear--literally--a high-water mark in cinema cattiness is reached as an onlooking circus babe croaks, "You must be more careful, you'll damage your brain!" Happily, a nail-scratching, wig-pulling catfight ensues.

Enter Crawford's unhappy teen daughter (Judy Geeson) who's just been expelled from charm school. "Let me stay here with you," she pleads to her mom. "The circus is in my blood like it's in yours." Speaking of blood, the next big-top demise occurs when the magician saws Dors in two for real. Now even Crawford is afraid. "I've got the jitters!" she confesses to Hardin. "I'm not made of stone!" Actually, wax is what we were thinking.

Doing what anyone whose circus is being torn asunder by a psychopath would do, Crawford throws a gigantic party, at which she confesses to Hardin that she's made him her partner: "You'll have 25 percent of the circus and 100 percent of me." When charm school dropout Geeson appears to be sulking her way through the shindig, Crawford wonders out loud if the girl is spoiled. "You certainly never lacked anything," she points out. "No, except what I needed most...you!" the teen shrieks, bolting into the night. "I have an eerie feeling the killer will strike again at any moment," Crawford murmurs. Hmmm. Is this just a doting mom's wishful thinking? We don't want to spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say that Berserk parallels its star's real life in some amusing ways. The on-screen Crawford often had her hands full with pesky teen daughters--think Mildred Pierce, Strait-Jacket, Della--but for cinematic subtext on the offscreen Crawford's doubts about her adopted daughter Christina, Berserk is unsurpassed.

Joan did not like talking about her later films, they were in a way not the Crawford style. I like Berserk, which I believe was also called "Circus of Horrors" because it is another low budget masterpiece. The bearded lady, the midget, the strong man, and everyone else were all great. Joan was great in Mildred Pierce, Rain, and Flamingo Road, but this side of Joan you must see. The ending will surpise you, when I saw Berserk the first time I thought Joan was the murderer. After seeing this movie go out there and buy or rent Baby Jane, Strait Jacket, I saw what you did, and Trog. Also be sure to get the Night Gallery episode with Joan in it.

"Berserk!", always comes in for a great deal of flak along with Joan Crawford's last film made two years later "Trog". Long considered embarrassments to a long and brilliant career it is true that these two efforts couldn't even begin to compare to the films from Joan's glory days at MGM, and Warner Bros. When titles such as "Grand Hotel", "The Women", "Mildred Pierce", "Possessed", and "Sudden Fear", come to mind these later British thriller/horror efforts from the late 1960's do indeed look very poor in comparison. However I always believe that "Berserk!" is far from the worst film ever made and is an enjoyable outing to watch with Joan Crawford, being the real pro that she always was giving this little effort her absolute all like she still was starring at MGM.

In "Berserk!" also known by its English title "Circus of Blood", Crawford plays Monica Rivers the owner and mistress of ceremonies of a travelling circus. She is a woman hardened by the school of hard knocks common in circus life where beneath the fun and the bright costumes there exists a hard and cold existence. Monica rules the circus with a firm hand and always with an eye on increasing her profit margin on the acts she has perform at the circus. When a series of fatal accidents begin occuring during the performances Monica sees that behind these tragedies is a way to increase publicity for the circus. The rest of the circus performers become very scared with what is going on among them when it is revealed that the fall suffered by Gasper the Great from the tightrope was no accident and that his line had actually been cut. Monica comes into direct conflict with her business manager/sometime lover Dorando (Michael Gough) over how to handle the investigation into the "accidents". When he wants out from the circus Monica refuses and Dorando also finds himself jealous of Monica's attraction to much younger replacement Trapeze artist Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) who has turned up at the circus looking for work, replaces the deceased Gasper in the show and worms his way into Monica's affections. Shortly Dorando is also found murdered in the Big Top further scaring the circus performers, in particular the brassy Matilda (Diana Dors), who is one half of an act where she is sawn in half. She blames Monica for the murders but before she can prove anything she too dies while performing. To complicate matters for Monica her unruly young daughter Angela suddenly turns up at the circus having dropped out of her school. She joins the knife throwing act. Monica's romance with Frank however runs into rough seas when he begins blackmailing her for a share of the circus profits and then he too finds a stray knife in his back while he is performing on the high wire. After an investigation by Scotland Yards Superintendant Brooks (Robert Hardy) gets under way the surprise murderer is suddenly revealed in the middle of a performance and in a fiery climax where Monica faces the murderer single handed during a severe electrical storm, tragedy strikes down the guilty party outside the Big Top at the not so happy conclusion of the story.

Vintage melodrama perhaps but "Berserk!", has a whole series of talented British performers to create interest in a fairly ordinary story. Michael Gough as Monica's tired business associate has a wonderful rapport with Joan Crawford and his few scenes in the first part of the story are very well acted. Diana Dors who in the late 1960's was starting to move out of her earlier glamour girl roles into character parts that finally began revealing her as a very fine actress is excellent as the cheap, tarty circus performer who meets a grisly end under a cutting saw. Her scenes opposite Joan Crawford are of particular note and the two have a great time in their cat fight scenes together which amazingly hide the fact that the two actresses became close friends during production of this film. Judy Geeson in her first film role is effective as the young daughter who as the story progresses is revealed to be not all she makes herself out to be. Her sweet and innocent playing of her part is well enough done to create the right suspense when all is revealed at the end. Of course Joan Crawford, Grande Dame of Hollywood is the focal point of "Berserk!" from beginning to end. In the first of her two Herman Cohen British based movies, Joan has often been accused of having no judgement in excepting this low budget feature. However as she said in a number of interviews, she quote, "wanted to remain a working actress, not just an ex performer plugging softdrinks (Pepsi)" unquote. In the absense of any better roles being offered to her "Berserk!" at least kept her in the limelight as a working actress. The rich colour and great circus atmosphere of the film is well done and although not totally exciting there were far worse films made in that decade both before and after "Berserk!". Joan certainly looks the part of a glamourous ringmistress. Even in such a low budget production long after her great years of stardom Joan still showed that she was a true star in the old meaning of the word by insisting that famed costume designer Edith Head be especially hired to create her sensational two piece leotard outfit that she wears throughout the picture.

While far from the best horror circus thriller you will see "Berserk!" is not the total mess that alot of people make it out to be. I enjoy it for the lively later day Joan Crawford performance is contains but also because of the fact that no matter how cheap the production was Joan tackled it with the same commitment and seriousness that she did her great productions from earlier decades. "Berserk!", is a good little mystery to spend 90 minutes with. Enjoy

Narcissistic Joan Crawford in an overlooked role runs a circus that can only be described as psychopathically appealing. You see, so many of her employees end up dead! Director, Jim O'Connolly shows great flair for the genre. It's all just a matter of who gets killed next. British veteran Michael Gough, British cutie Judy Geeson in her film debut and the handsome and heroic Ty Hardin are all on hand. It's a great film for Halloween season. Joan Crawford seems to have always had problems managing her business concerns ever since "Mildred Pierce." "Berserk!" is aptly titled!

The camp worshipping gay men (and you know who you are) of the 50 to 70 age group are obsessed with the "Mommie Dearest" drag queen image, so read their reviews for what they are.

I own this DVD and it is beautifully remastered and Crawford looks amazing at roughly 62. The film's authentic circus atmosphere is well done, and while the characters are all pretty believable, the plot certainly isn't! But that is what makes it entertaining and gives it that cool low-budget 1960's horror film feel. I was impressed that although not in a film up to her standards of years earlier, Joan Crawford gives it her all, and yet is the LEAST over the top of the entire cast. I read that she used her own wardrobe for most of this, to help save on costs.

Joan Crawford wanted to WORK. That was her life and all she had ever known. The 1960's, especially the late 60's, was (much like today!) very youth oriented. The lady took what she could get, given those circumstances, and she made the best of it. That is to be admired.

During the late 1960's, Joan Crawford made a series of low-budget horror films to help pay the bills and to keep her name in the spotlight. "Berserk" is the best of these films, not because it is well-written or well-acted but because it is so bad it's good. Crawford, looking like a sexpot gone bad, plays the Circus Owner a la Mommie Dearest, spewing invective at the Business Partner and some of the performers. In the opening scene, she slugs a reporter and shoves people around while Gaspar the Great is "hanging around" the tightrope. The special effects are awful as this is a low budget film. But it is great for fun

I suppose it is terribly embarrassing, that one of the great icons of Hollywood's golden age finished up her career with a series of increasingly junky little movies--but Joan Crawford, like her arch-rival Bette Davis, simply didn't know when to leave her career well enough alone. And so now we are blessed with this ultra-lightweight script that has the seriously aging actress as a circus owner, trotting around the big top in fishnets and heels, snapping her whip, and worrying about how a strangely rising body count may affect her business--not mention her boy-toy.

Now, it should be very obvious at this point that NO ONE is going to take this film seriously. And once you stop trying to take it seriously, it actually turns into one of those "tacky fun" films where you keep watching because you simply can't believe they had the nerve. But hey--Crawford had paid her dues, and if she wanted to go there, who are we to argue--especially with such a "guilty pleasure" movie at hand?

Circus movies with Horror elements have always graced the screens since the early silents but never were there more variations till the late fifties and early sixties especially from Great Britain. Producer/Director Irwin Allen re-introduced the murderer under the big top genre with 'THE BIG CIRCUS'-1958 which included a bunch of big name actors from all genres being part of the usual suspects as the main killer is revealed. Director Sydney Hayer's 'CIRCUS OF HORRORS'-1959 and Director John Moxey's 'CIRCUS OF FEAR aka PSYCHO CIRCUS'- 1966 led the way in Britain and finally Producer Herman Cohen got into the act(no pun intended) with 'BERSERK'-1967, a brisk, enjoyable romp with famous Joan Crawford as the lead and joined by the most familiar British character actors at that time. You have Cohen stalwart Michael Gough who starred in at least 4 of his productions, Diana Dors who still looks pretty good here, teen sensation Judy Geeson and huge Milton Reid to name but a few. Cohen would use Crawford again in the abysmal 'TROG' 1970. Direction is by Jim O'Connolly who would go on to lens Special Effects master Ray Harryhausen's 'THE VALLEY OF GWANGI'- 1968 and work for Producer Richard Gordon on the underrated 'TOWER OF EVIL'-1972. Enough said about the plot, just enjoy the circus acts and grisly (for their time) murders as Columbia releases it in a beautiful DVD-R with bright colors and great sound. A must for lovers of circus films and vintage British Horrors.

It's next to impossible to view BERSERK today from the same perspective as it was viewed when it first opened in early 1968. Viewed today, in retrospect, the camp element fully realized, it is truly, honestly a hilariously bad film. YET...there is something oddly compelling about it.

The one and only Joan Crawford, in her sixties and in the sad twilight of her career, stars as Monica Rivers, the owner of a struggling British circus. As we see in the opening, she is also ringmistress, and appears in scene after scene in a black leotard and fishnet stockings. I kid thee not.

The hire wire artist dies in an implausible-doesn't-describe-it mishap during the opening credits (in fact, the title card of the film appears in the wake of his swinging body. WEEEEEEEE!!!!). Watch during the opening credits as Joan beats the crap out of a cameraman who tried to get a snapshot of the body as it is being removed.

Cut to Joan's trailer (I'm sorry, CARAVAN. You will hear this word at least 30 times during the film). This is where BERSERK takes shape. Monica excitedly sees the murder as potentially boosting box office. Her business partner, Durando, is a bit creeped out at her giddiness, at which point she offers to let him tuck her in. Yikes. At this point you should already know what you're in for.

As the film progresses the murders begin to pile up, and we are introduced to a troupe of interesting circus folk (and potential suspects). Actually, only Diana Dors as Matilda is really interesting, but the others are supposed to capture our fancy as well. Anyway, a new hire wire man named Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin. He's not really interesting either, but he is integral to the plot) arrives; Joan/Monica hires him and soon Joan/Monica is sleeping with him, which gives us the priceless Joan-in-negligee-by-candlelight scene (Frank: "I'm crazy 'bout you, Monica", Monica: "I'm fond of you, Frank".) The only acknowledgement of the 25-30 years separating them is a brief throwaway comment late in the film. But I digress.

The dialogue alternates between bad and REALLY bad. The one scene that is actually, legitimately not terrible is a brief encounter between Frank and Matilda in his caravan. The movie crackles for a brief moment. But it reverts back to the inane. An inspector from Scotland Yard shows up, steps in animal dung, interrogates the circus folk, and gets a lesson in circus life from Joan/Monica ("We've eaten caviar, and we've eaten sawdust").

Mind you, sandwiched between all of this are MULTIPLE circus acts that do little but stall for time. I suppose the poodles are cute and it is kinda cool to watch elephants carefully step over women. But I was anxious to get back to the lousy movie that was on pause.

Through it all stands Joan Crawford, her hair piled in a bizarre bouffant ring, her face painted and pulled back, her neck hidden in every possible shadow the lighting person could concoct. She is this crazy unstoppable force, barking orders and shouting insults at full-throttle (Joan/Monica to Matilda: "You slut! You miserable ingrate!", Matilda: "You don't frighten me. I still say...", Joan/Monica: "CUT YOUR TONGUE OUT FIRST!!!!!"). For better or worse, she keeps things moving when everything around her is falling flat. And she keeps it going right up to the climax, which reveals a killer who, not only has a questionable motive, but whose very ability to even commit the murders is next to impossible. By then the suspension of belief being asked of the audience won't be a big deal. You gave up questioning logistics over an hour earlier.

All said...I love this movie. It's a groovy trainwreck, campy and quotable, with a great performance by Dors and the spectacle of Joan Crawford in a (as an IMDB reviewer called it) "damn the torpedoes performance". Love her or hate her...just try to look away.