Customer Reviews

Boston Strangler [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda star in the critically acclaimed movie based on the true events of a serial killer that killed 13 women from 1962 to 1964. This movie takes a documentary style approach in following the investigators as they piece together the clues behind a seemingly random series of murders. Fonda stars as police detective John S. Bottomly and Curtis co-stars as Albert DeSalvo, the man who eventually confessed to the crimes. Of particular interest on this DVD is the inclusion of the 21-minute Backstory documentary on the movie that originally appeared on the AMC cable channel, interviewed on camera are Tony Curtis (who gushes with his appreciation of the movie), the director Richard Fleischer and producer Richard Zanuck. Also featured is a three-minute Fox Movietone newsreel of the actual events that appears to be missing part of its audio track. Rounbding out the special features is a selection of eight trailers including a theatrical trailer and teaser for the main feature that are both in wodescreen with excellent picture and only a slightly distorted (from age) audio track. This is an excellent movie and DVD - recommended.

Tony Curtis gives the best performance of his life! The Boston Strangler is without a doubt the greatest camera work I have ever seen, split screen, widescreen, multi camera frames on one screen. Mr. Fleischer you made a real piece of artwork that will stand the test of time! The camera tell's and reminds you how each seen is played out on a multi pictured screen! It is a puzzle that you have to put together in your mind , a lot of fun! Tony you played the greatest Psychological character I have ever seen on screen! I know because of my own experiences. Albert De Salvo the real Boston Strangler while in prison made 2 leather wallet's, in which he gave them to Dir. Fleischer & com. Tony did not receive one! (I guess De Salvo did not like my performance Tony once said!) This is a rare one! A must see! Thank you Tony for one of the greatest performances!

This movie is haunting, creepy, and fascinating. The first half of the movie deals with the gradual shock and horror in Boston as the stranglings continue, and focuses on the search by the police for the killer, including many false leads (which are fascinating in themselves). The camera work is interesting (including split screen effects) and contributes to a sense of unease as the search intensifies. (This movie should be seen in widescreen so I hope the DVD version is forthcoming.) The acting may seem a little flat and Jack-Webbish at times.

The second half of the movie is incredible. Henry Fonda finds Tony Curtis and suspects he may be the strangler. Their scenes together are powerful. Henry Fonda gently but forcefully guides the strangler to a realization of what he's done. There are scenes that are filmed in such a way that you are able to feel along with the strangler a sense of dread and horror as the truth of what he's done begins to unfold. Tony Curtis is gives a stunning peformance. He is totally convincing as the disturbed plumber. Some of the scenes stay in your mind a long time. There is no gore, but there is one scene of an attack, and in general the film is somewhat disturbing, so I wouldn't let a young child or anyone too unstable watch it. The movie deals compassionately with the strangler as a victim of a severe mental illness, and Tony Curtis brings a strong sense of pathos to the role.

Made only a few years after the actual murders, director Fleischer used split-screens with multiple panels to good effect, although the technique originally was resisted.

Tony Curtis, known mainly for light romantic comedies or sword-and-sandal movies, was an unusual (and originally ridiculed) choice as the lead character Albert DeSalvo, outwardly a mild family man, but very troubled on the inside. Apparently DeSalvo blocked out the killings, and was not even aware he was the killer - until he finally cracks in the last scene. Although Curtis doesn't appear till halfway through, he carries the movie from there on out. His performance got much critical acclaim, though ignored at oscar time.

Other big names include Henry Fonda and George Kennedy, and other notable minor roles such as Murray Hamilton, Jeff Corey, Sally Kellerman (debut) and James Brolin.

Widescreen picture and sound are good. I imagine the person with a sync problem needed to do what I do on occasion - rewind a second or two, then play forward. That seems to clear up un-sync any time it happens to me. I'm sure it is the player, not the movie.

DVD features include a short "Movie Tone" news reel with some missing sound, a good 20 minute "AMC Backstory" with interviews by cast and crew, and a handful of trailers for various movies.

Rated "R" for one use of the "F" word and some quick shots of bare breasts. This movie was made when synonyms for "a gay man" were routinely used, and they are used here - but Amazon has chosen to censor them, thus --->(...)

A good one.

I finally got my hands on a copy of this film and was more than delighted with what I viewed. This is not "just another genre piece." This is a gem that any film afficionado would enjoy and appreciate. It has more style than fashion week in the Big Apple. It is deliciously abundant with flavor of a past era in suspense thrillers as well as intellectual art house works of the 60's. Visually stimulating thru brilliant use of color, composition, and perspective. Aurally savvy thru subtle sound direction. Everything from the set designs right down to the wardrobes was incredibly well thought out and executed. I have had an ongoing love affair with the horror genre for about 25 years and this is my new favorite. Not so, for the same reason Texas Chainsaw Massacre has held that title for the past decade, but for the artistic nature of this work of art in the celluloid realm alone. It's not at all "over the top", nor is it lacking in any way. I have difficulty forming any complaints at all about this beautifully constructed piece of work.

Like most people, I'm fascinated with serial killers and why they do what they do. I don't need the gory details: just what makes them tick. I know some people here are turned off because they say that the killer - Albert DeSalvo - was not the mental personality he was portrayed in the last 30 minutes of this film. Personally, I don't care. I realize this is Hollywood, and how often is the film world historically accurate? Almost never.

So....just enjoy the acting, the camera-work, and the suspense because there is a lot to like here if you are entertained by crime stories.

I, for one, liked the split screen technique presented in this film. It gave a unique feel to the film, seeing the crimes from all kinds of angles at once. Rarely has this been done in films before or since. (I presume because it didn't go over that well to most people.)

Anyway, the story is riveting start to finish and Curtis gives a memorable performance, even though he isn't in the movie until the last segment. How some "critics" can label him a sub-par actor is beyond me. He is amazing in here, as he was in "Sweet Smell Of Success," "Some Like It Hot," and other films.

His fellow actors - Henry Fonda,George Kennedy, Hurd Hatfield, Murray Hamilton, Jeff Corey and Mike Kellin - all add to this excellent drama. It was a long wait for the DVD but at least that finally came out in 2005. I've viewed this DVD several times since then and enjoyed it immensely each time.

This film was originally released about the time the Hollywood rating system began to be employed and films changed drastically. Although there is very little offensive language, there is nudity and some shocking scenes with the intense horrific subject matter.

With its split screen camera work - preceding, but like the movie "Woodstock" from the same era - this film seems a little ahead of its time. As a thriller, though, it's pretty wooden. It's not scary in the least, compared with today's films. The acting is leaden, at best. Tony Curtis has one facial expression: blank. The other big names, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy seem fairly lame actors by today's standards of DeNiro, Pacino etc. Also, it was not snowy in Boston the weekend of the Kennedy assassination, as this film erroneously depicts. That should have been elementary research. I don't know how accurate the film is. As a period piece, watch it if you like dated older movies.

I saw this movie when it first opened in New England. I read the book "The Boston Strangler" by Gerold Frank. Then I read the book "The Boston Stranglers" by Susan Kelly.
The movie is a classic, odd in its production and worth adding to my DVD collection. BUT, the film is pure fiction, taken from Frank's book which is nearly all fiction.
Read Kelly's book and afterward I am sure you will agree with the police. Albert DeSalvo had nothing to do with the eleven, mostly unrelated, murders.

In a time where direct-to-video movies about serial killers (Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Gacy, Ed Gein, Evilenko, etc. The list goes on) are stocked onto Blockbuster's shelves; It's a movie that was made in 1968, before The Boston Strangler had reached the final chapter of his story, to be a masterpiece of its genre. This movie is easily one of the most accurate, entertaining, and well-acted movie about a serial killer in existence. I don't really know a lot about the case; What I do know is that a man named Albert DeSalvo was caught for attempting to break into a house and was committed to a hospital. He was believed to be The Boston Strangler, but was never tried for the crime. He eventually died in the hospital, at the hands of a fellow inmate. This movie doesn't have every detail of DeSalvo's commitment and demise, but other than that...It's accurate. It also has extremely innovative camera work and a dynamite performance by Tony Curtis (who previously had appeared in comedic films like Some Like It Hot). The movie beings from the cops perspective; Elderly women are suddenly being killed by an unknown assailant, whom they've invited into their homes. We don't actually witness the killings, but the way they're filmed is pretty effective. Eventually a lawyer, named John Bottomly (Henry Fonda), is brought in to head up the team to track down the killer. After a bunch of false leads, they finally catch the killer Albert DeSalvo (Curtis) by chance. The movie doesn't show Albert DeSalvo until much later in the movie and I think it would've been more effective to not show him until he was in the victim's house, rather than at his own. Whatever...It's still good. Tony Curtis did not get an Oscar nomination for this film, which only proves to me further that the Academy Awards don't always pay attention to really good performances (although, I can't say I know who the 5 nominees were for that year). Henry Fonda is also good as Bottomly, but Curtis owns the movie. Since the film begins with the title card "This film is based on actual events, involving murderer Albert DeSalvo" (or something to that effect), it seems unrealistic that the movie could be good. You know where it's leading. But even when the cops follow up the wrong leads (or even when they bring in a swami), it still keeps your attention. The cinematography is, as I mentioned, innovative. Movies like "Hulk" wouldn't look the same if not for this movie. It's not horrifying and it's pretty tame as far as graphic content, but it still can deliver the occasional chill.

GRADE: A-

P.S.,

I mentioned in the beginning that direct-to-video movies about serial killers are being released frequently. While movies about Dahmer, Bundy, Gacy, Chikatilo, Gein, Ramirez, and every other killer you can think of are on the market...It appears that distributors are running out of ideas. There's a recently released Boston Strangler movie available now.

I saw this film when it was playing in theatres many years ago. I don'y know why Tony Curtis was not nominated for a Best Actor Oscar! It was an eery unsettling performance. And a significant departure from roles he had played previously. Well worth seeing.