THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (1970)
Director: Leonard Kastle
The Criterion Collection

Little seen by the general public, THE HONEYMOON KILLERS is an independently-made gem, far superior than its exploitive title would suggest. The story is based on incidents involving real-life media-hyped con artists Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck and their 40s-era murder spree which eventually lead both to the electric chair. First-time (and only-time) director Leonard Kastle injects the film with a raw, documentary-style approach (shot in black and white) with touches of Noir. Shot in various small-town locales (much of it in the NY area), with some outstanding performances by an (at the time) unknown cast and a bitingly dark storyline, the film is downright unforgettable.

Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler), a 200-pound nurse at an Alabama hospital, lives alone with her senile mother. Her friend Bunny (Doris Roberts from "Everybody Loves Raymond") registers Martha for a "lonely hearts" club, and she is soon corresponding with Ray Fernandez (Tony LoBianco), a Spanish-born immigrant residing in New York City. A relationship commences, but while visiting him in NY, Ray confesses to being a gigolo who swindles lonely women for their money. Martha is madly in love with Ray, so she helps him by posing as his sister as he dupes other women, promising to be faithful. The crimes get worse, with murder coming into play. The couple's sexual desire for each other increases, but the womanizing Ray can't be loyal, and the overbearing Martha is insanely jealous.

With his screenplay, Kastle has molded highly vulnerable and unsound characters in Martha and Ray, and they are wonderfully recreated by Stoler and LoBianco. The late Stoler is large, loud and intimidating as the desperately lonely Martha, motivated to murder by excessive greed and jealousy. Stoler's performance is one that doesn't miss a trick, and her relationship with LoBianco (whose heavy Latino accent it totally convincing) is fascinatingly lurid to watch. These two start off as anti-heroes, but by the finale, they are truly despicable. Low, natural lighting and effective, claustrophobic camera set-ups (sharply handled by cinematographer Oliver Wood) set up a mood that grows increasingly intense, all set exclusively to the moving symphonies of Mahler. If the novice director shows his inexperience, it only helps the realism felt with this shoestring effort. Never really graphic, but always painting more or less distuning innuendoes in its depictions of violence, THE HONEYMOON KILLERS is a must-see for film students and any movie goer who appreciates storytelling and characterization at their finest.

Criterion presents the film on DVD in its original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 with anamorphic enhancement. The black and whites images are sharp and well-detailed. Black levels are always solid, and the darkly-lit scenes never produce any clarity problems or excessive grain. The source print is in pristine condition, and the only problem is the audio, which exposes low dialog on occasion. This is never really a severe problem, but optional English subtitles are included.

No running commentary here, but there is an insightful interview with Kastle that runs nearly a half hour. The music writer talks about his one film, why he hasn't made another one since, and how he envisioned it after being discouraged by the gloss of Arthur Penn's BONNIE AND CLYDE. He also tells how a young Martin Scorsese was actually the original director for hire and describes the scenes that he shot. Kastle--who had the project entirely story-boarded in his head--can truly claim that he never made a bad film.

Other extras include Scott Christiansen's essay "Condemned: Inside the Sing Sing Death House." This video essay is a fascinating look at the real murderous duo and is illustrated with photos, newspaper headlines, letters, criminal records, and other genuine items. There are also bios on the principal cast and crew, excerpts from the pressbook (actually a handout publicity "herald"), and the original trailer for Cinerama's initial release of the film. Gary Gidden pens liner notes that are included in an insert booklet. Highly recommended. (George R. Reis)

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