Rasputin’s hands
It took me a while to decide what Christopher Lee clip to share today. I decided on a moment from Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966). This is not one of Hammer's best, but Lee's performance in the titular role is fantastic.
Jiraiya (自雷也)
The Magic Serpent is a tasty mixed grill of 60s Japanese cinema. At its core, it's a tale of revenge. Mix magic-fueled martial arts and a handful of kaijū into that pot of vengeance and you've got yourself something fabulously out of control.
Toho’s King Kong (キングコング Kingu Kongu)
King Kong works better as a stop-motion creation rather than a man in a suit, or at least the suit Toho used. But there's an undeniable charm to Toho's Kingu Kongu. It's hard not to take some pleasure from that frozen expression of joy on his mangy face.
The Gappa Family (ガッパ)
It's a shame Nikkatsu only made this single kaijū film. Gappa, while no masterpiece, has a lot more energy and passion than some of the Godzilla and Gamera efforts that appeared towards the end of the Shōwa era.
Black Snow (1965)
With Daydream, Tetsuji Takechi made the first mainstream pinku eiga, but with Black Snow, he really ruffled feathers. Yet for all its importance, Black Snow is largely forgotten.
