The Bermuda Triangle (VCI/1977)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C- Film: C
As part of a crazy 1970s movement exploring and exploiting
strange phenomenon, The Bermuda Triangle joined Bigfoot and extraterrestrial
abductions as a reflection of (and distraction from) Vietnam and
Watergate. Besides wacky Sunn Schick
(or is that shtick) Classic pseudo-documentaries on such subjects, dramatic
genre films were bound to follow. Rene
Cardoza Jr.’s The Bermuda Triangle is a 1977 release that does what it can
to capitalize on the hype.
Most of the cast are unknowns and Cardoza regulars, but
two casting choices are particular of note.
John Huston, the Hollywood legend is here acting, but is cast because of
his connection to two films he directed: The Bible and Moby Dick. Claudine Auger is the female lead, cats not
only because of her attractiveness and that she was James Bond Girl in 1965,
but because she was in the still-biggest Bond ever released theatrically: Thunderball. All those epic associations with films about
water and power were supposed to boost this turkey, which did a bit of
business.
The film is very average, with no real story and occasions
where it visits the Horror genre of the time, from Satanism to Natural Disaster
films going back to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963) with little
point. Jaws (1975) was still
playing in theaters, it was such a hit, but they could not afford anyone from
that film. From the way the film was
advertised and plays here, you would think any one and everyone who ever went
in the Triangle disappeared forever.
Why no satellite shots? Why no
logic? The same answer applies to both.
After 112 minutes, whose only highlight is some underwater
shooting that saves the film from total disaster, the film ends with another
Horror genre image and a long list that goes up to 1974 slowly runs up the
screen of all the ships, planes and vessels that have disappeared in the area
since records were kept. Perhaps this
film should have been on that list.
Stephen Lord, who later wrote the lame Hangar 18 (1980) and did
episodes of the original Outer Limits (Specimen: Unknown) in 1963
and later Kolchak: the Night Stalker shows (Demon In Lace) in
1975 ran out of ideas at this point.
Too bad for us and this film.
The letterboxed 1.85 x 1 image really shows its age,
though the color is sometimes better than expected, especially in those
underwater sequences. They may not add
up to much, but they are the only visually interesting things offered
here. Cinematographers Leon Sanchez and
Ramon Bravo are not directly credited on the film as having shot the underwater
footage, but I suspect they did not or had some serious help if either of them
did. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono is dull
and nothing special, with dialogue just audible enough and forgettable
music. Extras include three trailers
for other VCI DVDs and five biographies, but nothing impressive. Unless you are strongly curious, forget this
one.
- Nicholas Sheffo
