The Honeymoon Killers - Criterion Collection
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Movie Reviews of The Honeymoon Killers - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: What a good thing for low budget
Summary: 5 Stars
it helps this film's seedy atmosphere. It does remind one of John Water's early films in the acting department, but it is a truly engrossing film.This film takes a trip into the minds of 2 truly ill individuals. At one point, directly after the first murder, Ray Says to Martha "I want to make love to you"But Martha soon turns the tables on Ray when she discovers a lie....Avery good low budget film that works effectivelyMovie Review: A fellinian nightmare!
Summary: 5 Stars
The painful loneliness of a nurse who suffers a little problem of overweight (two hundred pounds) , lives with her senile mother . Martha decides to join a correspondence friendship club . She will receive torrid and voluptuous letters love from a Spanish born immigrant .He will visit her in Alabama and he will be back to NYC. They will rejoin very soon in New York and Ray confess her he is just a gigolo . But as you know sometimes the love is blind and she doesn't matter at all his venerable profession.
In this particular and light and shadow state of things , Ray will start to compose a real horror symphony . Betrayal , suspicion , infidelity , black humor, greed , and sinister fatality will be their fellow partners journey .
But as you know in love the domain relapses in those who love less . Ray hardly will change his previous costumes and Martha will act in consequence .
Those early seventies were impregnated of a gloomy poetry . The collective needed evasion . Those were the first films where the sci fi renewed with new proposals , the racism films , the first denounces about Vietnam War , The French May . In this sense you may remember that filthy cult movie for a great audience - Pink Flamingos - the most famous work of John Waters , Antonioni `s Zabrizskie Point , Kubrick ` s A clockwork orange , Michael Anerson 's If , Perry Henzel `s The harder they come , Dennis Hopper 's Easy Rider , Richard Rush's Hell' s Angels , Strawberry statement or Billy Jack to name the most representative items in this category of outlaw movies , made usually with a low budget but filled with a brutal denounce load and no satisfaction , not only by the teenagers but also the thirties generation who were the first generation post Beatles and Elvis Presley who decided to swim against the current making films which walked in the knife edge .
Curiously all those films were not authentically originals but were born from the French New Wave with two notable films : Breathless and Jules and Jim . In fact you can note a
little homage to Jules and Jim when the camera remains stationary in Ctaherinep's living room .
These characters are based in real events . The real Ray and Martha , the far descendents of Bonnie and Clyde and Gun Crazy were executed in Sing Sing on March 7 1951 .
Movie Review: disturbing, but very impressive
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD of the film.
Honeymoon Killers is a film based on the true story of Martha Beck, a nurse who meets an older man, Ray Fernandez, through a matchmating service and when she discovers that he is a swindler, she is upset but he explains that he really does love her. She then starts to help him swindle women out of their money and poses as his sister. Eventually, they start killing and Martha turns themselves in to the police when she feels remorseful.
The source material for the film included newspaper articles, court documents and other credible material.
The film has some nice acting and good cast choices for the time, but Shirley Stoler, who played the role of nurse Martha Beck, has a very striking resemblence to Louise Fletcher in this film! Some can't help but laugh because of this. It is a very sad story and the violence in the film was very intense for the time. It was made in 1970 and got an R rating, but today it would certainly get a PG-13 rating or maybe even PG.
The Criterion Collection placed some excellent special features on the DVD.
There in an interview with screenrriter and director Leonard Kastle, a theatrical trailer, and a slide show of information about the true story that inspired the film. It includes courtroom pictutes, newspaper articles, crime scene photos, and material about the Sing Sing prison where they were executed. It even shows the couple's last meal requests.
This film should not be missed.
Movie Review: Campy and fun
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is alot of fun especially if you like bad acting and a good script. The DVD's picture quality is excellent especially compared to this VHS I bought about 6 years ago the sound is not very good but that is because of the film's extremely low budget.Movie Review: Manipulative affection in drama-documentary...
Summary: 4 Stars
Honeymoon killers is based on the true events that took place during the late 40s when a heavy nurse, Martha Beck begins to exchange letters with the sly and manipulative Raymond Fernandez who she met through an add in a Lonely Hearts club. Raymond uses the club to con lonely women, but it turns out that Raymond and Martha have something in common. Together the two begin to pick victims and steal women's savings, which eventually leads to murder. Honeymoon Killers is a monstrous story that reveals the dark nature of Martha's passion for Raymond as they tour east USA leaving a trail of corpses. Yet, it is a sad story as Martha is incapable of recognizing their failing love as she desires the need to feel loved by Raymond. Honeymoon Killers is a black and white drama-documentary that leaves the audience with a good, yet mind numbing cinematic experience.