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Average customer rating:
- Rondo Hatton makes this film a memorable one
- "I've changed a little since I last saw you."
- Brute Man
- Rondo Hatton at his "best".
- And now, the DVD technical review
|
The Brute Man
Starring: Tom Neal , Jan Wiley , Jane Adams , Donald MacBride , and Peter Whitney
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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Similar Items:
- The Woman Who Came Back
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- House of Horrors
- The Flying Serpent
- Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)
ASIN: B00000IYR2
Release Date: 1999-07-20 |
Amazon.com
Rondo Hatton had appeared briefly in such Hollywood classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Ox-Bow Incident, but his later status as a cult icon is kept alive by his roles in low-budget B thrillers. His massive, misshapen head, gigantic hands, and towering presence were the result of acromegaly, a disease that causes bones to be enlarged and misproportioned. The Brute Man was Hatton's last film and only headlining role--he died soon after filming. He stars as the Creeper, a mysterious killer taking his revenge on those he holds responsible for the accident that disfigured him, but whose heart is softened by a blind girl who befriends him--kind of a twisted take on Beauty and the Beast. The slapdash production suffers from an underwritten script and lackluster performances, but director Jean Yarbrough manages to inject some mood and a little style into the production, and even pulls a few surprises out of the otherwise mundane script. Tom Neal, who appears as the Creeper's next target, made his cult reputation with Detour. Hatton was never much of an actor, but he makes a startling presence shuffling through fog-shrouded streets and ducking around corners, and even elicits a little sympathy for a character so filled with hate that he becomes the monster he resembles. --Sean Axmaker
Description
Lock your doors! Fasten the windows! "The Creeper" is on the loose and the police are powerless to stop his bloody rampage! A revenge tale of "B" proportions, "The Brute Man" is the story of Hal Moffat, a college student who is horribly disfigured in a laboratory accident. Years later, he returns to punish those responsible for his hideous fate.
Customer Reviews:
Rondo Hatton makes this film a memorable one.......2006-02-09
There is just something strangely compelling about 1946's The Brute Man. Rondo Hatton played "The Creeper," a serial killer terrorizing a whole city, specifically targeting the people he blames for an accident that essentially ruined his life. Back in his senior year of college, Hal Moffet suffered a terrible accident (brought on by a fateful mixture of love, jealousy, temper, and chemicals) that left his face disfigured. Now, he keeps to the shadows and only goes out at night because his appearance frightens everyone who gets a good look at him. Frankly, he has a right to be resentful and mentally unbalanced, given the set of circumstances that ruined his life. Over the years, though, his anger has grown to uncontrollable proportions, giving birth to "the Creeper." As murders seem to keep happening one after another, the police force finds itself stymied in its investigation of the heinous crimes - although they do almost catch Hal early on in the film. He evades them by climbing a fire escape and entering the apartment of a lovely young woman named Helen Paige (Jane Adams). Not only is she not afraid of her unexpected visitor, she is even nice to him - and no one has been nice to Hal in a long time. It isn't until his second visit to Helen's apartment that he learns she is blind. Still, a definite connection is made between the two - and something of the man Hal used to be is gradually revealed to the viewer. You do come to feel sorry for the man, but it's certainly not enough to redeem him - he is, after all, a vicious murderer with a lot of blood on his hands.
Rondo Hatton died before this movie was released, which only adds another dimension of tragedy to the whole film. Hatton was a brave (and some would say exploited) actor, a man who basically created the ubiquitous "Creeper" persona because it was the only type of character he could play. Hatton was exposed to mustard gas during World War I, and that may or may not have contributed to the onset of acromegaly in the young actor a few years later. This disease attacks the pituitary gland and causes abnormal growth in the patient, producing the kinds of facial deformities that define Hatton's character in this film. The man wasn't a great actor, but I think the link between his own reality and that of his character lends an unquantifiable yet definitely detectable power to his performance. It certainly makes The Brute Man a memorable film - and in some ways a disquieting one that will leave you with mixed emotions over the character of the tragic killer.
"I've changed a little since I last saw you.".......2006-01-02
I first became familiar with the character `The Creeper' after seeing a likeness of him in the 1991 film The Rocketeer, as special effects man Rick Baker transformed actor `Tiny' Ron Taylor into the character of Lothar, an incredible likeness of Rondo Hatton, who played the character (sans any prosthetics) in the late 1930s and through the 1940s, up until his death in 1946 at the age of about 52. Seems Hatton, once a handsome looking man (according to reports), suffered from a case of acromegaly, which resulted in a form of gigantism deforming his head, feet and hands to enormous proportions. Hatton's last film, The Brute Man (1946), directed by Jean Yarbrough (She-Wolf of London, Hillbillys in a Haunted House), features Tom Neal (Another Thin Man, Detour), Jan Wiley (She-Wolf of London), and Jane Adams (House of Dracula). Also appearing is Donald MacBride (My Favorite Wife, High Sierra, The Thin Man Goes Home), Peter Whitney (Destination Tokyo), Fred Coby (Devil's Cargo), and Janelle Johnson Dolenz, mother to Micky Dolenz, of the mid 1960s group "The Monkees".
As the film begins we learn the police are on alert as some psychotic lunatic is running around the city breaking necks without a permit. Turns out the killer, dubbed `The Creeper', is none other than former collegiate all American football player Hal Moffet (Hatton), once a normal looking man, now deformed brute out for revenge. So what happened? Well, seems back in the day when Hal was in college, he and his friend/roommate Clifford Scott (Neal) were both competing for the affections of the same woman, Virginia Rogers (Wiley), and Cliff, the smart one, in an effort to put one over on Hal, fed him with some wrong answers for a chemistry test, which resulted in Hal having to stay after class and do some extra work. In a fit of jealous anger, the hot-headed Hal accidentally exposed himself to some chemicals, which resulted in him becoming severely disfigured (he now has the face of a well worn catcher's mitt), paranoid, and extremely bitter. Cliff got the girl, and Hal disappeared, eventually returning to exact his revenge on those who he thinks ruined his life. During his efforts to elude the police, Hal meets an attractive and compassionate blind girl named Helen (Adams), and the two develop a friendship, as she has no idea he's actually `The Creeper'. Turns out Helen's condition is one that might benefit from a costly operation, one she can't possibly afford, but Hal knows Cliff (who now appears to be the poster boy for Murray's Superior Pomade...time to change that oil, m'boy) has done quite well for himself and his wife, as the pair are living high on the hog. It's reunion time as Hal visits the Scotts, but the inept police aren't far behind, catching a few breaks as some vital clues fall into their laps, and Hal ends up suffering even more, perhaps the ultimate, betrayal.
I read that Universal initially produced this film, but then ended up selling it off to Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), a poverty row studio of the time, as they thought the material too exploitationary for their tastes, playing off Hatton's condition as the feature did...I could see their point, but it's funny how they weren't so offended as to shelve the project, but rather pawn it off to recoup their costs...business is business, I suppose. I did sort of enjoy the film, but it tended to get bogged down in the sappy subplot between Hal and Helen. I honestly thought this was going to result in story taking a different tact, one where Hal sees Helen living quite happily with her handicap, and might eventually come to accept his own condition, but it didn't go that way...I guess there wouldn't have been much point as Hal had already killed a number of people about the time this realization would have set in...he did seem to struggle a little with the notion that if he got the money for Helen's operation, and she could actually see, she might dump him given his `grotesque' appearance. Of the handful of people Hal disposes of (including a nosy grocery delivery boy), he missed one as someone who really deserved killing was that cantankerous, crotchety, loud mouthed grocery store owner. Geez, Louise, just because someone pays you a pittance to make deliveries and sweep the floor doesn't give them the right to verbally beat on you like a red headed stepchild. Anyway, there's really not a whole lot to get out of this film, other than plenty of shots of Hatton's condition for lurid, viewing pleasure, as he sneaks around, shimmying up fire escapes, skulking in bushes, etc. The man didn't seem to have much in the way of acting skills, and most rest of the performers weren't given much in terms of meaty parts to make up for his defiencies. At least Jan Wiley and Jane Adams were both really easy on the eyes. I am curious that if Ms. Adams character was, in fact, blind, how did she manage to make herself look as good as she did? I'm not saying blind people can't make themselves attractive, but she looked just a little too well made up...I thought the direction was quite good, but, as I mentioned earlier, the film gets mired is sap shortly after it starts, making the scant 59 minute run time seem much longer than it is...I did learn a few things from this film, the most important perhaps that if you're ever confronted in your home by a homicidal, neck breaking manic suffering some strange affliction causing his extremities to become enlarged, and you've managed to get the drop on him with a gun, go for the head shot, as shooting him in the leg only seems to make him go insane and even more kill crazy.
The picture quality, presenting in fullscreen (1.33:1), on this Image Entertainment release looks much better than I would have expected, and the Dolby Digital audio comes through very well. There are no extras available, and the film begins once placed into a DVD player. There are chapter stops, for what its worth.
Cookieman108
Oh, one more thing, if you're a store owner and a homicidal, neck breaking manic suffering some strange affliction causing his extremities to become enlarged wants to buy something on credit, you'd best let him, else he just might pop your head off like a bottle top.
Brute Man.......2004-08-06
Rondo Hatton plays the Creeper in the cheap, dull and exploitative THE BRUTE MAN, and gawking at him is about the only reason to get this one. After exposure to poison gas in World War One Hatton contracted a disease that severely elongated and deformed his facial bones and Hollywood came a-calling in the 1930s. Hatton appeared in about twenty-five movies, almost always playing a mute bad guy, before dying of a heart attack shortly after THE BRUTE MAN was released.
If you want to see Hatton in an enjoyable flick get THE PEARL OF DEATH, a 1944 Sherlock Holmes mystery with Rathbone and Bruce.
Rondo Hatton at his "best"........2002-02-11
Rondo Hatton was a victim of acromegaly whose deformed face (and voice) were tastelessly exploited in several films of the Forties. This one has two distinctions -- it was Hatton's last film (he died before its release) and it was the only Universal horror film which Universal did not bother to release, but rather sold to the ultra-low budget studio PRC for release, altho the film still begins with the Universal logo. The plot involves a handsome college student whose face becomes deformed due to a laboratory accident. Since Hatton actually was handsome and athletic in his pre-acromegaly period, the film has a bizarre parallel with his own life. (But it is difficult to accept that this type of deformity could be caused by a splash of acid.) The nouveau ugly man becomes a brutal killer, proving it is possible to be grotesque on the outside and rotten on the inside, too. He befriends a young blind woman who believes blind people have good character judgment, yet she never suspects he is a brutal killer. This grim, depressing film is interesting in a perverse way.
And now, the DVD technical review.......2000-05-10
Another customer review very nicely covers the movie itself, so just let me chime in with a few quick words about the technical quality of the DVD release.
You might think that this disc would be grainy, or soft, or with poor contrast, particularly since it's from the legendary poverty row studio PRC, and a few other PRC videos are so-so. Truth is, although the film was released by PRC, it was produced by Universal Studios!
You'll be exceedingly happy to discover that the transfer to DVD is outstanding. Contrast is excellent, and the image is sharp and clean. This is a Criterion-level transfer here! Sound is nice and clean too. Of course, the disc hasn't anything in the way of extras. Running time is just about an hour, the case is a snapper.
If you're interested in the related films, this one is the last of the "Creeper" films. The Creeper is Rondo Hatton's "signature role" begun in 1944 in the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes film PEARL OF DEATH, followed by 1946's HOUSE OF HORRORS, and finally THE BRUTE MAN (which was indeed Hatton's last film).
Average customer rating:
|
The Brute Man
Starring: Jane Adams , Fred Coby , John Hamilton , Rondo Hatton , and Donald MacBride
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Manufacturer: Cheezy Flicks Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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- Voyage to the Bottom of Sea: Season 2, Vol. 1
- Police Squad! The Complete Series
ASIN: B000K2UW24
Release Date: 2006-12-05 |
Description
Look the windows! Chain the door! The Brute Man has escaped from the Sanatorium. Hes on a rampage, wreaking havoc, spreading panic and taking wholesale revenge by murdering those he holds responsible for his predicament. The Brute Man is totally insane and hes crazy about murder. His hideous face will scare you to death. Will they catch him before its too late? Can they hold him at all?
Average customer rating:
- Rondo Hatton makes this film a memorable one
- "I've changed a little since I last saw you."
- Brute Man
- Rondo Hatton at his "best".
- And now, the DVD technical review
|
Brute Man
Starring: Tom Neal , Jan Wiley , Jane Adams , Donald MacBride , and Peter Whitney
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Adams, Jane
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Similar Items:
- The Woman Who Came Back
- Strangler of the Swamp
- House of Horrors
- The Flying Serpent
- Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)
ASIN: B00008EY5Z
Release Date: 1994-06-23 |
Amazon.com
Rondo Hatton had appeared briefly in such Hollywood classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Ox-Bow Incident, but his later status as a cult icon is kept alive by his roles in low-budget B thrillers. His massive, misshapen head, gigantic hands, and towering presence were the result of acromegaly, a disease that causes bones to be enlarged and misproportioned. The Brute Man was Hatton's last film and only headlining role--he died soon after filming. He stars as the Creeper, a mysterious killer taking his revenge on those he holds responsible for the accident that disfigured him, but whose heart is softened by a blind girl who befriends him--kind of a twisted take on Beauty and the Beast. The slapdash production suffers from an underwritten script and lackluster performances, but director Jean Yarbrough manages to inject some mood and a little style into the production, and even pulls a few surprises out of the otherwise mundane script. Tom Neal, who appears as the Creeper's next target, made his cult reputation with Detour. Hatton was never much of an actor, but he makes a startling presence shuffling through fog-shrouded streets and ducking around corners, and even elicits a little sympathy for a character so filled with hate that he becomes the monster he resembles. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Rondo Hatton makes this film a memorable one.......2006-02-09
There is just something strangely compelling about 1946's The Brute Man. Rondo Hatton played "The Creeper," a serial killer terrorizing a whole city, specifically targeting the people he blames for an accident that essentially ruined his life. Back in his senior year of college, Hal Moffet suffered a terrible accident (brought on by a fateful mixture of love, jealousy, temper, and chemicals) that left his face disfigured. Now, he keeps to the shadows and only goes out at night because his appearance frightens everyone who gets a good look at him. Frankly, he has a right to be resentful and mentally unbalanced, given the set of circumstances that ruined his life. Over the years, though, his anger has grown to uncontrollable proportions, giving birth to "the Creeper." As murders seem to keep happening one after another, the police force finds itself stymied in its investigation of the heinous crimes - although they do almost catch Hal early on in the film. He evades them by climbing a fire escape and entering the apartment of a lovely young woman named Helen Paige (Jane Adams). Not only is she not afraid of her unexpected visitor, she is even nice to him - and no one has been nice to Hal in a long time. It isn't until his second visit to Helen's apartment that he learns she is blind. Still, a definite connection is made between the two - and something of the man Hal used to be is gradually revealed to the viewer. You do come to feel sorry for the man, but it's certainly not enough to redeem him - he is, after all, a vicious murderer with a lot of blood on his hands.
Rondo Hatton died before this movie was released, which only adds another dimension of tragedy to the whole film. Hatton was a brave (and some would say exploited) actor, a man who basically created the ubiquitous "Creeper" persona because it was the only type of character he could play. Hatton was exposed to mustard gas during World War I, and that may or may not have contributed to the onset of acromegaly in the young actor a few years later. This disease attacks the pituitary gland and causes abnormal growth in the patient, producing the kinds of facial deformities that define Hatton's character in this film. The man wasn't a great actor, but I think the link between his own reality and that of his character lends an unquantifiable yet definitely detectable power to his performance. It certainly makes The Brute Man a memorable film - and in some ways a disquieting one that will leave you with mixed emotions over the character of the tragic killer.
"I've changed a little since I last saw you.".......2006-01-02
I first became familiar with the character `The Creeper' after seeing a likeness of him in the 1991 film The Rocketeer, as special effects man Rick Baker transformed actor `Tiny' Ron Taylor into the character of Lothar, an incredible likeness of Rondo Hatton, who played the character (sans any prosthetics) in the late 1930s and through the 1940s, up until his death in 1946 at the age of about 52. Seems Hatton, once a handsome looking man (according to reports), suffered from a case of acromegaly, which resulted in a form of gigantism deforming his head, feet and hands to enormous proportions. Hatton's last film, The Brute Man (1946), directed by Jean Yarbrough (She-Wolf of London, Hillbillys in a Haunted House), features Tom Neal (Another Thin Man, Detour), Jan Wiley (She-Wolf of London), and Jane Adams (House of Dracula). Also appearing is Donald MacBride (My Favorite Wife, High Sierra, The Thin Man Goes Home), Peter Whitney (Destination Tokyo), Fred Coby (Devil's Cargo), and Janelle Johnson Dolenz, mother to Micky Dolenz, of the mid 1960s group "The Monkees".
As the film begins we learn the police are on alert as some psychotic lunatic is running around the city breaking necks without a permit. Turns out the killer, dubbed `The Creeper', is none other than former collegiate all American football player Hal Moffet (Hatton), once a normal looking man, now deformed brute out for revenge. So what happened? Well, seems back in the day when Hal was in college, he and his friend/roommate Clifford Scott (Neal) were both competing for the affections of the same woman, Virginia Rogers (Wiley), and Cliff, the smart one, in an effort to put one over on Hal, fed him with some wrong answers for a chemistry test, which resulted in Hal having to stay after class and do some extra work. In a fit of jealous anger, the hot-headed Hal accidentally exposed himself to some chemicals, which resulted in him becoming severely disfigured (he now has the face of a well worn catcher's mitt), paranoid, and extremely bitter. Cliff got the girl, and Hal disappeared, eventually returning to exact his revenge on those who he thinks ruined his life. During his efforts to elude the police, Hal meets an attractive and compassionate blind girl named Helen (Adams), and the two develop a friendship, as she has no idea he's actually `The Creeper'. Turns out Helen's condition is one that might benefit from a costly operation, one she can't possibly afford, but Hal knows Cliff (who now appears to be the poster boy for Murray's Superior Pomade...time to change that oil, m'boy) has done quite well for himself and his wife, as the pair are living high on the hog. It's reunion time as Hal visits the Scotts, but the inept police aren't far behind, catching a few breaks as some vital clues fall into their laps, and Hal ends up suffering even more, perhaps the ultimate, betrayal.
I read that Universal initially produced this film, but then ended up selling it off to Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), a poverty row studio of the time, as they thought the material too exploitationary for their tastes, playing off Hatton's condition as the feature did...I could see their point, but it's funny how they weren't so offended as to shelve the project, but rather pawn it off to recoup their costs...business is business, I suppose. I did sort of enjoy the film, but it tended to get bogged down in the sappy subplot between Hal and Helen. I honestly thought this was going to result in story taking a different tact, one where Hal sees Helen living quite happily with her handicap, and might eventually come to accept his own condition, but it didn't go that way...I guess there wouldn't have been much point as Hal had already killed a number of people about the time this realization would have set in...he did seem to struggle a little with the notion that if he got the money for Helen's operation, and she could actually see, she might dump him given his `grotesque' appearance. Of the handful of people Hal disposes of (including a nosy grocery delivery boy), he missed one as someone who really deserved killing was that cantankerous, crotchety, loud mouthed grocery store owner. Geez, Louise, just because someone pays you a pittance to make deliveries and sweep the floor doesn't give them the right to verbally beat on you like a red headed stepchild. Anyway, there's really not a whole lot to get out of this film, other than plenty of shots of Hatton's condition for lurid, viewing pleasure, as he sneaks around, shimmying up fire escapes, skulking in bushes, etc. The man didn't seem to have much in the way of acting skills, and most rest of the performers weren't given much in terms of meaty parts to make up for his defiencies. At least Jan Wiley and Jane Adams were both really easy on the eyes. I am curious that if Ms. Adams character was, in fact, blind, how did she manage to make herself look as good as she did? I'm not saying blind people can't make themselves attractive, but she looked just a little too well made up...I thought the direction was quite good, but, as I mentioned earlier, the film gets mired is sap shortly after it starts, making the scant 59 minute run time seem much longer than it is...I did learn a few things from this film, the most important perhaps that if you're ever confronted in your home by a homicidal, neck breaking manic suffering some strange affliction causing his extremities to become enlarged, and you've managed to get the drop on him with a gun, go for the head shot, as shooting him in the leg only seems to make him go insane and even more kill crazy.
The picture quality, presenting in fullscreen (1.33:1), on this Image Entertainment release looks much better than I would have expected, and the Dolby Digital audio comes through very well. There are no extras available, and the film begins once placed into a DVD player. There are chapter stops, for what its worth.
Cookieman108
Oh, one more thing, if you're a store owner and a homicidal, neck breaking manic suffering some strange affliction causing his extremities to become enlarged wants to buy something on credit, you'd best let him, else he just might pop your head off like a bottle top.
Brute Man.......2004-08-06
Rondo Hatton plays the Creeper in the cheap, dull and exploitative THE BRUTE MAN, and gawking at him is about the only reason to get this one. After exposure to poison gas in World War One Hatton contracted a disease that severely elongated and deformed his facial bones and Hollywood came a-calling in the 1930s. Hatton appeared in about twenty-five movies, almost always playing a mute bad guy, before dying of a heart attack shortly after THE BRUTE MAN was released.
If you want to see Hatton in an enjoyable flick get THE PEARL OF DEATH, a 1944 Sherlock Holmes mystery with Rathbone and Bruce.
Rondo Hatton at his "best"........2002-02-11
Rondo Hatton was a victim of acromegaly whose deformed face (and voice) were tastelessly exploited in several films of the Forties. This one has two distinctions -- it was Hatton's last film (he died before its release) and it was the only Universal horror film which Universal did not bother to release, but rather sold to the ultra-low budget studio PRC for release, altho the film still begins with the Universal logo. The plot involves a handsome college student whose face becomes deformed due to a laboratory accident. Since Hatton actually was handsome and athletic in his pre-acromegaly period, the film has a bizarre parallel with his own life. (But it is difficult to accept that this type of deformity could be caused by a splash of acid.) The nouveau ugly man becomes a brutal killer, proving it is possible to be grotesque on the outside and rotten on the inside, too. He befriends a young blind woman who believes blind people have good character judgment, yet she never suspects he is a brutal killer. This grim, depressing film is interesting in a perverse way.
And now, the DVD technical review.......2000-05-10
Another customer review very nicely covers the movie itself, so just let me chime in with a few quick words about the technical quality of the DVD release.
You might think that this disc would be grainy, or soft, or with poor contrast, particularly since it's from the legendary poverty row studio PRC, and a few other PRC videos are so-so. Truth is, although the film was released by PRC, it was produced by Universal Studios!
You'll be exceedingly happy to discover that the transfer to DVD is outstanding. Contrast is excellent, and the image is sharp and clean. This is a Criterion-level transfer here! Sound is nice and clean too. Of course, the disc hasn't anything in the way of extras. Running time is just about an hour, the case is a snapper.
If you're interested in the related films, this one is the last of the "Creeper" films. The Creeper is Rondo Hatton's "signature role" begun in 1944 in the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes film PEARL OF DEATH, followed by 1946's HOUSE OF HORRORS, and finally THE BRUTE MAN (which was indeed Hatton's last film).
Average customer rating:
- Rondo Hatton makes this film a memorable one
- "I've changed a little since I last saw you."
- Brute Man
- Rondo Hatton at his "best".
- And now, the DVD technical review
|
Brute Man (1946)
Starring: Tom Neal , Jan Wiley , Jane Adams , Donald MacBride , and Peter Whitney
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Adams, Jane
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Similar Items:
- The Woman Who Came Back
- Strangler of the Swamp
- House of Horrors
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- Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)
ASIN: B00000IYQR
Release Date: 1999-07-20 |
Amazon.com
Rondo Hatton had appeared briefly in such Hollywood classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Ox-Bow Incident, but his later status as a cult icon is kept alive by his roles in low-budget B thrillers. His massive, misshapen head, gigantic hands, and towering presence were the result of acromegaly, a disease that causes bones to be enlarged and misproportioned. The Brute Man was Hatton's last film and only headlining role--he died soon after filming. He stars as the Creeper, a mysterious killer taking his revenge on those he holds responsible for the accident that disfigured him, but whose heart is softened by a blind girl who befriends him--kind of a twisted take on Beauty and the Beast. The slapdash production suffers from an underwritten script and lackluster performances, but director Jean Yarbrough manages to inject some mood and a little style into the production, and even pulls a few surprises out of the otherwise mundane script. Tom Neal, who appears as the Creeper's next target, made his cult reputation with Detour. Hatton was never much of an actor, but he makes a startling presence shuffling through fog-shrouded streets and ducking around corners, and even elicits a little sympathy for a character so filled with hate that he becomes the monster he resembles. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Rondo Hatton makes this film a memorable one.......2006-02-09
There is just something strangely compelling about 1946's The Brute Man. Rondo Hatton played "The Creeper," a serial killer terrorizing a whole city, specifically targeting the people he blames for an accident that essentially ruined his life. Back in his senior year of college, Hal Moffet suffered a terrible accident (brought on by a fateful mixture of love, jealousy, temper, and chemicals) that left his face disfigured. Now, he keeps to the shadows and only goes out at night because his appearance frightens everyone who gets a good look at him. Frankly, he has a right to be resentful and mentally unbalanced, given the set of circumstances that ruined his life. Over the years, though, his anger has grown to uncontrollable proportions, giving birth to "the Creeper." As murders seem to keep happening one after another, the police force finds itself stymied in its investigation of the heinous crimes - although they do almost catch Hal early on in the film. He evades them by climbing a fire escape and entering the apartment of a lovely young woman named Helen Paige (Jane Adams). Not only is she not afraid of her unexpected visitor, she is even nice to him - and no one has been nice to Hal in a long time. It isn't until his second visit to Helen's apartment that he learns she is blind. Still, a definite connection is made between the two - and something of the man Hal used to be is gradually revealed to the viewer. You do come to feel sorry for the man, but it's certainly not enough to redeem him - he is, after all, a vicious murderer with a lot of blood on his hands.
Rondo Hatton died before this movie was released, which only adds another dimension of tragedy to the whole film. Hatton was a brave (and some would say exploited) actor, a man who basically created the ubiquitous "Creeper" persona because it was the only type of character he could play. Hatton was exposed to mustard gas during World War I, and that may or may not have contributed to the onset of acromegaly in the young actor a few years later. This disease attacks the pituitary gland and causes abnormal growth in the patient, producing the kinds of facial deformities that define Hatton's character in this film. The man wasn't a great actor, but I think the link between his own reality and that of his character lends an unquantifiable yet definitely detectable power to his performance. It certainly makes The Brute Man a memorable film - and in some ways a disquieting one that will leave you with mixed emotions over the character of the tragic killer.
"I've changed a little since I last saw you.".......2006-01-02
I first became familiar with the character `The Creeper' after seeing a likeness of him in the 1991 film The Rocketeer, as special effects man Rick Baker transformed actor `Tiny' Ron Taylor into the character of Lothar, an incredible likeness of Rondo Hatton, who played the character (sans any prosthetics) in the late 1930s and through the 1940s, up until his death in 1946 at the age of about 52. Seems Hatton, once a handsome looking man (according to reports), suffered from a case of acromegaly, which resulted in a form of gigantism deforming his head, feet and hands to enormous proportions. Hatton's last film, The Brute Man (1946), directed by Jean Yarbrough (She-Wolf of London, Hillbillys in a Haunted House), features Tom Neal (Another Thin Man, Detour), Jan Wiley (She-Wolf of London), and Jane Adams (House of Dracula). Also appearing is Donald MacBride (My Favorite Wife, High Sierra, The Thin Man Goes Home), Peter Whitney (Destination Tokyo), Fred Coby (Devil's Cargo), and Janelle Johnson Dolenz, mother to Micky Dolenz, of the mid 1960s group "The Monkees".
As the film begins we learn the police are on alert as some psychotic lunatic is running around the city breaking necks without a permit. Turns out the killer, dubbed `The Creeper', is none other than former collegiate all American football player Hal Moffet (Hatton), once a normal looking man, now deformed brute out for revenge. So what happened? Well, seems back in the day when Hal was in college, he and his friend/roommate Clifford Scott (Neal) were both competing for the affections of the same woman, Virginia Rogers (Wiley), and Cliff, the smart one, in an effort to put one over on Hal, fed him with some wrong answers for a chemistry test, which resulted in Hal having to stay after class and do some extra work. In a fit of jealous anger, the hot-headed Hal accidentally exposed himself to some chemicals, which resulted in him becoming severely disfigured (he now has the face of a well worn catcher's mitt), paranoid, and extremely bitter. Cliff got the girl, and Hal disappeared, eventually returning to exact his revenge on those who he thinks ruined his life. During his efforts to elude the police, Hal meets an attractive and compassionate blind girl named Helen (Adams), and the two develop a friendship, as she has no idea he's actually `The Creeper'. Turns out Helen's condition is one that might benefit from a costly operation, one she can't possibly afford, but Hal knows Cliff (who now appears to be the poster boy for Murray's Superior Pomade...time to change that oil, m'boy) has done quite well for himself and his wife, as the pair are living high on the hog. It's reunion time as Hal visits the Scotts, but the inept police aren't far behind, catching a few breaks as some vital clues fall into their laps, and Hal ends up suffering even more, perhaps the ultimate, betrayal.
I read that Universal initially produced this film, but then ended up selling it off to Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), a poverty row studio of the time, as they thought the material too exploitationary for their tastes, playing off Hatton's condition as the feature did...I could see their point, but it's funny how they weren't so offended as to shelve the project, but rather pawn it off to recoup their costs...business is business, I suppose. I did sort of enjoy the film, but it tended to get bogged down in the sappy subplot between Hal and Helen. I honestly thought this was going to result in story taking a different tact, one where Hal sees Helen living quite happily with her handicap, and might eventually come to accept his own condition, but it didn't go that way...I guess there wouldn't have been much point as Hal had already killed a number of people about the time this realization would have set in...he did seem to struggle a little with the notion that if he got the money for Helen's operation, and she could actually see, she might dump him given his `grotesque' appearance. Of the handful of people Hal disposes of (including a nosy grocery delivery boy), he missed one as someone who really deserved killing was that cantankerous, crotchety, loud mouthed grocery store owner. Geez, Louise, just because someone pays you a pittance to make deliveries and sweep the floor doesn't give them the right to verbally beat on you like a red headed stepchild. Anyway, there's really not a whole lot to get out of this film, other than plenty of shots of Hatton's condition for lurid, viewing pleasure, as he sneaks around, shimmying up fire escapes, skulking in bushes, etc. The man didn't seem to have much in the way of acting skills, and most rest of the performers weren't given much in terms of meaty parts to make up for his defiencies. At least Jan Wiley and Jane Adams were both really easy on the eyes. I am curious that if Ms. Adams character was, in fact, blind, how did she manage to make herself look as good as she did? I'm not saying blind people can't make themselves attractive, but she looked just a little too well made up...I thought the direction was quite good, but, as I mentioned earlier, the film gets mired is sap shortly after it starts, making the scant 59 minute run time seem much longer than it is...I did learn a few things from this film, the most important perhaps that if you're ever confronted in your home by a homicidal, neck breaking manic suffering some strange affliction causing his extremities to become enlarged, and you've managed to get the drop on him with a gun, go for the head shot, as shooting him in the leg only seems to make him go insane and even more kill crazy.
The picture quality, presenting in fullscreen (1.33:1), on this Image Entertainment release looks much better than I would have expected, and the Dolby Digital audio comes through very well. There are no extras available, and the film begins once placed into a DVD player. There are chapter stops, for what its worth.
Cookieman108
Oh, one more thing, if you're a store owner and a homicidal, neck breaking manic suffering some strange affliction causing his extremities to become enlarged wants to buy something on credit, you'd best let him, else he just might pop your head off like a bottle top.
Brute Man.......2004-08-06
Rondo Hatton plays the Creeper in the cheap, dull and exploitative THE BRUTE MAN, and gawking at him is about the only reason to get this one. After exposure to poison gas in World War One Hatton contracted a disease that severely elongated and deformed his facial bones and Hollywood came a-calling in the 1930s. Hatton appeared in about twenty-five movies, almost always playing a mute bad guy, before dying of a heart attack shortly after THE BRUTE MAN was released.
If you want to see Hatton in an enjoyable flick get THE PEARL OF DEATH, a 1944 Sherlock Holmes mystery with Rathbone and Bruce.
Rondo Hatton at his "best"........2002-02-11
Rondo Hatton was a victim of acromegaly whose deformed face (and voice) were tastelessly exploited in several films of the Forties. This one has two distinctions -- it was Hatton's last film (he died before its release) and it was the only Universal horror film which Universal did not bother to release, but rather sold to the ultra-low budget studio PRC for release, altho the film still begins with the Universal logo. The plot involves a handsome college student whose face becomes deformed due to a laboratory accident. Since Hatton actually was handsome and athletic in his pre-acromegaly period, the film has a bizarre parallel with his own life. (But it is difficult to accept that this type of deformity could be caused by a splash of acid.) The nouveau ugly man becomes a brutal killer, proving it is possible to be grotesque on the outside and rotten on the inside, too. He befriends a young blind woman who believes blind people have good character judgment, yet she never suspects he is a brutal killer. This grim, depressing film is interesting in a perverse way.
And now, the DVD technical review.......2000-05-10
Another customer review very nicely covers the movie itself, so just let me chime in with a few quick words about the technical quality of the DVD release.
You might think that this disc would be grainy, or soft, or with poor contrast, particularly since it's from the legendary poverty row studio PRC, and a few other PRC videos are so-so. Truth is, although the film was released by PRC, it was produced by Universal Studios!
You'll be exceedingly happy to discover that the transfer to DVD is outstanding. Contrast is excellent, and the image is sharp and clean. This is a Criterion-level transfer here! Sound is nice and clean too. Of course, the disc hasn't anything in the way of extras. Running time is just about an hour, the case is a snapper.
If you're interested in the related films, this one is the last of the "Creeper" films. The Creeper is Rondo Hatton's "signature role" begun in 1944 in the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes film PEARL OF DEATH, followed by 1946's HOUSE OF HORRORS, and finally THE BRUTE MAN (which was indeed Hatton's last film).
Average customer rating:
|
Brute Man
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Hatton, Rondo
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
General
| Horror
| Genres
| VHS
| Video
ASIN: 5554322395 |
DVD:
- Brute Man
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