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Targets
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (3rd October 2023). |
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The Film
 "Targets" (1968) Byron Orlock (played by Boris Karloff) is an ageing horror movie icon that suddenly announces his desire to retire from the film business after a test screening of his latest horror feature. His announcement comes as a shock and a PR issue for the producers as well as the director of the film Sammy Michaels (played by Peter Bogdanovich), who need Orlock to appear at a special screening of the film for a drive-in audience the following day. Orlock states he feels out of date with the industry and the times, as horror movie make-up and creatures are not considered scary anymore, especially in comparison to the horrors of daily violence as seen in the news. But is leaving the industry abruptly the right answer for Orlock's goodbye? Meanwhile, there is the story of Bobby Thompson (played by Tim O'Kelly), a young man who is living a comfortable conservative life with his family in California - his wife Ilene (played by Tanya Morgan) and his parents Robert (played by James Brown) and Charlotte (played by Mary Jackson). Bobby and his father share a love of going to the firing range and shooting targets, and the family's gun collection is quite impressive. But Bobby is having dark and disturbing thoughts of shooting more than just targets in a field, and his family tragically become the first victims... In the early 1960s, Peter Bogdanovich established his name as a film critic, film historian, and film festival programmer. After befriending famed producer Roger Corman, it led to an opportunity to work behind the scenes on the film "Wild Angels" in 1966, in which he did a little bit of everything including some rewrites of the script as well as directing a few scenes. Corman then gave him an opportunity to fully direct his own feature, but with some stipulations. Actor Boris Karloff, who worked with Corman on "The Raven" and "The Terror" in 1963, still owned Corman two days of work by contract so he was to be cast in the picture. In addition, twenty minutes of footage of "The Terror" could be reused. The rest of the film should be shot with other actors and the footage would be combined together as a full feature. It was more of a challenge than anything else. Bogdanovich considered making a film based on the University of Texas tower shooting of 1966, in which former marine Charles Whitman shot and killed 15 people and wounded 31 others before he was killed by police officers. It was until then the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in the country's history. He brainstormed ideas of casting Karloff as a sniper, and even thought of a climactic scene shot in a supermarket, in which the linoleum floors would be excellent for cameras in dollying shots. By killing of Karloff's character in the first half, he would be able to use the limited time he had with the actor and use the second half with other actors. But the issue was how that story could incorporate scenes from "The Terror", as that was a gothic period horror film, in which supermarkets or sniper rifles didn't exist as of yet. Bodgdanovich's reaction to "The Terror" was quite poor, and he imagined a scenario in which Karloff would be watching the film and after its end, turning around to director Corman and saying it was the worst film he has ever seen. The thought was a joke at first, but it blossomed into an idea that would change everything. Bogdanovich and his wife Polly Platt started writing a story with Karloff being essentially himself - an ageing actor who became famous for iconic horror roles in the past, this would run parallel to a story about a young troubled man and a deadly mass shooting. They still had the idea to kill off Karloff's character halfway through and having the film continue on with other actors, but when he introduced the script to filmmaker Samuel Fuller, a number of changes were made. Fuller insisted on focusing on the story rather than thinking about time constraints and logistics, and devised a second half in which Karloff's character would remain until the end. With stronger emphasis on Karloff's character and giving more background to the sniper, the finished script was given to Karloff, who loved it and not only agreed to film for the contractual two days, but for five days with base pay to accommodate the additional scenes. The footage from "The Terror" would still be used, as in the opening with Karloff's character watching the film in a screening room as well as with the drive-in audience seeing it on a big screen. "Targets" is a film that really shouldn't work. A mishmash of two completely separate stories at the same time being cross cut and having a bizarre task of taking existing film footage and using within the new film, it easily could have been a disaster. Although when analyzing the two storylines, there are quite a lot of parallels and opposites to consider. Byron Orlock has long been part of "horror" and looking to escape it for something peaceful. Bobby is living a peaceful life but looking to unleash his inner demons in the most horrific way possible. The two have important women by their side. Orlock's secretary Jenny (played by Nancy Hseuh) is strong and level headed woman who is loyal to Orlock and making sure he sticks to his schedule. She does have an affectionate side though, as she does get slightly annoyed with his decision to leave, but she still does her job dutifully by obtaining tickets for his trip back to England. For Bobby, his beautiful wife Ilene is caring and is physically affectionate towards him. But when it comes to emotional support, there is a disconnect and Bobby cannot express what is going through his mind to her honestly. Orlock has a way with words and is expressive thanks to his many years as a performer. One of the most impressive scenes is Orlock reciting Somerset Maugham’s "Appointment in Samarra", done in one shot, one take, in which Orlock/Karloff entrances the audience, both the characters in the scene as well as the people watching offscreen. (After the take was completed, the entire cast and crew gave a huge applause, which Karloff said was the first time that anyone applauded for him in many many years.) Orlock is able to vent his frustrations and speak eloquently. By contrast Bobby is quite silent, not being able to speak beyond small talk and chit chat. For cinephiles, seeing Karloff playing a slightly exaggerated version of himself is quite fun and refreshing. He's not a mad scientist, a monster, or a cryptkeeper, but instead someone confronting his dreams and desires of the future, by abandoning his past. There are some truly funny moments like the bedroom scare and a number of reactions, but they are not over the top or campy. For the Bobby Thompson character's scenes, there is no denying the incredible tension and uncertainty, and when the murders take place, the film's tone is absolutely shocking. The sequence in which he climbs on top of a water tower near a freeway and starts shooting motorists is quite disturbing (which was inspired by the highway 101 sniper attack in 1965), as well as the climactic moments in which he hides in a drive-in movie theater and continues his mayhem there, which is coincidentally the theater that Orlock is to attend. The sniper sequences are done extremely well, with disturbing shots without being too gratuitous with the violence, instead focusing on the horrors of the mass shooting and the panic that ensues. With an extremely limited budget of $130,000, Bogdanovich had to be creative with the scenes, such as shooting guerilla style without permits for the freeway scenes, and having only a limited amount of cars in the drive-in sequence but cleverly shooting to make it look like it was a packed house. Sets were rearranged and repainted to accommodate for the two stories, and there was help from friends and crewmembers who make cameo appearances. In addition, there is no music score for the film, so it plays with reality more than a standard feature, with only dialogue, sound effects, and occasional radio music in the background. Shot and completed at the end of 1967, Corman was impressed with the result, as was Karloff. Bogdanovich asked if he could sell the film to a major studio for distribution, which Corman approved. Paramount Pictures picked up the rights. Unfortunately, there were two tragedies that affected the theatrical release of the film. On April 8th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. On June 5th senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. A film with a gun crazed murderer on a killing spree divided the heads of Paramount, with one hand seeing it as poor taste to release it to a wide public, while the other saw it as an advocacy for gun control in the country. The film was released on August 13, 1968 in an extremely limited release, with only eight prints being made. It was also given a text prologue on the importance of gun control legislation, which Bogdanovich did not approve of, as he felt the film should speak for itself. Its limited release meant that it never found a wide audience on release, but critically it was praised highly. There were some concerns that the film did not explore the reasons as to why the Bobby character suddenly turned into a killer, and the only hint was a picture in his house showing that he was in the military. Post traumatic stress disorder was not particularly known at the time, but it was something that was and still is a major concern with soldiers experiencing harrowing combat. Bogdanovich felt he didn't need to explain the whys, but instead giving audiences a reason to think of why it was so easy for the events to occur. More than half a century later, there has been very little movement from the American government to put reasonable gun control legislation into law, with gun lobbying influencing lawmakers and the public to a high degree that has lasted for decades. While "Targets" may seem like a film of its time with the fashion, the cars, and the drive-in cinema, but the gun violence theme is sadly a reality that still exists in America, to an even higher degree. Since 1968, there have been nine mass shootings in the country that have been more deadly, with seven of them being in the 2000s. While Bogdanovich quickly found critical and commercial success as a filmmaker with his work in the 1970s with "The Last Picture Show" (1971), "What's Up, Doc?" (1972) and "Paper Moon" (1974), "Targets" would not get major recognition until the DVD era, when in 2003 Paramount released it on DVD which included an interview with Bogdanovich and a feature commentary. The film's reputation has only grown over time and is a standout of one of the most impressive debuts for any filmmaker, being creative under circumstances and being quite ahead of the curve with the meta-film idea. Note this is a region B Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The transfer comes from a 4K scan and restoration by Paramount Pictures, supervised by the late Peter Bogdanovich. When the film starts, it may seem disappointing that there are some damage marks and having a thick appearance, though it is expected as it uses scenes from "The Terror" and overlayed with the film credits. This also applies to the scenes in which the characters are watching the Howard Hawks directed "The Criminal Code" (1930) on television. But once the film itself starts with the filmmakers watching the film, everything comes to life wonderfully. The color palate of warmer brighter colors for the Orlock segments and colder paler colors for the Thompson segments are well represented here, with a nice color balance between, courtesy of cinematographer László Kovács. Detail is excellent throughout, and there are very few if any damage marks to speak of, with the restoration cleaning the image nicely while still keeping a healthy amount of film grain visible. Compared to the 2003 DVD releases by Paramount, this new restoration has quite a differing color timing for the feature. The bluish hues that were prevalent in the Thompson segments are greyer in tone and some of the other colors have been graded differently. While some may be more used to the older color timing as that was what was available for decades, Bogdanovich even states in the DVD commentary that there are some scenes he is unhappy with the color grading, especially the darker sections. As the 4K restoration was supervised by Bogdanovich before his passing, it should be considered that this timing is the director's intended version. It is a controversial point as there have been a number of directors who have tinkered with color timing years after their works were made and sometimes intentionally having a completely different look and feel. As colors in film prints fade over time, it is sometimes hard to say what the original colors truly looked like. While the colors in "Targets" is different to what has been available before, the 4K restoration is a very strong and nice looking one, and should be quite pleasing to newcomers and to past fans as well. The film's runtime is 90:05, which does not include the opening title card that preceded the film in its theatrical run, which was placed there by Paramount against the wishes of Bogdanovich.
Audio
English LPCM 2.0 mono The original mono track is presented in uncompressed form. The restored audio sounds excellent with the dialogue and effects being well balanced throughout. Dialogue is always clear and free of distortion. Sound effects and music cues are also well balanced and natural sounding, including the harrowing freeway scene which was shot silently and entirely post-synchronized. Gunshots, car engines, footsteps all sound natural rather than overdone, and there are no issues such as hiss, pops, or cracks in the soundtrack. An excellent job with the sound restoration. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the feature in a white font. They are well timed and easy to read without errors.
Extras
Audio commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich (2003) This vintage commentary from Bogdanovich is an excellent one, as he has an excellent amount of information to discuss from scene to scene. Discussed are the initial ideas for the film, the color palate choices for the two different stories, the reuse of sets due to the limited budget, the choice of not having a music score, the reason for firing the original editor of the film who he doesn't name, the making-of the ambitious long one take sequence, difficulties with his own performance, pointing out the various cameo appearances, the input he received from Fuller, Hawks, as well as Karloff, memories of the cast and crew, the troubled distribution due to the 1968 political assassinations and much more. There are barely any gaps in the commentary and his thoughts and information are well laid out which showcased how great he was at commentaries. One of the more annoying habits that Bogdanovich had in commentaries and interviews was his impersonations of others, such as Fuller, Hitchcock or Orson Welles, and frankly his impersonations were not that great. Fortunately, he keeps impersonations to a minimum in this commentary track, as well as his introduction listed below. Note this was originally recorded for the 2003 Paramount DVD releases. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Audio commentary by film historian Peter Tonguette (2023) This newly recorded commentary by Peter Tonguette might be filled with a lot of information, but sadly it is one of the most redundant examples of a new extra I've experienced, as 90% of what is talked about are quotes and discussions found elsewhere on this release. Much of the behind the scenes talks are ripped directly from the Bogdanovich commentary and his introduction from the DVD, though there are a few examples of critics quotes from the film's release and some insight into the characters. There could have been much more, such as the information on gun safety history over the years or deeper information on the actors as well, but that is not to be found here. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles 2003 introduction by Peter Bogdanovich (13:41) This vintage introduction is basically a spoiler filled discussion on the making of the film so it should be viewed afterward rather than before. Bogdanovich talks about working with Corman and how the film came about, Fuller's help with the story, his memories of Karloff, the troubled release and delay, and more. Note this was originally made for the 2003 Paramount DVD releases. in 1080i60 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 1.0 without subtitles "Hitting Targets: Sara Karloff on Her Father, Boris" 2022 interview (40:07) This new and exclusive interview with Sara Karloff is an excellent lengthy discussion with the star's daughter, as she talks about her father's early life in England, his move to Canada and then America, as well as his later career. She states that "Targets" is her favorite film of her father's, about the making of the film and the film's not so great initial release. In addition, she talks about her father's iconic role in "Frankenstein" and remembering seeing his performance as Captain Hook/Mr. Darling in a stage production of "Peter Pan" as a child and being in complete awe. It's a very enjoyable and emotional interview, though there are a few things she gets wrong, such as calling the 1931 film "The Criminal Code" as "Crimson Code" and saying it was made by Corman rather than Hawks, that her father only owed Corman two hours work rather than two days, and how "Targets" eventually received a wider audience due to the DVD format just over a decade later (the DVD was released thirty-five years after the theatrical release of "Targets"). But these are minor issues, and as a whole it is a wonderful extra on this release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "On Target: Boris Karloff in the 1960s" 2023 interview with Stephen Jacobs (16:47) Stephen Jacobs, writer of "Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster" (2011) and "The Karloff Compendium" (2023) discusses Karloff's career in the 1960s which was quite a busy decade for the veteran actor. He talks about Karloff's health issues at the time, working with Corman, and the making of "Targets", though he mistakenly states that "Columbia" didn't know what to do with the release of the film following the King/Kennedy assassinations, rather than Paramount who were the distributors. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Gentleman of Horror" 2023 video essay by Vic Pratt (8:08) This new and exclusive video essay by the BFI's Vic Pratt is a discussion of Karloff's career as a horror icon and his important roles throughout his career, culminating with "Targets" and how different horror had became. The video essay features clips from "Targets" as background. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Trailer with commentary by Joe Dante from Trailers from Hell (2:48) Filmmaker Joe Dante introduces and gives commentary on the reissue trailer of "Targets", featured on Trailers from Hell. Dante discusses the background of the film and interestingly the trailer sells the killer's story rather than the Karloff aspect. The trailer has been embedded below, from Trailers from Hell. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The Guardian Interview: Peter Bogdanovich (1972, audio only) (41:48) This discussion with Bogdanovich at the National Film Theatre from February of 1972 is from after a screening of "Targets". Discussed are working with Corman on "Wild Angels", the making of "Targets" from Corman's idea, regretting having to play the film director himself, the shoot with Karloff for the short five days, the added prologue by Paramount which he did not approve, as well as information on "The Last Picture Show" and "Directed by John Ford", which was originally planned to be shown at this screening but the copyright clearances for the film's numerous clips could not be cleared in time. It's a very fun discussion as well as Bogdanovich taking a number of audience questions. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The Guardian Interview: Roger Corman (1970, audio only) (64:07) This discussion with Corman from June 1970 at the National Film Theatre has the famed filmmaker talking about making films on low budgets and fast schedules, the importance of horror and humor, predictions of what will happen with the downfall of the Hollywood studio system, censorship issues over a number of films and in different countries, and much more. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Image Gallery (6:17) Presented is an automated silent slideshow gallery, featuring black and white production photos, lobby cards, and posters. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 Booklet A 32 page booklet is included in the first pressing. First is a new introduction by Sara Karloff on the film and her father's legacy. Next is the essay "Aiming High" by the BFI's Jason Wood on the film and its themes. A version of the essay originally appeared in "100 American Independent Films" (second edition) from 2009. The next essay is "Hardly Ever Missed: Targets" by Stephen Jacobs on the making of the film. Then there is "You Can Change a WHile Lifetime with One Picture: Karloff, Bogdanovich and Targets" by film writer and lecturer Ellen Cheshire on their careers and the culminating feature. Finally there is "A Very Savage Film" by Peter Tonguette on the making of the film. There are also full film credits, special features information, transfer information, acknowledgements and stills. As stated before, Paramount released the film on DVD in 2003 with the Bogdanovich commentary and interview/introduction. In 2020 he BFI announced a Blu-ray edition was forthcoming, but it was unfortunately delayed. It was finally upgraded to Blu-ray in 2023, first in North America by The Criterion Collection, followed by Carlotta Films in France, and now the BFI, with each having some differing exclusive extras. The BFI has included a great deal of extras in this release, though nothing from the deep archives of the BFI. No newsreel footage of the 1966 mass shooting, nor is there a complete version of "The Terror" included (which the original 1963 version is in the public domain, as Corman forgot to attach a copyright tag on the prints themselves). A clip from the film, courtesy of the BFI. A 2017 interview with Bogdanovich from Turner Classic Movies. A trailer for "Tower", the excellent 2016 animated documentary on the 1966 University of Texas mass shooting.
Overall
"Targets" is a wonderful sendoff for Karloff, who passed away a year later (though he had a few more films that he appeared in and released posthumously), an exceptional directorial debut for Bodganovich, and a harrowing cry against gun violence that has plagued American culture. The BFI Blu-ray is excellent with its presentation and the wealth of extras. Highly recommended.
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