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CORMAN'S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL (2011)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is often forgotten that Roger Corman helped launch the careers of many distinguished actors and directors back in the day. The king of B movies has also been active himself for more than 60 years, ranging from producing and directing sci-fi to fantasy to action exploitation pictures to even a couple of "social message films." "Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel" aims to paint a flattering portrait of a low-budget producer who already made his 100th film by the time "The Wild Angels" was out in cinemas in 1966.

"Corman's World" covers a lot of ground as it explores the business mind behind what became the staple of low-budget filmmaking. Making a film on a shoestring budget in 3 days, and using leftover sets to make another entire picture in practically the same amount of time, is the stuff of legend and the kind of quick-thinking and on-the-nose business sense that most other independent filmmakers could only hope to aspire to. Roger Corman's list of credits are practically legendary, from having helmed cult classics such as the original "Little Shop of Horrors" to (one of my favorites) "The Terror" which starred Boris Karloff and an early performance by Jack Nicholson, not to mention "The Cry-Baby Killer"; "Piranha"; adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe including "The Pit and the Pendulum"; "Deathsport"; "Grand Theft Auto"; "Bloody Mama," and too many more to list (400-plus total). Most intriguing is the segment dealing with the controversial 1962's "The Intruder," showcasing a young William Shatner as a racist who tries to stop integration of schools in the segregated Missouri. The film was a box-office failure, one of the few exceptions in Corman's filmography, but it did hint at Corman's willingness to go beyond just sheer exploitation. He was also instrumental in getting foreign films noticed through his company New World Pictures, with films like Ingmar Bergman's "Cries and Whispers" and Federico Fellini's "Amarcord" (some of these films were actually shown at drive-ins!)

"Corman's World" features dynamite, in-depth interviews from luminaries such as Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese (who correctly identifies Corman's work as a different kind of "art"), Joe Dante, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, David Carradine, and even Corman's own wife, Julie. All lavish nothing but praise for a man who was anything but the stereotype of a cigar-chomping, boorish producer - Roger simply knew how to get the best out of actors and directors and hoped they would migrate to "A" movies.

There is a brief, honest and rather mind-blowing section dealing with how Hollywood megahits of the mid-to-late 70's, ostensibly B movies in their own right like "Jaws" and "Star Wars," made huge profits with bigger budgets, eradicating the low-budget model set by Roger Corman and eviscerating the drive-in market. It is upsetting and as Corman astutely pinpoints, there is no reason to spend millions on a movie when the same money could be used in an utilitarian way, such as saving a slum and rebuilding a neighborhood. Now, the old low-budget B movies go direct to DVD or show up on Syfy channel, where Corman makes his mark on occasion. Interestingly, actor's salaries are not discussed, and we all know how much money Jack Nicholson made from his role in Tim Burton's "Batman" (a movie Corman could've directed in about the amount of time it would take for Burton to get his haircut).

If I have to nitpick, I wish there was time devoted to Corman's last directorial effort, "Frankenstein Unbound," one of the most fascinating Frankenstein adaptations ever (based on a terrific novel by Brian Aldiss). Also, his 1994 "Fantastic Four" film (heavily lambasted by comic fans at conventions) could've used a little exposure. These films and many others showed Roger Corman was a force to be reckoned with, a man who loved movies and loved making them. It showed, and it explains why Jack Nicholson sheds a tear for his old mentor.