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Don't Believe the Hype

Beautiful, moving film.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

In the past year or two, I've been trying to a see a number of older movies, and I even made a list of ones to see if I can find them (including some obscure ones). I happened to include Marc Lawrence's "Nightmare in the Sun", although I don't remember how I first heard of it. Upon seeing that Ursula Andress stars in it, I immediately assumed that I was in for something steamy.It turns out that it's a pretty routine story of a wrongfully accused man on the run from the law. It was a pity that we didn't get to see more of Andress than we did (and I mean more than just her presence). I guess that the difference in this story from the usual man-on-the-run stories is that in this case, the sheriff strong-armed the jealous husband into blaming the hitchhiker for his wife's murder.Along with Andress, John Derek and Aldo Ray (whose name inspired the name of Brad Pitt's character in "Inglourious Basterds"), the cast includes Sammy Davis Jr, Robert Duvall, Richard Jaeckel and George Tobias (Abner Kravitz on "Bewitched").

The appearance of a subdued Sammy Davis Jr. in a cameo as a truck driver establishes early on the quirky unpredictability that informs much of the rest of this raw little independent production superbly shot in colour in 15 days by veteran cameraman Stanley Cortez that sure lives up to its title. (I could, however, have done with less of Paul Glass's noisy score, which is still pounding away in my head as I write this.) John Marley has one of the larger supporting roles, and is notably good as one of the relatively few 'normal' characters. After a rather meandering middle section involving bikers Robert Duvall and Richard Jaeckel it picks up pace again with a trio of eccentrics played by Laurene Tuttle, George Tobias and Keenan Wynn and a conclusion that improbably but satisfyingly settles the question that increasingly preys on your mind as it approaches the end of its 80 minute running time: how on earth is this all going to be resolved in the time left?

This was Marc Lawrence's first movie, made seven years before his second (and last to date) effort, Daddy's Deadly Darling aka The Pigs. Lawrence is mostly an actor, seeing as he's had small roles in almost 200 films. He's a fine director, though, and might have had a career in that field as well.Nightmare in the Sun is the story of a drifter who comes into a small town and gets caught up in a rather messy affair. He has a fling with the local beauty (Ursula Andress), who is regularly cheating on her increasingly paranoid husband. Just after he leaves her to travel on her angry hubby blows a casket and shoots her with a rifle. Enter the town's sheriff who decides he'll frame our protagonist in exchange of some of the real murderers significant wealth. Soon a handful of cops, a local mob and two apparently gay bikers (one played by a very young Robert Duvall) are hunting the innocent man ...It's a pretty basic story but Lawrence makes it work. He puts the barren desert locations to great use and gets some good performances out of his actors, most notably John Derek as the nameless drifter/hitchhiker. The score is a bit overbearing at first and takes some time to get used to but in the end it's pretty effective.All in all a very watchable and suspenseful film that deserves better than to sink further and further into obscurity. I got it on a used VHS for a couple bucks but someone really needs to resurrect this for the DVD age!

An odd kind of film, but entertaining, a few brutal scenes to it but relatively a tame movie by today's standards. This film was not some all time great by any means, but it did hold my interest. - Oh, but to start with, contrary to the summery of this film, the hitchhiker and the woman never actually have a sexual affair.. it was really no more than a brief chance encounter.Here is a more accurate overview of the movie.. An older man with a young sexy wife, who, in a fit of misguided jealousy, comes home and kills her with a shotgun - one blast to her, then about 4 shots to her teddy bear.. weird. The crooked cop enters the scene and bullies the killer husband into a deal.. they are going to pin the wrap on the hitchhiker who is passing through town. So now the hitchhiker is on the run for a crime he did not commit. - Sounds familiar don't it?..It's interesting that Sammy Davis Jr. had a short part as a truck driver in this film. Robert Duval plays a more substantial role as one of a pair of trouble makers on a motorcycles (and there are definite undertones that he and his sidekick are.. well.. sweet) Anyway.. everyone is trying to capture the hitchhiker and rake in a reward.. So what happens next?.. hey, I ain't going to tell you the whole damn story!