richardchatten

The truism that there are few second acts in the film careers of former Bond girls is decisively refuted by the Oscar awarded to Michelle Yeoh for her performance in this rollicking phantasmagoria that speeds like wildfire through a succession of Godardian episodes - complete with numbered captions - that also refutes the other truism that easterners are inscrutable as Ms Yeoh plunges headlong into a mounting succession of obstacles, not least an ogre of a welfare official played by Jamie Lee Curtis, whose lack of vanity in allowing herself to resemble Godzilla crossed with a toad in spectacles and a baggy cardigan was probably a factor in her own supporting Oscar; although I would personally have nominated the pair of rocks discussing philosophy.

Veteran Hollywood hand Robert D. Webb concluded his career as director of this remake of 'Yellow Sky' that transposed the action to South Africa.

As in the original the wailing of the wind adds a bleak atmosphere to the action. Local colour is supplied by the sound of kookaburras and African drums on the soundtracks with occasional lapses into crass comical nudges.

Most of the supporting cast appear to be afrikaners dubbed with American voices; but as you would expect the most interesting piece of casting is Vincent Price as gun toting young heroine Diana Iverson's gutsy old prospector grandpa.

Although serving as both the visual and thematic template for most subsequent horror films, along with Lon Chaney's extraordinary makeup in the title role - in later films The Phantom always spends more time in a mask - its unfortunate that Chaney was saddled with a journeyman like Rupert Julian to direct; with the result that although Chaney's best-remembered film, it's far from his best.

Despite the lavishness of the production - which went on to be a huge box office hit - it lacked the sheer single-minded morbidity of many of Chaney's other films; particularly those he made with Tod Browning.