Die! Die! My Darling!

Pardon my rotten punctuation there, but that's how movies are. They make their own rules. I have to agree with all the other reviewers of this film--it's terribly funny. My only gripe with the film isn't specifically the film. I just recently bought the DVD (I already had the video), and on the back Donald Sutherland's character is called "bumbling." Um, no. He's retarded. That just bugged the you-know-what out of me. Little things like that bother me. Anyhoo, this was a nifty little hag film with a nifty little hag. I love Tallulah Bankhead, and I think part of the fun in this film comes from seeing bourbon-drinking, cocaine-snorting Tallulah read from the Bible and denounce the color red. If you have enough background on Tallulah (which is essential to enjoying this film--read her book), you can sit there and think things like, "Okay, here's the woman who refused to wear underwear while turning cartwheels ON STAGE and now she won't let anyone wear lipstick? Crazy!!!" Tallulah's Mrs. Trefoile is the fanatic of the title (although I know this film as "Die! Die! My Darling!"), and she has long since crossed over into Looney Land. In her previous, sin-ridden life she was an actress, as we learn from her scrapbooks, but her religious husband plucked her from the flames of Heck and saved her immortal soul. (In her previous life she apparently starred in "The Little Foxes"--that's what the picture shown is from.) She is forever indebted to him for this, but did he neglect to teach her the Ten Commandments? She breaks several of them without hesitation, but salt in food offends her? What planet is she on? I did have another slight problem with the film--Tallulah's distinct(ly hilarious) voice. I have yet to understand half of what she says in the movie, and I'm listening! I haven't blacked out or anything. Her voice started out as slightly hoarse and quite deep, only now age and emphysema have turned it into a sound no special effects person could duplicate. In her first scene, where she meets Stefanie with and F Powers, I can't understand a word she says. The "Milk!" line is painfully clear, but everything else sounds garbled. She mentions having a problem with the new rector at the church she attends, and I'm darned if I know what the problem is. I hear wet, clicking noises when she talks. Maybe it's me--next time I watch it I will turn on subtitles (if the DVD has them, that is). It's somewhat entertaining to hear several seconds of nonsense followed by a booming "ANNA!" That is one of two similarities to "Sunset Boulevard." This may be in my mind, but her "ANNA" seems very close to Norma Desmond's "MAX." Also, the many pictures of Mrs. Trefoile's notable years that are strewn about remind me of the many pictures of Norma Desmond's notable years, strewn about her mansion. A third similarity is the idea of a central female character rotting away while life goes on around her. Both Mrs. Trefoile and Norma are insane, but in different ways. I would much rather deal with Norma than Bible-Thumper, hands down. Supporting cast (including Stefanie Powers) is fine, no complaints there. Except--there is a moment when Yootha Joyce seems dubbed, like she put the line in later, but I can't see why. Not a big problem. I didn't like "Alan" at all, so boo to whoever played him. 4 out of 5 stars--rating may change when I finally figure out what Tallulah's ranting about.

As others have outlined the plot I see no need to do the same. But primarily, I have to take issue with the previous posters slating Ms Powers. Stefanie turns in a top notch performance as always, treating each of Mrs Trefoile's latest maniac actions with just the right amount of exasperation and humour, in the knowledge that Pat (her character) got herself into this mess, which she did! I see no evidence at all of overacting and, even if this were the case I would have been hard pressed to spot it amidst the melodramatic performance that Ms Bankhead turned in. I was interested to see Yootha Joyce, an actress who I obviously knew as a kid from George and Mildred, but that was it. Unfortunately, both Yootha and her character were completely underused. Such a waste. The one thing that really bugs me though, is if Patricia was able to give Anna a run for her money in the fight scenes, why did she not just kick the gun out of Mrs Trefoile's hand? Ah, the beauty of cinema! It's a great film with some terrific actors but Hammer must have been having an off day re the scariness. I didn't even need a cushion to hide behind. So watch it as a chance to see a terrific actress at the start of her career and another at the end.

TALLULAH BANKHEAD, looking like a ravaged reject from a summer stock version of "The Little Foxes", delivers an appropriately over-the-top performance from this Hammer schlock that borrows from every madhouse movie ever made. STEFANIE POWERS is the unlucky victim, a young woman who makes a courtesy call on the mother of her dead fiancé, only to discover that she's a religious zealot and a complete madwoman looking for sin in every fabric of Powers' too glamorous wardrobe and make-up. Not only is Bankhead mad, but her servants are enough to scare anyone within sight--including DONALD SUTHERLAND as a retarded man, and YOOTHA JOYCE and HARRY VAUGHAN as an unethical couple badly in need of cash. Most unrealistic aspect of the story has strong-willed Powers submitting meekly to outrageous requests Bankhead makes upon her arrival instead of packing her things and leaving immediately. But when she fights back, she has to deal with Tallulah and her loyal servants, all of whom make for heavy combat. Well photographed with some appropriately melodramatic musical flourishes to pump up the fright element, it nevertheless seems like a freak show by the time it reaches its harrowing conclusion. Not until the last moment, does the heroine get some much needed help from a boyfriend who returns for no apparent reason after Bankhead assures him that Powers has already left. Summing up: Talllulah looks a fright but performs befitting the material--adding horror to the kind of role attracting overage stars in the '60s.

....even if TB sounds like Yoda, most of the time. Actually, this is a great final call for Miss Bankhead. Her performance hits all the right notes, and she escapes the hammy, ahem, performances of Shelley Winters in similar roles. Why so many want to trash SP, I cannot figure out. She's actually quite good. "Die, Die, My Darling" (or better said "Dahling") is a great title, much better than the original "Fanatic" (although that title rings some "Psycho" bells). The house could be a bit creepier, and the day-for-night shots leave a lot to be desired. DS is fine as the retarded handyman. I'm not quite so thrilled, as others seem to be, by the "housekeeping couple." The sets had teeth marks all over them after their scenes. And, frankly, I was waiting for SOMEBODY to deck Old Granny Bankhead.

A pretty weak psychological thriller disguised as another grand old dame of the cinema now reduced to making an exploitive horror film! This time, it's Tallulah Bankhead's turn. Never what you'd call an A-list movie star, Bankhead, with her foghorn voice still intact (her one-time sultry looks are gone, time was not very kind to her), is a spinster living in the English countryside who is visited by the one time fiancé (Stephanie Powers) of her deceased son. At first welcoming, Bankhead soon turns on the girl and holds her hostage. Silly dialog (Bankhead is a religious fanatic and goes on and on about how she's going to purify Powers...which is sort of ironic given Bankhead's notoriously hedonistic off-screen history). The dull direction is by Silvio Narizzano, who attempts to heighten suspense by turning up composer Wilfred Joseph's increasingly shrill music. It's not in a class with WHATERVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE, but is's certainly more bearable than LADY IN A CAGE and does have a terrific early performance by Donald Sutherland as the dimwitted handy man who does Bankhead's bidding.

As the title sequence indicates, Die!Die!My Darling!(US) aka Fanatic(UK)is a cat-and-mouse tale in which a young woman visits her dead fiancé's mother and winds up being held captive. Bankhead lives up to the part of the cat and, unfortunately, Powers lives up to the mouse part. Powers is a bland adversary for Bankhead's flamboyant Mrs. Trefoile, and the one-sidedness of the struggle makes for tepid melodrama. Similar films- You'll Like My Mother, Dead of Winter, Misery, and above all The Collector are all superior variations on the theme because they had more interesting protagonists and an atmosphere of genuine menace. Due to the thinness of the script, the film feels padded and has too much of Bankhead going on about her dead son "Steven". The film begins to drag long before the inevitable showdown which is disappointingly weak. Bankhead is effective, and for Bankhead fans, it's a rare opportunity not to be missed; for the rest it's a watchable but weak thriller. Valerie Harper received a Tony nomination for playing Bankhead in "Looped" which centers around Bankhead's attempts to loop a line for Die! Die! My Darling!, her final film.

Religious zealots and well-meaning people held captive against their will are my two least-favorite subjects for movie material, and here they're combined for a really queasy effect. The plot, based on Anne Blaisdell's book "Nightmare", is somewhat helped along by frisky bits of levity dotting the scenario, but not by the general hysteria which is inherent in the film's U.S. title, "Die! Die! My Darling!". Tallulah Bankhead plays the Bible-thumping, embittered mother of a dead man whose prospective daughter-in-law (Stefanie Powers) pays her a social call. I don't see how keeping this girl captive in the rambling estate would bring Tallulah any satisfaction, and Powers' helplessness does nothing for her--nor for the viewer, who is also held prisoner (it's the Idiot Plot Syndrome: if she acted smartly and got away, there would be no movie). Richard Matheson's script had promise, but he's facetious instead of cunning, and moments such as Bankhead revealing she was once an actress on the stage are nothing more than campy prodding (and it backfires since Tallulah's nutcase could use a little show-biz color to brighten her up). Donald Sutherland has an early role as a mentally-backward assistant with a heart of gold (a clichéd role no matter who played it); Powers manages to retain her dignity despite not being able to use common sense. Hammer Production looks good but is otherwise running low on petrol. *1/2 from ****

POSSIBLE SPOILER--but I doubt it. Miss Bankhead is wonderful and wonderfully over-the-top as the religious fanatic with a few skeletons in her closet. We don't know for certain Mrs. Trefoile's youthful indiscretions, but certainly her son fell victim to her in his childhood, and that probably caused his death and helped to cause her to "find the lord." Anyone who thinks the religious right is just a bunch of harmless bible-thumpers should look into this mirror of that warped group. Mrs. Trefoile is right up there with Helen (as in "What The Matter With. . ."), Mrs. White (as in Carrie's mom) and the "Reverend" Trask of DARK SHADOWS--not to mention a few million American voters who helped put a certain shrub into the White House for a second term.

Scandal queen Tallulah Bankhead rips into the role of Mrs. Trefoile, ultimate mother-in-law from hell! She's a snarling, hypocritical religious fanatic who invites her dead son's ex-girlfriend Patricia (Stefanie Powers) to her secluded country home, then imprisons her in a room with steel bars over the windows. She thinks Patricia is a sinner because she wears red make-up and clothes ("The devil's color!") and decides to "cleanse her soul" through torture with scissors, a gun, broken glass, starvation and, worst of all, droning daily bible sermons. She also has an altar down in the basement where she plots to sacrifice Patricia so her soul will be reunited with her dead sons! A maid (Yootha Joyce) and two handymen (including Donald Sutherland in an early role as the retarded Joe) assist her. Richard Matheson's script (based on Anne Blaisdell's book "Nightmare") keeps things credible, fun and engrossing the entire time. Bankhead, in her final starring role, is pretty horrifying ("Filth! Corrupter!") and the supporting cast (especially Yootha Joyce) is excellent, making this one of the best of the Hammer psychological horror films.

Had this been better, (or worse, depending on your point of view), it might have been a camp classic particularly with Tallulah Bankhead going further over the top than any of her contemporaries as the barking mad matriarch holding her dead son's girlfriend, (a very dumb Stefanie Powers), captive. "Die, Die My Darling" or "Fanatic", depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on, is dafter than most and is totally lacking in suspense but Bankhead, sans make-up, seems to enjoy torturing Miss Powers who deserves all she gets for being so stupid in the first place. It's certainly fun seeing Tallulah playing a religious nut though I kept wondering why she agreed to make this tripe since she was never a 'movie' name to begin with. Presumably she needed the money. Watch out, too, for Donald Sutherland playing a kind of village idiot. No doubt he's crossed it off his CV.