The Medusa Touch (1978)

When "The Medusa Touch" debuted, Roger Ebert apparently hated it so much that he named it the worst picture of the year. I am not 100% why he thought this...it's not really good but it's not that bad either.The film begins with Morlar (Richard Burton) getting bludgeoned. Despite the ferocity of the attack and the number of blows he took to the head, the police are shocked to see that they aren't investigating a murder but an attempted murder...though how he survived is anyone's guess. The trail takes them to the man's psychotherapist (Lee Remick) and she recounts a strange story about Morlar thinking he had the ability to use his mind to cause the deaths of folks he didn't like. And, since he was a detestable misanthrope, he didn't seem to like much of anyone! The man investigating the case (Lino Ventura) eventually comes to the determination that perhaps the man in the coma is actually a super- being...someone who does possess strange supernatural powers.This is a decent enough film but the premise itself seems better than the actual movie. I think, for me, the ending wasn't particularly thrilling. Plus, although I love Lino Ventura (he was amazing in many of Jean-Pierre Melville's films), here he seems odd...a French- Italian British police inspector. Worth seeing...perhaps.

Taking into account the reactions of relatives and friends, I would say that "The Medusa Touch" tends to divide opinion sharply : you hate it or you love it, with nothing in between. I for one love it : I think that it succeeds, and succeeds well, both as a thriller and as a horror movie. However, it is far from clear to me if the movie succeeds thanks to or in spite of Richard Burton, who plays the role of Morlar. It's not even clear to me what Burton is doing - is he acting ? Overacting ? Having some kind of nervous breakdown while acting ? Not acting at all ? Acting so well, or so badly, that he enters into a new frontier ? (In case you're thinking "Christ, it's easy to write reviews like that", I would advise you to watch Mr. Burtons hallucinated performance, or non-performance, for yourself. Only one thing can be said with some degree of certainty, and that is that he seems to belong in another movie than all the other actors involved.) The movie is remarkably faithful to its source material, the book of the same name by Peter Van Greenaway. (Note, however, that psychiatrist Zonfeld changes from an ugly man into a beautiful woman. Somehow I don't think there is much of a feminist subtext to this change.) The book is well worth ferreting out for its sly wit and satirical flourishes. A small example : when sifting through evidence and questioning witnesses, Inspector Cherry sets out to interview Morlar's editor, who works in a chaotic and dusty office. There is a half-eaten sandwich resting on a proof copy of Virginia Ruislip's "I was Tutankhamun's Mistress"...Peter Van Greenaway was good at thinking up deeply original plots and concepts : do check out his other work.For the lovers of trivia : I own a much-battered copy of "The Medusa Touch" published by Panther Books in 1975. The blurb on the back is a master class in How Not To Write A Blurb, since it gives away two-thirds of the plot.

Richard Burton plays a man who can make terrible things happen by willing it so in his mind. The opening scene shows him being battered nearly to death in his apartment; the rest of the movie he's lying in a coma. His brain activity is still very much alive. Will detective Lino Ventura and psychiatrist Lee Remick be able to stop him before he strikes again? That premise sounds like a potentially good thriller, but the vast majority of the movie is spent trying to convince the leads that Richard Burton really is responsible for the disasters he's claiming credit for. But, told through flashbacks, the audience believes him immediately, so most of the time it's boring waiting for the other people in the movie to catch on. It would have been more exciting if the audience doubted his powers as well.Still, Lee Remick is beautiful, and she's given lots of wide-eyed close-ups in this movie, so if you just want the eye candy, you can probably get through it.

Intriguing "horror" movie. Not exactly your average horror movie in that it involves the world of telekinesis. Also, it is as much a crime-mystery drama as a supernatural thriller.Set up is very interesting. The subject matter is plausible, and the murder / attempted murder adds mystery. Also introduces a few interesting themes: use and abuse of special powers, vengeance / vigilantism, bitterness.However, from a point it loses its intrigue and becomes reasonably mundane and predictable. The culprit was fairly obvious, so the whodunnit part gets drawn out too long. The movie becomes an action-thriller, a race-against-time. Ending is interesting but a pity the intrigue, mystery and menace could not be sustained throughout the movie.Great performance by Richard Burton in the lead role. He has the perfect voice and gravitas for the role. Good support from Lino Ventura and Lee Remick.