The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie (1972)

For the viewer who claimed Stephen King "ripped off" huge parts of this film for Misery: don't flatter yourself. Your insight simply isn't that sharp. Yes, it's apparent that the general scenario for Misery is indebted to this (vastly inferior) film, but that is where the resemblance ends. King is a profoundly original artist, and as is usually the case, his prodigious talent and inimitable vision transform the influences derived from his encyclopedic knowledge of the field into a finished product that transcends its sources. The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie is even less memorable than Starret's mediocre Race with the Devil. In fact, I am quite amused by the intellectual restrictions of these viewers and readers who fancy themselves sophisticated because they are able to spot the things that King has supposedly "ripped off": as if he's trying to get away with something. On the contrary, King is usually very forthright about his influences and urges his readers to check them out for themselves (unlike the creatively and ethically bankrupt James Cameron). That he didn't do so with Misery is likely due to a lack of cognizance of the influence. In short, those with developed critical skills assess the creative process at work. Those with a stunted artistic and intellectual capacity merely note that story scenarios and plot elements were lifted by King and yell "Rip Off!" And then they pat themselves on the back.

A traveling salesman (Ken Howard)gives a teenage half-breed hitchhiker (Bonnie Bedelia) a ride to her isolated shack of a home and soon finds himself with two flat tires and a broken leg, and confined to the bed in the shack at the mercy of this strange young girl, as well as a vicious biker (Anthony Zerbe) who comes to the remote shack looking for some hidden gold. . .The comparison of this movie to Stephen King's "Misery" is obvious but pretty facile I think. First off, it's probably much less 'miserable" to be the love slave of a young Bonnie Bedelia than of Kathy Bates (and the truly grotesque character I personally envisioned from King's book makes even Kathy Bates look like Bonnie Bedelia in comparison). Moreover though, Bedelia's "Rosalie" is clearly intended to be a sympathetic rather than terrifying character here. She is a real naif, and perhaps not too bright, and she has been terribly abused by all the men in her life from her recently deceased father to Zerbe's biker (who had previously raped her). Even her captive here manages to manipulate her terribly and as a result he does not necessarily have the audience's full sympathy.This movie is very interesting in that it's not really a horror film like "Misery". Nor is it really a sex fantasy (or sex fantasy gone wrong) like the later 70's film "Death Game". But rather it is a serious, two-or-three character drama. The end, unfortunately, which involves "Rosalie's" real "vengeance", is not very believable. It is very well acted though, especially by Bedelia. I too am surprised it hasn't been legitimately released on DVD yet--Bedelia would, of course, go to star in "Die Hard", Zerbe had previously been in "The Omega Man", director Jack Starret would go to do the 70's cult favorite "Race with the Devil", and Howard go on to, uh, the 70's TV series "The White Shadow". I suspect that (unlike a lot of stuff I watch) this WILL be on DVD someday. You might wait until then, but definitely check it out.

A true obscurity. Most of the user comments reference its unmistakable similarity to MISERY. In Stephen King's defense (not that I'm a huge King fan, nor is the author above "homages" to previous works), even ROSALIE can't be said to have broken new ground with its theme of a woman keeping a man "hostage" (Don Siegel's BEGUILED with Clint Eastwood came out just a year before, for instance). And, the film is OBSCURE. I had to find it on the dark corners of the internet to find an import VHS - with Dutch subtitles to boot (anybody who NEEDS to see this can email me). A virtual three person show with Bedelia and Howard on screen for virtually the entire running time (Anthony Zerbe shows is the 3rd main actor, though his part is much smaller). The odd perverse atmosphere helps a lot, but there is little in the way of action or psychological insight. Bedelia is not altogether convincing as a Native American, but she truly carries the film with her portrait of a deeply disturbed young woman. At times, the script doesn't seem consistent as to whether Rosalie is totally naive, or whether she is merely cunning. With some things, she appears to have NO understanding of the wider world, but at other times, she keeps up with the well bred Virgil. The twist ending works on one level, but carries little meaning.Considering that the indie film was originally distributed by 20th Century Fox and that all three of the stars are name actors, it remains a "strange" mystery why this film seems to have vanished. Perhaps, Rosalie's ultimate vengeance?

Richard (Ken Howard) is very clean and white in comparison to a brown and dusty landscape filled with brown, dusty people. He stands out like a cultivated plant in a wild desert garden. Rosalie is the girl you, at times, feel sorry for and, at times, are just simply disgusted with. Bonnie Bedelia does a wonderful job of playing her with a very hard stubborn edge that can drive you crazy. You will leave this movie feeling bewildered and frustrated to all hell.