Manos: The Hands of Fate/Comments

• A fertilizer salesman in contact with the local theatrical scene decides to make a film on a dare with a small budget, and this is the result - A major example of a Trainwreck film. OK, one can say that at least Hal Warren followed up on his word, and there are scenes that can be called unique, but this really has a full on feeling of depression, going into a slowly decapitating roadside motel that was built in The 50's and now a sad shadow of itself, and drinking a very bad brand of whiskey along with friends who could only buy the cheapest 12-pack of beer in an out of the way carry out. The music is Lounge from the saddest club in the area, ready to shut down soon, the Drama is on a 1966 small town Drama Club level, and the dubbing is really pathetic. The production of the film had been one misfire or crazy story after another - A napkin was used to write the plot outline (Did this include "Add in a long moment of non-interesting travel footage while Lounge Music plays?"), the camera could only shoot 32 seconds of film, there was a joke among the crew to call it "Mangos - Cans of Fruit," shooting during the night attracted moths that turned out to be the co-stars of the film, a failed premiere, and others too numerous to mention. Still, a moment of respect is always given to John Reynolds, Torgo himself - He was a trooper in trying to create a memorable character within this cheap film and succeeded well despite having his voice overdubbed by one of the few present at the dubbing session making his character sounding more warped and tragic. Reynolds sadly committed suicide before the film's opening reportedly due to something personal not related to the film. Manos, the Hands of Fate may have been a disaster, but one has to admit that Reynold's performance did leave something to remember through its uniqueness. --Screen 13