***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** If you've seen this, then you'll know exactly what I'm referring to above. The 60's were famous for churning out campy thriller schlock like Joan Crawford's "STRAIT-JACKET", Bette Davis' "DEAD RINGERS", Olivia De Havilland's "LADY IN A CAGE" and the timeless classic "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?" which unites both Crawford and Davis portraying two geriatric crackpots.
This film on the other hand, is a complete shocker. First of all, forget films such as "PEYTON PLACE", "IMITATION OF LIFE" and "THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR". Although Lana Turner's flame flickered bright in those films (she was even nominated for an Oscar in "PEYTON PLACE"), it is unfortunately snubbed out in this disaster project that could only have worked had perhaps Bette Davis starred in it.
Taking away the black and white format and substituting it for color, the title of this film, "THE BIG CUBE", refers to "acid" (you'll see why shortly). A similar film, namely "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS", hid its reference to drug abuse within its title. One may wonder what "THE BIG CUBE" exactly is. I assure you, it wasn't made out of ice!
Lana Turner in her late 40's plays Adriana, a glamorous stage star who has gracefully retired from the entertainment industry. Soaked in martinis whilst donning bizarre wigs and sporting makeup that looked like it had been applied with a butter knife, she has just married a rich millionaire who comes with unwanted extra baggage... a nasty step-daughter named Lisa. Upset by the whole "marriage thing", Lisa gets into the wrong clique by hanging out with long haired no-gooders at a night club appropriately named "The Trip", whilst enjoying drinks with sugar cubes laced with LSD, hence the title of the movie. Watch out for the timeless line when one guy says, "I'm gonna cube that mother, but good!" (Who wrote this stuff?!?!)
Through these people, we are introduced to a drug-dealing gigolo played by George Chakiris (of "WEST SIDE STORY" fame) who ultimately becomes her boyfriend, but only after he discovers how wealthy she is.
Meanwhile, Lana Turner's husband is lost at sea in a mysterious yachting accident. She decides to keep Lisa's inheritance from her which doesn't sit too well with neither her boyfriend or herself. They devise a plan to get their greedy hands on her money by plotting to have her declared mentally incompetent. How do they plan on doing this? By spiking her tranquilizers with acid and taking advantage of her "hallucination" period by pushing her off a cliff (!!!).
After they achieve this, little do they know that she has survived her attempted murder. She is discovered by the locals, only to be carted off to a nut house after she is stricken with "amnesia" as a result of her fall and the drugs combined. The bonus here is that we get to see hilarious "trip visuals" as seen through the eyes of Lana Turner which makes for classic cinema.
Meanwhile, Lisa and her boyfriend decide to get married. The wedding alone is hilarious enough. Bikinied bridesmaids, a motorcycle gang of acid heads riding their cycles into a swimming pool, a rock band and a wedding reception that winds down with an LSD-induced orgy are the main ingredients for this recipe. It certainly doesn't take long for Lisa to realize the mistake she has gotten herself into. Her new groom encouraging group sex on their honeymoon wasn't exactly much help either.
Lisa decides to turn bad into good by vowing to help her step-mother by restoring her mental health. But the best part of this movie has yet to come. How exactly does she plan on doing this? Wait for it... by FORCING her step-mother to star in an autobiographical play in which she relives the events that lead to the state of mind that she is currently in (!!!!).
And finally, the film closes out with Chakiris living in squalor, addicted to acid and babbling mercilessly to an ant.
When I had heard about how bad this movie was, I couldn't believe it was THIS bad. Whether the film makers had the intention of marketing this film like some 60's version of "REQUIEM FOR A DREAM" to show society what drugs can do to you will never be known.
The most amazing thing is seeing Lana Turner in this garbage. For someone who spent her last acting days in various episodes of "FALCON CREST" and "CIRCUS OF THE STARS", this must have been the exact point where she went downhill without stopping.
Lana... WHAT HAPPENED?!?!
This film on the other hand, is a complete shocker. First of all, forget films such as "PEYTON PLACE", "IMITATION OF LIFE" and "THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR". Although Lana Turner's flame flickered bright in those films (she was even nominated for an Oscar in "PEYTON PLACE"), it is unfortunately snubbed out in this disaster project that could only have worked had perhaps Bette Davis starred in it.
Taking away the black and white format and substituting it for color, the title of this film, "THE BIG CUBE", refers to "acid" (you'll see why shortly). A similar film, namely "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS", hid its reference to drug abuse within its title. One may wonder what "THE BIG CUBE" exactly is. I assure you, it wasn't made out of ice!
Lana Turner in her late 40's plays Adriana, a glamorous stage star who has gracefully retired from the entertainment industry. Soaked in martinis whilst donning bizarre wigs and sporting makeup that looked like it had been applied with a butter knife, she has just married a rich millionaire who comes with unwanted extra baggage... a nasty step-daughter named Lisa. Upset by the whole "marriage thing", Lisa gets into the wrong clique by hanging out with long haired no-gooders at a night club appropriately named "The Trip", whilst enjoying drinks with sugar cubes laced with LSD, hence the title of the movie. Watch out for the timeless line when one guy says, "I'm gonna cube that mother, but good!" (Who wrote this stuff?!?!)
Through these people, we are introduced to a drug-dealing gigolo played by George Chakiris (of "WEST SIDE STORY" fame) who ultimately becomes her boyfriend, but only after he discovers how wealthy she is.
Meanwhile, Lana Turner's husband is lost at sea in a mysterious yachting accident. She decides to keep Lisa's inheritance from her which doesn't sit too well with neither her boyfriend or herself. They devise a plan to get their greedy hands on her money by plotting to have her declared mentally incompetent. How do they plan on doing this? By spiking her tranquilizers with acid and taking advantage of her "hallucination" period by pushing her off a cliff (!!!).
After they achieve this, little do they know that she has survived her attempted murder. She is discovered by the locals, only to be carted off to a nut house after she is stricken with "amnesia" as a result of her fall and the drugs combined. The bonus here is that we get to see hilarious "trip visuals" as seen through the eyes of Lana Turner which makes for classic cinema.
Meanwhile, Lisa and her boyfriend decide to get married. The wedding alone is hilarious enough. Bikinied bridesmaids, a motorcycle gang of acid heads riding their cycles into a swimming pool, a rock band and a wedding reception that winds down with an LSD-induced orgy are the main ingredients for this recipe. It certainly doesn't take long for Lisa to realize the mistake she has gotten herself into. Her new groom encouraging group sex on their honeymoon wasn't exactly much help either.
Lisa decides to turn bad into good by vowing to help her step-mother by restoring her mental health. But the best part of this movie has yet to come. How exactly does she plan on doing this? Wait for it... by FORCING her step-mother to star in an autobiographical play in which she relives the events that lead to the state of mind that she is currently in (!!!!).
And finally, the film closes out with Chakiris living in squalor, addicted to acid and babbling mercilessly to an ant.
When I had heard about how bad this movie was, I couldn't believe it was THIS bad. Whether the film makers had the intention of marketing this film like some 60's version of "REQUIEM FOR A DREAM" to show society what drugs can do to you will never be known.
The most amazing thing is seeing Lana Turner in this garbage. For someone who spent her last acting days in various episodes of "FALCON CREST" and "CIRCUS OF THE STARS", this must have been the exact point where she went downhill without stopping.
Lana... WHAT HAPPENED?!?!