Before he collaborated with Ed Wood on the immortal classics, Orgy of the Dead and Fugitive Girls, Stephen C. Apostolof produced this boring refugee drama. As a bonus, it also features another Ed Wood associate, Tor Johnson, in a small role. It was also shot by Wood’s usual cinematographer, William C. Thompson. Robert C. Dertano was the director, but it’s a far cry from his fun wrestling women melodrama, Racket Girls.
Stephan (Jacques Scott) is a political prisoner in Bulgaria who is jailed by the communist regime for inciting a riot. With the help of some pals, he breaks out of prison and heads to Turkey where he gets a job playing piano in a dive bar. Then, it’s off to Paris where he joins the Resistance by broadcasting on Radio Free Europe. Eventually, he makes his way to America where he settles down and gets married, but it isn’t long before his old enemies rear their ugly heads and frame him for murder.
The story no doubt resonated with Apostolof (he co-wrote the script) as he himself was a Bulgarian refugee. However, he sorely misread the need for this film as Joe Average American moviegoer doesn’t give a fuck about Bulgaria. Then again, it might’ve helped if Journey to Freedom was… you know… good.
The overuse of stock footage for the opening riot is very Woodian, as is the constant (and sometimes confusing) narration supplied by the villain who drops in during nearly every scene to remind the audience he’s closing in on our main character. Despite the Wood connection, the movie it reminded me the most of was Coleman Francis’ Red Zone Cuba, which is less than a ringing endorsement to be sure. While that film was spectacularly inept, this one is mostly just deadly dull.
Tor is memorable as an angry Turk who picks a fight with our piano playing hero. He’s the only bright spot in an otherwise dreary and forgettable picture. Too bad he’s only in one scene.
In short, this is one journey not worth taking.
No comments:
Post a Comment