7/14/06: Black Sunday (1977)The original plan was to review the libertarian
Antz (1998) as the antidote to the Socialist fantasy of the upcoming
The Ant Bully. Now, we just want to see an Israeli kicking terrorist ass. Take a break from cable news and check out 1977’s
Black Sunday—which is one ’70s film that Hollywood will never remake.
Just consider the adaptation of Tom Clancy’s
The Sum of All Fears, where Hollywood famously replaced Islamic terrorists planning to nuke the Super Bowl. The film had the plot being carried out by neo-Nazis—because, really, who’d believe the Religion of Peace could do such a thing back in 2002?
Black Sunday—both the film and the equally fine ’75 novel—isn’t afraid to have a Mossad agent bending the rules and defying our government just to defend a sporting event that isn’t even soccer. Robert Shaw is all raw determination as ’70s SuperJew Major David Kabakov, out to save the Super Bowl from Palestinian Marthe Keller and deranged Vietnam vet Bruce Dern. They’ve got the Goodyear Blimp and they’re going to use it to perforate the public.
Screenwriter Ernest Lehman—who’d adapted everything from
The King and I to
Portnoy’s Complaint—is impressively loyal to the novel’s conservative tone. Kabakov is motivated by both vengeance and guilt, since the film begins with him letting the female terrorist live during a rare show of mercy. “She was not killed,” he explains to our government, “because I did not kill her. Of course, I should have.”
Of course. Kabakov later has a Spielbergian moment where he ponders the futility of his violent ways. That lasts about ten seconds. Then he’s saving ineffectual FBI man Fritz Weaver by killing another Islamic villain. “I told you about that man,” he informs Weaver. “I should have let him shoot you.”
Lehman also adds a scene where Kabakov pries vital information from a reluctant Mideastern official. Specifically, Kabakov gets the identity of Keller’s terrorist, in addition to a long speech about how the dame had such a troubled life.
“In a way,” adds the smug creep, “she’s your creation.” That’s okay.
Black Sunday has a happy ending, and Kabakov takes care of that little mistake.
And about that deranged Vietnam vet thing: It was the ’70s. At least Dern’s performance (in the film) and careful characterization (in the book) makes the cliché more bearable than anyone would reasonably expect.
Make it your own: Black Sunday was the debut novel by Thomas Harris, of
Silence of the Lambs fame. That makes it valuable enough to stay in print even under a Democratic administration. Stock up on
the DVD, though. Hollywood might decide to start policing its past any day now.
