Zaat (1975)
Published at bleedingskull.com
Directed by Don Barton/Arnold Stevens
Barton Film Company VHS
THE FILM
"The formula they all laughed at!" How could you not, really? It's a goofy name and the fact that "ZaaT" and "at" make for an almost-rhyme seems like someone is goofing around.
Florida. Boy, they've made some interesting stuff down there. Has anyone written a book on the industry down there? Hmmm...if no one has, well, I like writing. Anyway...
It's 1971. A bunch of folks in Jacksonville, Florida have decided that they want to make a film. Some time later, Zaat (under this or several different titles) appears. I enjoy 70s heavy metal/hard rock. Two weeks ago, I heard UFO's No Heavy Petting. The first time I'd ever heard that band. Superb. Where'd it come from? Where'd they come from? Why hadn't I heard them before? They've got all the elements I enjoy but combined in their own special way. Zaat's the same way in the wonderful world of strange 70s regional films. (One week I'll do an analogy that is about all my analogies.)
A catfish-man terrorizes a bunch of people. But, wait, there's more...
The movie has a very cool monster that the production was clearly enamored with because it's on the screen (possibly) far longer than it should be. The whole shebang kicks right off with the mad man and his formula and the monster. I applaud their "Screw taking a half hour or more to get here! Let's dive right in!". And then, immediately, they don't have enough for the movie to do. Tons of little side plots begin filtering in. Things move around just enough to keep from going dull but they waver in that spot...that Almost Boring Zone where the change of location or characters is welcomed because the film was starting to bog down. And, the next change to wherever or whatever will bring about the same feeling. It also has that 70s downbeat feel to the ending, although it really shouldn't because it's meant to be a fun monster movie.
There is the monster and then there are all the other people. Some are hippies, some are from a special government something-or-other (INPIT). Oh, there are fish, too. The monster is certainly memorable. I can't say whether I actually "like" the film or not. I certainly like how it looks and how it sounds. I like the fact that it was made. I love the opening minutes with all the shots of fish that segues from a man talking about fish to announcing that he and the fish will "conquer the Universe." Then, the credits roll and the narrator walks along to a strummy folk song about planning revenge on your friends. And, suddenly, the man seems to go from crazy Universe conqueror to lonely misfit. Then, he becomes the giant fish man and it all goes to Cuckooland. But, in the end, he's just doing lonely misfit stuff but he's half-man/ half-fish.
The film has very little flair to it. The monster suit and the synths are kickass. (The library music a little less kickass.) But, the direction is mostly point and film. Bergman and Allen can point and film. The guy who made Satantango can point and film. A monster movie needs more verve. But, again, that's part of the charm. It's a gloriously strange monster movie where everyone has kept a level head.
Zaat could have been ten minutes shorter and had more directorial verve behind it to make it really something awesome. As it is, it's really something unique, in its own way. I'll take it. I wish there was a DVD.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
The Special Edition VHS look and sounds great. Still straight out of ‘71/'72. There's the occasional speckle on the print but that just reminds you where you are. What's with all those dull greens and blues in the laboratory? Just a question.
EXTRAS
A nice intro with the producer/director Dick Barton. (Most of these folks are so very pleasant. It must have been the film stock or the music that made me all think they were mental.) A trailer, TV spots, work print outtakes. Quite a charming group of extras. I kind of wish they had put this on DVD. A Special Edition on VHS in 2000 seems two-steps removed from today.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It takes place in a world separate from the land of storytelling that most films try to be a part of. Men become monsters. People walk around. It goes on too long and then it ends. I don't know if it's a film I love but it's a film I respect and one that I find quite fascinating. Hunt it down and watch it up.
— Dan Budnik, 04.22.10
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