Once again, I could not find a youtube video link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction to director Wes Craven’s 1988 horror entry The Serpent and the Rainbow, readers will have to rely on Cox’s intro transcript (read here). The episode’s original airdate was June 14, 1992 (read here). While far from Craven’s best work, The Serpent and the Rainbow is nevertheless interesting considering that it may be loosely based on a true story (read here, here, here and here).
Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer
cinematiccoffee 
A perfect Wes Craven film to take a look at during October…..I remember this getting a big pish at the theaters but sort of faded into obscurity and then becoming a cult film. That trailer is pretty good!!!
This is definitely one of Alex Cox’s wittiest introductions. Love it!
Now that looks like a bit of fun 🙂
I have never seen that one, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
Nice blog
My husband and I have been saying for years, “Don’t let them bury me…I’m not dead!”
It’s a fun one.
This film really got under my skin when I rented it on release. probably didn’t help that I was smoking a lot of weed at the time. But it felt all too real………. Never revisited it. I really should but probably shouldn’t hehe. I did have the hots for Cathy Tyson too 🙂
The Serpent and the Rainbow is at the very least, one to check out. Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
I know 🙂 Especially how he seemingly connects it to tourism 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
As I told Inner Circle above, it is at the very least, worth watching 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
I will say that it is worth checking out Pete. Nevertheless, it remains a far cry from Wes Craven’s best work (Last House on the Left and A Nightmare on Elm Street). Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Why thank you for the wonderful comment Saania 🙂 Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Funny 🙂 Undoubtedly, The Serpent and the Rainbow is far from director Craven at his best (The Last House on the Left and A Nightmare on Elm Street), but it is a worthy watch. Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Flaws and all, The Serpent and the Rainbow is entertaining. That is interesting that you first saw the film when you did a lot of weed – one wonders how the experience would be while watching a Ken Russell film 🙂 As for Cathy Tyson, you were not the only one 🙂 Speaking of her, did you know she played I believe the love interest of Bob Hoskins character in 1986’s Mona Lisa? 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
🙂
LOL
This is one of those movies I used to see a lot at thrift stores and used video places but of course now that I want to get a copy….I never see it. But it is on my mental checklist….
John, I have phenomenal news. I found two Alex Cox BBC 2 videos which I have uploaded to my youtube. They are the Moviedrome intro to Big Wednesday and Alex talking about Django Kill…If You Live, Shoot!
youtube.com/channel/UCNVj64SrK9Bj3pMeBgLOvcw/featured
I just uploaded the Big Wednesday blog entry by linking to your wonderful youtube video link Steve 🙂 I want to sincerely thank you for finding not only Alex Cox’s introduction to Big Wednesday, but also his introduction Django Kill from BBC’s Forbidden Weekend limited (at least I think it was) series back in 1995. I could use Django Kill as one of my weekday blog entries – not too different from that weekday post I did with Alex Cox’s intro of Robert Altman’s 1973 Neo-noir The Long Goodbye on BBC2’s The Film Club back in 1988. I will either do a blog entry on the Django Kill one this week or next – what would you prefer cause you found it? 🙂 Here are two links below 🙂
This first one is for the Big Wednesday entry to let you know that I uploaded your video 🙂
https://cinematiccoffee.com/2019/04/29/moviedrome-mondays-big-wednesday-1978/
The next one is a blog entry I did back on a weekday back in April as a speciality (regarding old Alex Cox intros) and that is how I will treat your Django Kill video link – post a blog entry on it with your video during a weekday on my blog – here is a link to show you what I mean below 🙂
https://cinematiccoffee.com/2020/04/08/an-alex-cox-intro-gem-the-long-goodbye-1973/
You do a great job as always and we love hearing your thoughts as well Steve 🙂
I think it’s a good idea doing a blog entry for Django Kill. I think you should do that whenever is OK for you. I’m just delighted that these two videos are back on youtube. Their rightful place. They were on youtube a while back but they disappeared so I’m very pleased I found these.
Perfect 🙂
Here’s a useful link about the Forbidden Season.
forbiddenweekend.tumblr.com/season
Thanks for the link Steve 🙂 I watched all of the links that were available (I am aware that some were not) and I was just hooked from start to finish 🙂 Though you probably checked this one out already, what did you think of Alex Cox’s intro to Ken Russell’s 1971 controversial masterpiece The Devils? That is If you watched it though? 🙂 I found it especially insightful given the film’s notorious reputation. Along with Cox, British film critic Mark Kermode is also a huge fan of the film (it ranks on his list of his Top 10 Favorite Films list reportedly). Even If it was not as frequent as Moviedrome, Forbidden Season seemed to have just as much (If not more) of a cult audience as the former 🙂
I think all of Alex’s Forbidden Weekend intros were great. Alex did a great job on all the intros. I like the intro to The Devils very much. I agree it’s an insightful intro and it’s very interesting. Particuarly when he talks about the censorship issues and controversy of the the film.
The Devils is also second on the list of Alex’s top 10 favourite films ever so he’s a huge fan of the film. I thought The Devils was good when I saw it. Amazing visuals and direction. Russell was one of the great visual filmmakers. Oliver Reed gives perhaps his best performance too.
I also really like Alex’s intro to The Night Porter. I watched that film and I thought it was good. It’s a daring and audacious film too. It’s a pity it isn’t a great film though because I think it really had potential to be.
Kermode also made a documentary about The Devils for UK TV called “Hell On Earth The Desecration & Resurrection Of The Devils”. It’s on youtube. There’s also two videos of Kermode interviewing Alex on youtube and one of the videos is about Moviedrome.
I’m looking forward to your entry on Django Kill. I think it’ll be great
Totally agree with you regarding all of Alex Cox’s intros to Forbidden Weekend 🙂
The Devils is undoubtedly a great film and along with Nicolas Roeg, the late Ken Russell served as one of the two greatest Transgressive British filmmakers of all-time. Speaking of Mark Kermode, Don’t Look Now is another one of his favorite films and there is a youtube video of him picking 1980’s Bad Timing as one of his BFI player choices of the week. Speaking of Oliver Reed, I read somewhere that he himself considers his performance as Urbain Grandier to be his personal favorite of all his work.
I too agree with you on The Night Porter – it is a good film, but not a great one. As audacious and daring as it is (as you so eloquently state), it still feels too flawed to be labeled a masterwork. Nevertheless, Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling deliver standout work and those two are always great to watch.
As for that Mark Kermode documentary on The Devils, I watched it and loved it. In fact, when he was still doing his Kermode Uncut youtube videos, he would regularly come back to the topic of Warner Bros continuing suppression of the director’s cut of that film. I have also seen the youtube videos of Kermode talking with not only Alex Cox twice, but also (regarding the topic of Moviedrome), with the second host Mark Cousins. Those three videos were just a joy to watch 🙂
Sometime next week, I will do that blog entry on your Django Kill find because this week is Halloween week and I am trying to do a special blog entry on horror films since I am a huge fan of that genre – that and the Western 🙂 But I love every film genre regardless 🙂
In case you are interested, here are two links regarding my favorite films from Ken Russell and Nicolas Roeg below 🙂
Here is the one for Ken Russell 🙂
https://cinematiccoffee.com/2018/07/23/my-favorite-ken-russell-films/
And here is the one for Nicolas Roeg 🙂
https://cinematiccoffee.com/2018/07/18/my-favorite-nicolas-roeg-films/