Movielogr

Rating: 7 stars

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Netflix murder Criterion

All movies seen on 01/23/2011

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The Honeymoon Killers (1970)

Directed by Leonard Kastle

Crime

Overview

Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a “correspondence club” and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he’s a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray’s sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.

Rated R | Length 108 minutes

Actors

Shirley Stoler | Tony Lo Bianco | Mary Jane Higby | Doris Roberts | Kip McArdle | Marilyn Chris | Dortha Duckworth | Barbara Cason | Ann Harris | Mary Breen | Elsa Raven | Mary Engel | Guy Sorel | Michael Haley | Diane Asselin | William Adams | Eleanor Adams

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

The Honeymoon Killers is a shrill, discordant true crime drama, shot in black and white; the one and only film directed by Leonard Kastle, who also wrote the script. This was the Criterion Collection DVD.

Based on the true story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, who met through a lonely-hearts correspondence club, The Honeymoon Killers takes place in the 1950s, and in a lot of ways, feels as if it were shot in the 1950s as well. Well shot, the cinematography imparts a sense of decay and unease throughout. The film grain in this beautiful Criterion print really adds to the tone.

The story itself moves along very slowly and threatened to lose me a few times. I’m glad I stuck with it though, because the last ten minutes are the payoff.

The sound is the difficult part, accounting for the shrillness note above; very tinny and loud. It does, however, add to the stiflingly claustrophobic feeling of the film. Well worth a watch, if you can be patient with it.

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