Q (film)
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| Q: The Winged Serpent | |
|---|---|
| File:Qfilmposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
|
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| Directed by | Larry Cohen |
| Produced by | Larry Cohen |
| Written by | Larry Cohen |
| Starring | Michael Moriarty Candy Clark David Carradine Richard Roundtree James Dixon Ron Cey |
| Music by | Robert O. Ragland |
| Cinematography | Robert Levi Fred Murphy |
| Edited by | Armond Lebowitz |
| Distributed by | United Film Distribution Company (UFDC) |
|
Release dates
|
October 29, 1982 (USA) |
|
Running time
|
93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.1 million[1] |
Q (also known as The Winged Serpent and as Q – The Winged Serpent) is a 1982 fantasy-horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, and Richard Roundtree.
Contents
Plot
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a winged, dragon-like, female lizard, decides to take up residence in the art-deco spire of the Chrysler Building, taking frequent jaunts in the midday sun to devour various hapless New Yorkers. The resulting bloody mess confounds detectives Dr. Shepard (David Carradine) and Sgt. Powell (Richard Roundtree), who are already occupied with a case involving a series of bizarre ritual murders linked to a secret Aztec cult. Meanwhile, Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty), a cheap, paranoid crook who wishes to be a jazz pianist, takes part in a botched diamond heist that leads him to the creature's lair atop the building. This causes Quinn's attempts to settle down and turn over a new leaf from crime to be in vain as he decides to extort from the city an enormous amount of money in exchange for directions to the creature's nest, which houses a colossal egg.
The details of the location fall into Shepard's hands, and he leads a paramilitary assault on the Chrysler Building. After the showdown, the creature, riddled with bullets, falls onto the streets of Manhattan. Finally, Shepard also apprehends and shoots the Plumed Serpent's crazed priest as he prepares to ritually murder Quinn to resurrect his "god". In the final scene, the egg hatches as the screen fades to black, leaving the audience on a cliffhanger for a sequel that has never been made.
Cast
- Michael Moriarty as Jimmy Quinn
- Candy Clark as Joan
- David Carradine as Detective Shepard
- Richard Roundtree as Sergeant Powell
- James Dixon as Lieutenant Murray
- Malachy McCourt as Commissioner Nick McConnell
- Fred J. Scollay as Captain Fletcher
- Peter Hock as Detective Harold Kipps
- Ron Cey as Officer Hoberman
- Mary Louise Weller as Mrs. Pauley
Production notes
The movie was shot on location in and around New York city's Chrysler Building and uses the interior of the building's tower crown as a primary location.
The original music score was composed by Robert O. Ragland.
The film was marketed with the tagline "It's [sic] name is Quetzalcoatl... just call it Q, that's all you'll have time to say before it tears you apart!"
The film poster's glossy monster illustration was painted by science fiction/fantasy artist Boris Vallejo.
Effects
The special effects for the flying serpent were done using stop-motion animation by Randall William Cook and David Allen.
Release
The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by United Film Distribution Company in October 1982. It grossed approximately $255,000 at the box office.[2]
The film was later released on VHS by MCA/Universal Home Video.[3] It was released on DVD by Blue Underground in 2003.[4]
Shout! Factory released the film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc August 27th, 2013, through their Scream Factory branch.
Critical reception
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.Roger Ebert gave the film 2 1/2 stars in his original review but was bursting with praise for Moriarty's performance. He relates the anecdote that, when movie reviewer Rex Reed met Q's producer, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Reed told him "What a surprise! All that dreck—and right in the middle of it, a great Method performance by Michael Moriarty!" Arkoff replied "The dreck was my idea."[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Patrick McGilligan, "Larry Cohen: Manic Energy", Backstory 4: Interviews with Hollywood Screenwriters of the 1970s and 1980s, Uni of California, 2006 p. 64
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- ↑ Roger Ebert's review
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles using small message boxes
- 1982 films
- American horror films
- American films
- English-language films
- 1980s fantasy films
- 1982 horror films
- Films about dragons
- Monster movies
- Giant monster films
- American independent films
- Films set in New York City
- Detective films
- Films directed by Larry Cohen
- Films using stop-motion animation
