Q (film)
| Q: The Winged Serpent | |
|---|---|
 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 |
| Editing by | Armond Lebowitz |
| Distributed by | United Film Distribution Company (UFDC) |
| Release date(s) | October 29, 1982 (USA) |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,200,000 (estimated) |
Q (also known as The Winged Serpent and as Q - The Winged Serpent) is a 1982 horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, and Richard Roundtree.
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[edit] Plot
The film's premise is that the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the "winged serpent", has been resurrected by a cult in modern New York City and is flying about, snatching people off the skyscrapers. Two police detectives (Carradine and Roundtree) are investigating the bloody, entrail-strewn (and strangely mostly-rooftop-set) path of disappearance, death, and dismemberment about whose obvious—but staggeringly aberrant—cause the NYPD, the Mayor's Office, and the Office of the Medical Examiner, are in complete and angry denial. Meanwhile a reluctant getaway driver for an ice crew/blues piano player, (Moriarty, who is also a Blues composer, and is actually playing his own compositions as one of his character choices) hotfooting it away from the uniformed cops after a jewel heist gone bad, happens upon the deity's lair and tries to extort a fat wad of cash in small bills from the city's coffers in exchange for the whereabouts of the Winged dragon God's nest and home.
[edit] 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 McConnell
- Fred J. Scollay as Captain Fletcher
- Peter Hock as Detective Clifford
- Ron Cey as Detective Hoberman
- Mary Louise Weller as Mrs. Pauley
[edit] Production
The movie was shot on location in and around the Chrysler Building and uses the actual interior of the building's cone as a primary set.
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's glossy monster illustration was painted by science fiction/fantasy artist Boris Vallejo.
[edit] 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.[1]
The film was later released on VHS by MCA/Universal Home Video.[2] It was released on DVD by Blue Underground in 2003.[3]
Roger Ebert gave the film 2 and 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."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Q (1982)". the -numbers.com. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1982/0Q.php. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "Company Credits for Q". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084556/companycredits. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "Q (DVD)". dvdempire.com. http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=540591. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ Roger Ebert's review
[edit] External links
- Q at the Internet Movie Database
- Q at AllRovi
- Q at Rotten Tomatoes
- Q at the TCM Movie Database
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