The Roller Blade Seven
| The Roller Blade Seven | |
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 The Roller Blade Seven Poster and Video Box |
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| Directed by | Donald G. Jackson |
| Produced by | Donald G. Jackson Scott Shaw |
| Written by | Donald G. Jackson Scott Shaw |
| Starring | Scott Shaw Karen Black Don Stroud Frank Stallone Joe Estevez William Smith Rhonda Shear Jill Kelly |
| Music by | Scott Shaw |
| Cinematography | Donald G. Jackson |
| Editing by | Scott Shaw |
| Release date(s) | 1991 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300,000 USD |
The Roller Blade Seven is a 1991 cult martial arts film directed by Donald G. Jackson and starring Scott Shaw [1].
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[edit] Plot and Style
The Roller Blade Seven unfolds in an abstract, dreamlike structure, utilising minimal dialogue and repitiion of footage in key scenes. Several sequences occur repeatedly, such as a scene in which the protagonist is seen to get on his motorcycle and ride out of a carpark eight times in a row, leaving from a different parking bay each time.
The film follows Hawk Goodman (Scott Shaw), who is sent on a mission by Reverend Donald (Donald G. Jackson), to rescue Sister Sparrow from the clutches of the evil overlord Pharaoh (William Smith), in the apocalyptic world of the future. The film takes place in a region known as the Wheelzone, whose populace travels solely by the means of roller skates or skateboards. Shaw, however, arrives riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Sister Sparrow has been abducted from the Master of Light Institute by the evil Saint Offender (Joe Estevez). Before Hawk can complete his task, he must take psychedelic mushrooms with cult movie actress Karen Black and learn to rollerblade. Armed only with his samurai sword, Hawk does battle with the Black Knight (Frank Stallone), rollerblading ninjas and other gangs that inhabit the Wheelzone. Joining him on this mission are a Kabuki mime with a wiffle bat, a rollerblading banjo player entirely swathed in bandages and a pacifist named Stella Speed.
Once Pharaoh is located, it is explained that he uses a wheelchair due to an old skateboarding accident.
[edit] Distribution
This film experienced a short theatrical release in the United States, Australia, and Europe. It found a more willing audience, however, on Cable Television and in Video and DVD release.
[edit] Production
Shaw and Jackson described the film as the first example of "Zen filmmaking", in which no scripts are used.[2]
[edit] Sequels
The Roller Blade Seven was followed by its first sequel, The Legend of the Roller Blade Seven, in 1992 and a second, Return of the Roller Blade Seven, in 1993. In the documentary film Interview: The Documentary the two filmmakers, Donald G. Jackson and Scott Shaw discuss the process they followed in creating this film.
[edit] Critique
The film has a 2.1 out of 10 rating on imdb and predominately negative user reviews.[3] Film review site The MacGuffin refers to the film as "a really awful post-apocalyptic movie by this terrible director", describing the marial arts sequences as "(people who) spin around and face off with each other without ever swinging their swords that they don’t know how to use."[4] Another reviewer describes the film as "..a dream in which a guy with a late ‘80s camcorder decides to make his own fusion of Manos: The Hands of Fate and The Holy Mountain, utilising several out of work porn actresses and props found in the trash outside an abandoned skating rink." He attempts to summarise the film's loose plot as "a succession of ridiculously garbed characters who are never introduced nor explained drift on and off the screen seemingly at random....people move from one side of the screen to the other, and sometimes they stop, and throw kung fu poses...A wide variety of terrible hippie music, like a mix CD you’d hear in an Amsterdam headshop, plays incessantly."[5]
From the opposite perspective, as can additionally be witnessed in the positive reviews on imdb.com, some viewers find the movie enjoyable. A reviewer on Мишка Bloglin writes, "The Roller Blade Seven is an immensely enjoyable show of jump-cuts, non-linear action sequences, and rollerblading. I even enjoyed it sober. The movie stars martial artist and zen filmmaker Scott Shaw, who has appeared in countless cult films, including the 4th installment of Jackson’s Frog Warrior series. The film was never “formally” released in the U.S., but like all misunderstood masterpieces has developed a cult following."[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Guide to American Cinema, 1965-1995, Daniel Curran ISBN 0313296669
- ^ Zen Filmmaking ISBN 1-877792-47-0 page 89
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102804/ IMDB article, accessed February 24, 2012
- ^ http://www.macguffinpodcast.com/macguffin-content/film-review-roller-blade-seven/ The Macguffin, accessed 27/02/12
- ^ http://breakfastintheruins.blogspot.com.au/2009/11/vhs-purgatory-roller-blade-seven-donald.html Breakfast in the Ruines, accessed February 27, 2012
- ^ http://mishkanyc.com/bloglin/2009/09/30/roller-fiction-retrospective-pt-3-the-roller-blade-seven/ Roller Fiction Retrospective, Pt. 3, accessed February 29, 2012
