Hi everyone!
We’re back with another Indie Wednesday here at One Movie Punch. Every Wednesday, I’ll be reviewing an independent or microbudget movie that doesn’t get a lot of attention. Sometimes that means we find a diamond in the rough. Sometimes that means we learn the real and/or perceived limits on filmmaking. But we’ll always be discovering something new, even if that means looking at an older subject.
Today film is 2018’s SANDOW, written and directed by Alexander Cooper, who I had the pleasure to sit down with to discuss the film. Instead of including trailer segments, I’ll be running the full trailer prior to the review, then adding segments from our interview throughout the review. The full interview will be available on our Patreon feed, where we talk about his first film as producer, PARALLEL, and a little bit about Rambo. Head over to patreon.com/onemoviepunch if you want to hear the interview before it disappears behind the pay wall, and sign up to contribute at any level. All contributions go to paying our expenses and will help us grow with our audience.
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Here we go!
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<< SANDOW TRAILER >>
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Today’s movie is SANDOW (2018), the epic historical drama directed by Alexander Cooper and written for the screen in collaboration with Gerard Muarez. The film follows the life of the famous strongman, Eugen Sandow (Timo Kervinen), as seen through the eyes of his pupil, Launceston Elliott (Alexander Cooper). We’re introduced to Sandow’s hopes and dreams, their fulfillment, and the often-sordid life that followed, particularly with his wife Blanche (Tiffany Ellen-Robinson).
No spoilers.
In our full interview, I mention how recently I reviewed a film called BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ (Episode #657), which covered not only Alice Guy-Blaché, but the rise of the fledgling film industry in Paris and the Eastern United States at the turn of the century. While Guy-Blaché was experimenting with telling stories with film, however, other filmmakers were busy capturing the wonders of the world, much like the YouTube videos of today. And one of the most famous films captured in those early days by Thomas Edison was circus strongman Eugen Sandow, the subject of today’s film.
SANDOW takes a very sweeping look at Eugen Sandow, a combination biopic and documentary, from his early years dreaming of being something greater than himself, all the way to his grave at Putney Vale. He wasn’t just a circus and vaudevillian strongman, but also pioneered many major industries of today, including fitness clubs/gyms, athletic supplements, and even a form of professional wrestling, aimed more towards showmanship than actual fighting. And while we get a taste of all of that, we’re also getting a dramatized version of his larger story.
ALEX: “Yeah, SANDOW is not an accurate portrayal of what would have happened in his life, but it's more like a, it's a bit of a philosophical musing on a historical figure who has had a huge impact. The whole thing about SANDOW really came from... it was an article I read on the Internet about forgotten newsmakers. I had this sort of image in my mind when I read his story and what a superstar he was. He's known by people but forgotten by most. It was a fascinating story and I found these images of these traveling circus strongmen, and I thought, these were kind of like rock stars before rock stars came about. And I thought, 'Wow! What a thing! These guys were going around with circuses and putting on shows and this was before, like, Arnie was flexing his muscles in Hollywood.'”
The further we go back in history, the harder it is to really know what is and isn’t true about historical figures. History is often written by the victors, but it’s mostly captured by historians and re-presented by artists in multiple media. In the case of Eugen Sandow, many single aspects or major accomplishments could be enough for an entire movie, or perhaps an entire series about his life. Even in a sweeping drama like SANDOW, choices have to be made.
ALEX: “There's all sorts of rumors and stuff. You don't... I don't know what is actually true, but you know, whether he's bisexual or had relations with men and women, and all sorts of things, which could be true. I just don't know. In this story, I didn't really delve into that. There was a lot of other stuff going on that we don't really go into. In the original script we explored a bit more into that about having this admirer who’s a man and their friendship. Yeah, we didn't really go down that path in the end.”
SANDOW covers a great deal of the main character’s life, focused around three major themes. First and foremost, the film is concerned with Sandow’s motivations and accomplishments, which drive Sandow throughout his entire life. Second, it covers his tumultuous relationship with his very forgiving wife Blanche, who tends to suffer Sandow’s bad behavior despite enjoying the fame and fortune that comes with his life. And finally, the story is narrated by Launceston Elliott, who brings his particular perspective to Sandow’s entire story.
ALEX: “It became a personal thing to me, because, like, my father wasn't a bodybuilder. He was another kind of builder. He liked to build properties. And he passed away five years. He had blood cancer. That was kind of this idea I had about incorporating some of my experiences into telling Sandow's story, because Sandow was the father of bodybuilding and I had this idea about this father/son kind of relation between Launceston Elliott and Sandow. He would watch Sandow and he could see his flaws and things that made him who he was, more deeply than anyone else. I wanted to play that role. I felt that I had some insight into Sandow the character, so I didn't look for anyone else for that."
Rich subject material and an epic story are not enough, however. In addition to some excellent costumes and well-chosen sets, we also get a good cast for the characters. Timo Kervinen, the Big Finn, plays Eugen Sandow, and while not being a dead ringer for Sandow, does have the same physique and attitude. Tiffany Ellen-Robinson plays Blanche very well, maintaining a consistent, frustrated demeanor, with awesome costumes.
SANDOW was made for a budget of $25,000. It’s pretty amazing how far that can stretch, especially for a sweeping epic. Cooper used both existing locations, in particular a Yorkshire house rented and utilized to the fullest, along with constructed sets for locations unavailable without expensive permitting and permissions, a throwback to the constructed sets of Sandow’s time. It can give a patchwork feel to the entire film, but not in an unlikeable way.
It’s also not surprising when things might go wrong for that amount of money. The major complaint about SANDOW is the sound editing, which begins to fall apart towards the end of the film. Whole scenes struggle with sound syncing, which combined with some sound capture in the more metropolitan areas picking up anachronistic noises, like modern horns and bells. You don’t realize just how important the sound can be until it’s not there properly. So, I had to ask about it and here’s the story.
ALEX: “What happened was, when the editor, who was in America, he had another job coming in which he wanted to do more than this one, and he kind of tossed it aside and uncompleted. The picture was edited, but the sound was not all synced, so it was only partially synced. I got this thing back and I was disappointed. But then I found a local editor who had done sound work for big companies, like the BBC and things, and they said they would be able to do this, but then when they did the job, they left it in, it was unsatisfactory state. It was less good than it is now. I found a sound mixer in Sweden and he did the bet he could to get it as good as he could. It is a shame to me, but I suppose you live and learn."
For those that remember, a similar issue happened with ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS (Episode #597), except related to special effects. Work conflicts happen a lot in independent cinema, particularly if folks are donating their time, or have tight schedules. It gives the last third or so of SANDOW the feeling like you’re listening to a great interview over a crappy connection – the content is great, but the presentation suffers a lot. Cooper recognized that as well.
ALEX: “If I knew what I knew now, I would have somehow got a professional sound mixer involved from the outset. I took this to Cannes film market afterwards to try to find distribution deals. There, I did meet a professional sound mixer, and what I would have done is I would have budgeted that into the overall sum, and so, probably cost about $5,000 or $10,000 more. Overall, the total product would have been better on the sound front.”
The sound might struggle towards the end, but the overall film is still punching well above its weight class with a $25,000 budget. The strength of the other elements will make some viewers, this one included, wish the film was made for $25 million instead of $25,000, but SANDOW can be appreciated for what it is. Fans of historical epics, and forgiving of microbudget cinema, should definitely check out this film, along with anyone fascinated by Eugen Sandow and the many industries he spawned.
Rotten Tomatoes: NR
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 5.1/10
SANDOW (2018) is not rated and is currently playing on YouTube. Check the show notes for links.
SANDOW: youtu.be/00xSymzq0Ms
PARALLEL: youtu.be/sXworTZe3kE
