'Manos: The Hands Of Fate': Carefully Restoring The Opposite Of A Masterpiece

npr.org ^ | 12/12/11 | Chris Heller

[struggle]

Manos: The Hands of Fate doesn't deserve to be called the worst movie ever made. It may not deserve to be called a movie at all.

Manos is a weird blip in film culture, the closest thing that the B-movie world's ever had to its own butterfly effect. It was made on a bet by an El Paso insurance salesman with no filmmaking experience named Harold P. Warren, screened in a few West Texas theaters in 1966, and promptly forgotten for the better part of three decades.

Then, in 1992, a couple of yahoos with a show on Comedy Central stumbled across it in a public domain catalog.

That show was called Mystery Science Theater 3000, which for ten seasons mocked exceptionally bad movies. And if MST3K spent its run scaling mountains of awfulness to hit peaks of hilarity, Manos was its Everest.

"There's a very distinct feeling in the episode of, 'What is this movie that we've discovered?'" said Ben Solovey, a 26-year-old Florida State film school grad who's behind Manos: The Restoration, a project to repair an original 16mm workprint of Manos. "Even though there's these long stretches where they're not making jokes, it doesn't matter. It feels like you're watching a film from another planet."

[Snake65]

“Every frame of this picture looks like somebody’s Last Known Photograph.”

[Slings and Arrows]

And starring Sting, Debbie Reynolds, and G-d!

[GeronL]

Lots of bad films out there. I just perused the wiki list of worst movies ever. It started in 1950, I guess going earlier was too much work, lol.

[Slings and Arrows]

Don't! You'll miss Hobgoblins!

[Army Air Corps]

“They did it in his Chevy van, and that’s NOT alright by me!”

[Slings and Arrows]

RAKE FIGHT!

[Army Air Corps]

It is still a better film than Gigli.

[giotto]

Even with the wisecracks by Joel and the robots, it’s still one of the most profoundly depressing movies I’ve ever seen.

[Army Air Corps]

There are some scenes that are, frankly, disturbing.

[Slings and Arrows]

Haven't seen that one. I could do some The Final Sacrifice riffs, though.

[Army Air Corps]

Don't forget Riding with Death, Werewolf, or The Projected Man (just to name a few). Still, Space Mutiny (a la MST3K) was damned funny.

[Army Air Corps]

“Oooooh, that varmint!”

[dr_lew]

Then, in 1992, a couple of yahoos with a show on Comedy Central stumbled across it in a public domain catalog.

"Philistine" is the word for you, Mr. Heller.

[Slings and Arrows]

Zapp Rosdower!

[Slings and Arrows]

Riding with stock footage; “Warwilf!”; Lembach is staying!

[Army Air Corps]

Free pictures of Brian Mulroney with fill-up!

[Army Air Corps]

That Abby is some gal.

[Army Air Corps]

I wanna see Sheila in her underwear!

[Slings and Arrows]

Beer bottles of doom!

[Avery Iota Kracker]

Restore a WORKPRINT, eh? Hopefully it’s a one-light workprint so it’ll look extra sh*tty.