| An Appreciation of Max
Rosenberg
We’re very saddened to learn of the death of a dear friend of
the American Cinematheque, legendary producer Max Rosenberg, who passed away on June 14th
in Los Angeles after a short illness. Co-founder of Amicus Productions, Max brought his
superb literary taste, hard-headed business savvy and a devilish flair for the surreal and
absurd to such horror, supernatural and fantasy classics as TALES FROM THE CRYPT, THE
HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, DR. TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS, AT THE EARTH’S CORE,
CITY OF THE DEAD and SCREAM & SCREAM AGAIN, pioneering rock and pop music films ROCK,
ROCK, ROCK, JAMBOREE and IT’S TRAD, DAD, as well as fascinating non-genre movies
including THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (based on Harold Pinter’s acclaimed stage play), THE
MIND OF MR. SOAMES and LANGRISHE GO DOWN, to name just a few. Over the past few years,
Cinematheque audiences at the Egyptian had the pleasure (and occasionally, the shock) of
hearing Max hold court about his colorful career. Max never pulled his punches, and he was
as blunt and critical of his own work as he was of his colleague’s: after a screening
of a newly restored print of THE MIND OF MR. SOAMES, Max broke up the audience by saying,
the ending stinks, doesn’t it?
If anything, Max was too modest about his own achievements.
Born in 1914 in the Bronx, the son of "Manhattan’s least successful
furrier" as he liked to quip, Max worked initially as a lawyer before breaking into
the film business with the nostalgic compilation film THE GOOD OLD DAYS in 1943; Max
bought up a bunch of old newsreel footage from the turn of the century for $10,000, and
the movie grossed many times that amount, launching his career. Later, Max formed a
distribution company with equally legendary producer Joseph E. Levine, bringing arthouse
classics such as THE BLUE ANGEL and OPEN CITY to the U.S. for the first time. In the
mid-1950’s, he hooked up with writer/producer Milton Subotsky to produce a series of
scientific programs for children’s TV. Operating under the names Vanguard and
Rearguard Productions, Max and Milton went on to make the classic drive-in rock movie
ROCK, ROCK, ROCK with Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon and Tuesday Weld. But it was their work
co-producing the seminal THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN with Hammer Films in the U.K. that
opened the door to the gothic horror film revival in the late 50’s and 60’s. The
two men founded Amicus Productions in 1962 and relocated to England, where the available
talent pool of actors, writers and technicians and the tax incentives for independent
producers, provided a fertile climate.
Amicus ("friendship" in Latin) became, along with
A.I.P., Hammer Films and Tigon, one of the most consistently successful producers of
horror films throughout the 1960’s and into the 70’s. While Amicus worked in
many different styles, their forte was the anthology horror film, beginning with DR.
TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS in 1964. Amicus prided themselves on working with
established actors such as Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance
and Joan Collins, while also giving breaks to up-and-coming stars including Donald
Sutherland and Terence Stamp. "Psycho" author Robert Bloch was brought in to
script a number of the best Amicus films. The company also fostered young filmmakers such
as Richard Lester (IT’S TRAD, DAD) and William Friedkin (THE BIRTHDAY PARTY). Amicus
continued successfully into the 1970’s after several of its compatriots had gone into
decline, putting out entertaining fantasy films such as AT THE EARTH’S CORE
(screening on August 8th at the Egyptian Theatre in a new 35 mm. print in Max’s
honor) and THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT, along with arguably their single best omnibus
horror film TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972).
Eventually, Max and Milton Subotsky went their separate ways in
the late 1970’s. Max continued working on low-budget genre films such as BLOODY
BIRTHDAY and HOMEWORK, and overseeing the rich legacy of the Amicus Films catalogue, which
has recently seen a renaissance through DVD releases of such titles as THE HOUSE THAT
DRIPPED BLOOD.
With his mischievous smile, his elegant fashion sense, and his
treasure trove of anecdotes and stories of over six decades in the film business, Max was
an unforgettable figure. In an increasingly cookie-cutter industry dominated by big
budget, visual F/X driven blockbuster’s, Max’s movies - and his sensibility -
seem refreshingly hand-crafted. He may have been the son of "Manhattan’s least
successful furrier" - but Max certainly succeeded in crafting many dark, beautiful
movie gems of his own.
He will be sorely missed.
-- Dennis Bartok, American Cinematheque
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