Medusa

starring George Hamilton

I've grown fond of this little-known B-movie.  It's weird, a little pretentious, and the TV version I've seen is badly edited.  But I can't look away. The following is the complete plot of the movie with some comments.  It's chock full of spoilers, if you care.

The credits are lettered to look Greek and there are close-ups of an ugly carved statue.  Perhaps it's the Medusa, I can't tell.

Medusa opens with the bodies of two people being discovered on a small yacht. We see a man and a woman holding hands in death.  In voiceover we hear Jeffrey (George Hamilton) explaining that he believes in reincarnation and telling us he died three hours ago. He's in some sort of Limbo and has to wait for a new body. In the meantime, he decides he'll tell us all about his last life.  We're informed he was heir to a large mining empire along with his devoted sister.  She is described as his "late" sister, so you get some idea of whom the other body belonged to, which is confirmed seconds later as the film goes into flashback mode.

Now, we see his sister Sarah (Luciana Paluzzi) as she hugs an old lady as they and a dozen other people listen to a man play the guitar and sing a Greek song. As the man la-las, Jeffrey arrives (with a dog) looking like Elvis and makes a scene.  The guitarist turns out to be Sarah's fiancé Nikos (Theo Roubanis) and this is apparently an engagement party. Jeffrey grabs the guitar and starts singing and making a fool of himself.  He has to be dragged away.

Brief shot of Jeffrey sleeping as slides play.  Hm.

Later, Sarah and Nikos are in a nightclub where a lot of plate-smashing is underway. They seem to be enjoying themselves as they watch the Greek dancers.  Suddenly, Jeffrey appears with two lady friends.  He looks like he's having a good time until he spots Sarah and Nikos at another table.  Sarah sees him, too.  Jeffrey deliberately begins kissing the hands of his two companions while he and Sarah look at each other. This is the first clear sign that their relationship is strange. New music begins to play and Nikos gets up to dance like Zorba the Greek.   Sarah tosses a plate in appreciation.  Jeffrey continues to make out with the women while watching Sarah toss plates. As this continues, we see a man (Takis Kavouras) enter the club and observe Jeffrey and Sarah. 

Nikos's dancing is a big hit, not only are plates being smashed, but one fan overturns a table. One of Jeffrey's dates hands him a plate.  Sarah throws a plate and Jeffrey throws his plate.  Now, Jeffrey and Sarah enter into some sort of plate-smashing contest trying to outdo one another.  Jeffrey gets struck in the eye with a piece of flying debris from one of Sarah's plates and leaves his table.  Sarah follows in concern.  They come face to face, she tries to touch his face, but he grabs her hand, smiles, and then he lets her touch him.  She smiles at him, then he runs off. All the while, Nikos dances and the stranger sees everything. 

Next, we see Jeffrey meeting up with some shady characters at a mining site.  From what I can tell, Jeffrey is illegally selling mercury to make some money. I never knew there was big money in mercury-trafficking, but there you go.

Now, Jeffrey is on his yacht reading.  Angelo  (Cameron Mitchell) arrives to collect money.  We discover that Jeffrey owes Angelo money and this mercury money is only part of the payment due.  Angelo is revealed as a fitness nut.  He's also a bit of a soft touch when it comes to Jeffrey, because he he lends him a few hundred dollars more.

We cut to an airport where a plane is landing.  We see Sarah in the waiting crowd.   On the plane, we meet Mr. Edwards (Paris Dimoleon) who has a police escort waiting for him.   Not because he's a crook.  It seems more like it's for protection.  Also, on the plane we meet a stewardess (Norma Valsami), an American passenger (Alana Hamilton), and Mr. Edwards' traveling companion who is taking Mr. Edwards' case for him.

Sarah sees Mr. Edwards and calls out, "David!"   She approaches him.  He congratulates her on her upcoming nuptials.  She says she wants to drive him to the meeting so they can talk.  He thinks it would be unprofessional and declines.  Meanwhile, David's associate gets a taxi and offers a lift to the stewardess and the American woman.  The stewardess declines because she's waiting for a company car, but the American woman accepts. It turns out David's associate and the American woman are staying at the same hotel.

David and his police escort are driving along when they come across a road obstruction.   It's an ambush!  Angelo and his thugs kidnap David. Angelo uses a bulldozer to push the police car and its driver over the side of a hill.  Now, David is taken to the mining site.  Angelo tells David (he calls him "Mr. Edwards") that they just have a few questions.  David calls Angelo scum which prompts Angelo to tell him that he doesn't care if David knows about Jeff and the mercury.  I don't understand why he thinks David knows about that.  It's entirely possible that David thinks Angelo is scum for killing a cop and kidnapping him.  Anyhow, this is where we learn that Angelo is interested in the will of the late Mr. Hendel, father of Jeffrey and Sarah.  Mr. Hendel was dying and was all drugged up and made a new will.  Angelo wants to destroy the new will so that the original will, which left everything to Jeff and Sarah, stands. He strikes David.   But David is very noble and won't cooperate. He says something like "The Law is absolute. If it isn't, it dies."  Angelo tells him he'll die if he doesn't hand over the will. He strikes David again and then reveals that he really needs Jeff to be able to pay him back because the money he loaned Jeff belongs to Angelo's mobster bosses.

Back at the ambush site, the police have arrived along with Nikos.  We see the observant stranger from the nightclub and discover he's some sort of cop.  They discuss the disappearance of  David Edwards.

David's associate checks into the hotel carrying David's case.  His name turns out to be Mr. Wells. 

Angelo holds a hose in his hands.  He tells David that water will help loosen his tongue.  About five gallons.

Sarah visits Jeff at his yacht.  They start chatting and she tells him he's inconsiderate.  She's worried about David Edwards and what his arrival means for Jeff.   She warns him that he must stop spending so much money.  Jeff seems uninterested. He hands her an engagement present.  It's a tied-up bunch of hair, presumably from a horse or similar animal.  He tells her it's the tail that you pin on the donkey.  The donkey is Nikos.  They laugh.  The phone rings.   It's a call from one of Angelo's thugs.

Jeff arrives at the mining site.   Angelo starts babbling that David doesn't have the will, but that a man at the hotel named Wells has it.   Jeff is busy examining David.  He becomes distressed as he listens for a heartbeat.

Angelo: Whatcha doin'?
Jeff: This guy's dead!
Angelo: No, he ain't dead.
Jeff: Get off him, for God's sake.  Get off, the guy's dead.   Turn him over. The guy's dead.  What are you doing, drowning him?

That's it exactly.  Angelo stuck a tube down David's throat and poured water.  David has, indeed, drowned to death.  Jeff is very upset, but Angelo reminds him that Nikos won't finance Jeff anymore and Jeff needs to get the will.

We now see Jeff in a tuxedo in the hotel.  He knocks on Mr. Wells' door and introduces himself. He claims to be Greek on his mother's side.  He notices the case on a chair.  He babbles on and on while backing Mr. Wells into the waiting arms of a killer.  Someone wearing black gloves strangles Mr. Wells to death.  I have no idea how the killer got into the hotel room.

A brief scene of Jeff in bed watching the same slides that played earlier.  We only ever see one and it's of a blonde woman holding out her hands.  Whatever.

Nikos and Sarah arrive at the hotel.  Nikos inquires about Mr. Edwards and is informed he has not checked in yet, but perhaps Mr. Wells knows something since he brought Mr. Edwards' luggage with him.   Nikos decides to go see Mr. Wells, but Sarah prefers to wait in the lobby. Mr. Wells' dead body is discovered and the case is empty.

Nikos arrives on a beach in the daytime.  David Edwards' dead body has "washed ashore" and Nikos makes the identification for the inspector (previously the observant stranger). 

The inspector watches Jeffrey playing roulette in a casino. Jeffrey is very loud and acting devil-may-care as he loses a lot of money.  He notices the inspector and they talk about recent events.  Jeff wonders why he hasn't been questioned and  some cat-and-mouse conversation ensues.

Angelo is angry that Jeff hasn't found the will.  Jeff claims he went and found Wells dead and there was no will.  Angelo thinks Jeff killed Mr. Wells, but Jeff denies it (and we know he's telling the truth). Angelo and Jeff squabble. George Hamilton offers his Bogart impression.

Angelo decides to get tough with Jeff and has him roughed up.  Sarah and Nikos are also at the casino and see the bruised and bloody  Jeff.  Sarah is very  upset and the inspector watches the whole scene.

Angelo is at a bathhouse all lathered up when Nikos arrives.  Nikos lets on that he suspects Angelo was involved in the supposed suicide of Mr. Wells (who was strung up) and the death of Mr. Edwards.  He's concerned about Sarah and Jeff and offers to pay off Angelo.  But Jeff owes $200,000 and that's too much for Nikos to raise.  Nikos asks Angelo who the heck he thinks he is anyhow and this brings out the working-class anger in Angelo. He doesn't care how much real estate Nikos owns.  He tells Nikos that he's "strictly bush".

On the beach, the lovely stewardess cuddles a dog that has approached her.  Jeff appears.  It's his dog.  "She's a cocker spaniel and a poodle.  Some call her a cocker-poo, but I call her a spadoodle."  Which makes no sense.  Anyhow, Jeff knows she's a stewardess and he offers to slather suntan lotion on her.  He tells her that he's American on his mother's side.  

Jeff takes the stewardess on a date, which seems to consist of sneaking around a building.  He takes her to a dark apartment. She calls him crazy. They start making out. He tells her he is crazy and that he's going to kill her.  She thinks it's a joke and they continue making out.

Meanwhile, there's a party going on at Nikos and Sarah's home.  Nikos is la-laing again as he strums his guitar.  The guests join in on the fun. La-la-la-la--well, you get the idea.

In between kisses, Jeff asks the stewardess about the will.  She's confused and says she knows nothing about it.  Jeff persists and she becomes afraid.  She pushes him off of her.  They struggle as Jeff asks more questions.  Now, he wants to know who Edwards and Wells spoke to on the plane.  The stewardess remembers the American woman. All she knows is that she's a photo-journalist. The camera shows us that someone else is in the apartment. Jeff and the stewardess stop struggling and she gets up.  Jeff starts telling her that "the body dies, but the soul is immortal". She tries to flee, but ends up being strangled as Jeff watches.  The killer runs off, but we see the stewardess has actually survived the attack.

Cut to the party where everyone is still happily singing, except Sarah is no longer present.

Back at the apartment, Sarah arrives and finds Jeff sitting with a sheet wrapped about him looking shell-shocked.  She concernedly asks what happened. My guess is that since the stewardess was still alive, Jeff had to finish her off, but this was never shown in the version of the movie I saw.

Later at Nikos and Sarah's, Sarah is finishing a call with Jeff.  Nikos tells Sarah that he wants to help with her problems.  They hug.  She says she will tell him what's wrong.  The doorbell rings just then destroying the moment.   It's the inspector at the door. He tells Sarah and Nikos that Wells didn't kill himself, but was strangled. He leaves and Nikos hopes Sarah will tell him her problem now, but she says she's too tired.

Jeff and Nikos are out shooting birds. Nikos takes this opportunity to try and clear up matters between him and Jeff.  Jeff acts like a maniac, sticking a gun in his mouth and laughing like an hyena. Nikos suggests Jeff leave the country for awhile to "clear his mind".  Jeff makes some disparaging remarks about Sarah saying she wants Nikos to be her puppet. Nikos asks if Jeff had a fight with Sarah last night, but Jeff says he hasn't seen her in weeks.

Angelo visits Jeff on the yacht.  Angelo seems a bit sorry that he had to have Jeff beaten up.  He says he knows Jeff is working with someone and he wants to know who it is.  Jeff denies having an accomplice, but Angelo says Jeff could never kill anyone (though earlier he accused Jeff of doing just that).  Jeff invites Angelo for a spin on his yacht.  Soon, they are out to sea.  We are reminded here that Angelo is a fitness nut because he enjoys the fresh air and tells Jeff he should quit smoking. He decides to go for a swim and asks Jeff to time him.  Jeff taunts Angelo as he swims.   Angelo spots someone at the wheel of the boat and starts yelling.  The boat speeds off as Jeff sings "So long, Angelo".    Angelo becomes a speck.  Jeff goes below and looks guilty for a moment..  A pair of gloved hands appear and a rope is put around his neck.  Jeff acts like he's being choked, but it turns out to be pretend and Jeff starts the hyena laughing again.  We discover the identity of Jeff's accomplice: It's his sister Sarah..  She laughs with him.

The American woman is taking photos at some ruins.  Jeff is there. She admires a medallion he's wearing and he gives it to her.  They start talking about Atlantis and such and they seem to connect. 

Sarah is on the phone telling someone that they have to go through with "it" and to wait for her.

Jeff is sneaking into a hotel room.  The American woman, whose name is Eleana, is taking a shower and he just walks into the room, startling her.  He says the maid let him in.  He's brought some books for her to read.   She's okay with his being there.   Tells him to make a drink and she'll be out in a moment.

Sarah is about the leave her house when she runs into the inspector.  He asks if she's going somewhere, but she says she was only going to put the car in the garage.   They make some chit chat.

Jeff and the American woman make plans for a picnic and swim.

The inspector and Sarah talk about murder. The inspector starts supposing: Suppose you and Jeff were to be cut off from your money.  Suppose a new will had been made, etc. Sarah tells him to stop playing games and arrest them if he thinks they're murderers.   The inspector says if he had the new will, then he'd have the motive.  He produces a document and tells Sarah to read it. Sarah begins to laugh. The document is the latest will. It says Nikos has been left in charge of the Hendel estate, which means Sarah will benefit and so will Jeff.  Lacking proof of a motive,  the inspector shrugs and leaves.

Sarah tries desperately to reach Jeff.  She can't reach him and so she gets in her car and drives.  Nikos is watching and follows her in another car.

Jeff and Eleana are on the beach together talking about reincarnation. They wander into the sea.  There's a shot of the moon and then a scream.  Jeff emerges alone from the water. 

Sarah arrives at the beach and finds Jeff huddled by a fire.  She asks where Eleana is.  Eleana is presumably dead. Nikos' car pulls into the parking lot while Sarah asks Jeff why he didn't wait for her.  She orders him to get on the boat with her now.  Jeff grabs her and starts kissing her in an unbrotherly manner.   She protests.  Nikos emerges from his car unseen by them.  Jeff tells Sarah to stay away from him and starts running down the beach yelling "Sarah made love to her brother!"  So what we suspected all along is now confirmed: this is a pair of very sick siblings.  Sarah runs after Jeff.  The inspector joins Nikos on the beach as Nikos angrily kicks at the fire.

It's daylight.  Sarah finds Jeff at a playground spinning on a carousel.  She joins him and tells him that they have to run because "they're after us".   Jeff goes into cuckoo mode again and goes into town.  Soon, he is being pursued by the police. He steals a rifle from a local man and now villagers (mostly kids) are pursuing him along with the cops. It's like a Frankenstein movie.  He fires some shots and keeps running. Terriified, Jeff grabs a little girl as a hostage and climbs a tower.   The inspector gets on the bullhorn and tells him to surrender because there is no way out.  Sarah arrives and begs to be allowed to go up and speak to her brother.   The inspector gives her five minutes.

After a few minutes, the little girl appears. Jeff has freed her.  Now we see Jeff and Sarah attempting to escape while the police try to block all the exits. After much sneaking and evasion,  Jeff and Sarah eventually manage to reach the boat.   Surprise!  Nikos is there.  Sarah seems torn between boarding the boat with Jeff and remaining with Nikos. But there's no turning back now. Nikos extends a hand to help her onto the boat and then he unties the mooring. 

Jeff tells Sarah to take the wheel while he gets the champagne. George Hamilton offers his Cary Grant impression.  Jeff and Sarah drink champagne. Jeff declares it the worst champagne he has ever tasted --"399 BC Socrates".  Socrates?   Yes, it appears that Jeff is committing suicide.  Sarah asks him if he's joking.  He remarks that she needn't worry because there is "none" in her champagne. Jeff begins to feel the effects of the poison and he laughs like a hyena again.   He tells her that she can take the boat back and blame everything on him. Sarah sobs while Jeff laughs and makes faces.

The inspector arrives at the dock where Nikos still stands. The inspector comments,   "It's only a plastic boat in a great big bathtub.  I can pull the plug anytime I want." A tear runs down Nikos' face.  "All I want to do now is get drunk," he says.

Jeff voices over, " The soul is immortal. It has lived before and will live again." 

Once again, we see Jeff and Sarah dead and holding hands on the bed in the boat.   I can only guess that Sarah dragged him there before killing herself since he was elsewhere when the poison began to work.  So, the boat is being towed back to land and the credits roll.  Movie over.

So there you have it. Medusa: a story of intrigue, murder, and incest!   It's a Greek tragedy.  This is not a good movie, but may be worth watching at least once for George Hamilton's off-beat performance.  He also produced the movie and gave his then-wife a part as a victim.  Cameron Mitchell was amusing in his part as Angelo, the mobster/fitness nut.  Actually, the acting was better than the movie deserved.  The movie was pretty bad, yet I must keep watching.

Questions that linger:

What did the slides mean? Jeff was shown twice in bed while slides played on a screen.   Weird.

Why does Sarah have an accent while Jeff sounds American? Actress Luciana Paluzzi is Italian, though perhaps her character was supposed to pass for Greek.  But why is her brother so American?  Did they grow up separately?  Hm.

What happened to Jeff's dog?  The cocker-poo shown near the start of the movie and later used to meet the stewardess is never seen again. What happened to the dog? I must know.

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