The Return Of Captain Invincible
Encyclopedia
The Return of Captain Invincible is a 1983 Australian musical
comedy
and superhero
film starring Alan Arkin
and Christopher Lee
.
/Superman
inspired super-hero called "Captain Invincible" (also known as "Legend in Leotards", "The Caped Contender", and "Man of Magnet") who is active during World War II
and afterwards. Once a popular hero to all Americans he is forced into retirement in the 1950s following the government's persecution of him.
This takes the form of a McCarthy-ish
congressional investigation which accuses him of being a communist
(because of his red cape). He is charged with violating U.S. airspace by flying without a proper license, impersonating a military officer and wearing underwear in public. He disappears from the public eye, moving to Australia and becoming an alcoholic.
Thirty years later, his old rival "Mr. Midnight" re-emerges and steals a secret government super-weapon – the hypno-ray. The US government asks Captain Invincible to return, and the story follows his attempts to return to super-heroing and redeem his reputation.
. It was produced by Seven Keys
Production and Willara and distributed by Seven Keys in Australia. It was scheduled for release in America by Jensen Farley Pictures, but the company went out of business days before the scheduled national opening; it was later offered on American VHS and laserdisc by Magnum Entertainment. A widescreen DVD later followed from Elite Entertainment Inc.. It was filmed in Australia
.
It features some songs with lyrics by Richard O Brien and music by Richard Hartley
(who are primarily known for their prior collaboration on The Rocky Horror Show
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
), including "Captain Invincible" sung by O'Brien, "Evil Midnight" sung by Lee and Arkin, and "Name Your Poison" sung by Lee during which the evil Mr. Midnight tempts the alcoholic Captain Invincible with a well-stocked bar.
The film was refused classification as an "Australian film" by the Minister of Home Affairs, prompting a series of court cases and a report in the Australian Senate.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
film starring Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
and Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
.
Plot
The plot involves the Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
/Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
inspired super-hero called "Captain Invincible" (also known as "Legend in Leotards", "The Caped Contender", and "Man of Magnet") who is active during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and afterwards. Once a popular hero to all Americans he is forced into retirement in the 1950s following the government's persecution of him.
This takes the form of a McCarthy-ish
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
congressional investigation which accuses him of being a communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
(because of his red cape). He is charged with violating U.S. airspace by flying without a proper license, impersonating a military officer and wearing underwear in public. He disappears from the public eye, moving to Australia and becoming an alcoholic.
Thirty years later, his old rival "Mr. Midnight" re-emerges and steals a secret government super-weapon – the hypno-ray. The US government asks Captain Invincible to return, and the story follows his attempts to return to super-heroing and redeem his reputation.
Cast
- Alan ArkinAlan ArkinAlan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
as Captain Invincible, US superhero who fought for the allies during WWII, but fell on hard times. - Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
as Mr. Midnight, Invincible's nemesis; dedicated to evil, his latest plan involves the eradication of the ethnic minorities in New York. - Kate FitzpatrickKate FitzpatrickKate Fitzpatrick is an Australian-based television, film and theatre actress.-Career:...
as Patty Patria, Australian policewoman who helps Invincible get back to his former glory. - Michael PateMichael PateMichael Pate was an Australian actor, writer and director.-Early life:He was born Edward John Pate in Drummoyne, Sydney...
as The US President, As a child he met Invincible and the meeting left his mark on him.
Production
The Return of Captain Invincible was directed by Philippe MoraPhilippe Mora
Philippe Mora is a French-born Australian film director. Born in 1949 to a German Jewish father and a French Jewish mother, he began making films while still a child.- Career :...
. It was produced by Seven Keys
Seven Keys (film distributor)
Seven Keys Group Pty. Ltd. was an Australian film distribution company founded in 1969 by Andrew Gaty. In 1975, it became the largest independent institution of its kind in that country, outgrossing every local unit of Hollywood's studios there....
Production and Willara and distributed by Seven Keys in Australia. It was scheduled for release in America by Jensen Farley Pictures, but the company went out of business days before the scheduled national opening; it was later offered on American VHS and laserdisc by Magnum Entertainment. A widescreen DVD later followed from Elite Entertainment Inc.. It was filmed in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
It features some songs with lyrics by Richard O Brien and music by Richard Hartley
Richard Hartley
Richard Hartley is a British composer.His work is extensive and varied, including musical arrangement for theatre and many scores for television and film. In the 1970s he began a long association with Richard O'Brien. Hartley was originally part of the four-piece band for the Rocky Horror Show. ...
(who are primarily known for their prior collaboration on The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
), including "Captain Invincible" sung by O'Brien, "Evil Midnight" sung by Lee and Arkin, and "Name Your Poison" sung by Lee during which the evil Mr. Midnight tempts the alcoholic Captain Invincible with a well-stocked bar.
The film was refused classification as an "Australian film" by the Minister of Home Affairs, prompting a series of court cases and a report in the Australian Senate.