Kim Cattrall Movie:

		List Price: $6.98		Label: Osiris Entertainment Salesrank: 119016 Released: June 1, 2003
		Our Price: $2.38
		Used Price: $1.70
		MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Studio: Ingram Entertainment Release Date: 07/29/2003

Deadly Harvest Reviews:
wonderfully awful
2007-06-14 - Hunk of bygone years meets camp diva of future years; a strange parallel for a gay fan, or rationalization for buying this tanker?



Kim is young and cute, and Clint is older but still sexy. The plot (see expansive review above, which far outweighs the worth of the film) is thin.

"...and under no circumstances do we tell the people the truth."
2005-08-09 - The first sentence for the description on the back of the DVD case for the film Deadly Harvest (1977) states the following `Cinematic changes have lead to a hungry planet.' Cinematic changes? I saw the film last night, and I'm betting they probably meant `climatic changes'...not a good sign... written by Martin Lager (The Starlost: The Beginning) and directed by Timothy Bond ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), the film stars the immense Clint Walker (6' 6") who played the lead in the mid 50s television series "Cheyenne", along with appearing in a number of films including The Night of the Grizzly (1966), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and Pancho Villa (1972). Also appearing in this Canadian production is a young Kim Cattrall (Porky's, Police Academy), Nehemiah Persoff (Fate Is the Hunter), Geraint Wyn Davies ("Forever Knight"), Dawn Greenhalgh (The Virgin Suicides), David Brown (Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault), and Jim Henshaw, who would later find his true calling writing episodes on such television series as "Friday the 13th", "War of the Worlds", and "La Femme Nikita", but will always be know to me as the voice of Bright Heart Raccoon from The Care Bears Movie (1985).

The film begins with an aerial shot of some snowy farmlands and ominous voiceover relating the precarious predicament man has gotten himself into by the end of the 70s (and I ain't talking about disco). Apparently industrial pollution, urban sprawl, unchecked population growth, and just poor planning in general have caused changes in the climate such that its snowing in the middle of summer, and the years harvest has gone the way of last years harvest...that's to say both are a wash...oh yeah, the gooberment has also squandered away the grain reserves (they sold them to a famine stricken Asia for a tidy profit), so food stuffs are becoming increasingly difficult to come by, causing said gooberment buffoons to not only cut the present rationing of food, but impose martial law along with a curfew, close all borders, and stop all public long distance communications. Things are tough all over as people from the city begin raiding the outlying farms in hopes of stealing some food, but farmer Grant Franklin (Walker) and his family seem to getting by okay (despite the fact that some city goons stole their prize cow), and even have something to look forward to with the impending marriage of Grant's daughter Susan (Cattrall)...but, as most of us know, things will get worse before they get better...on the day of the wedding, circumstances have led to a group of armed city men to crash the party (the wedding guest have brought food as gifts for the young couple), violence erupts, and people get killed, driving the normally (and annoyingly) pacifistic Grant into action (finally)...the frozen ground may not yield any crops, but a deadly harvest is on the way as Grant seeks retribution from those who done him and his kin wrong...

I was a bit hesitant to buy this DVD specifically because of the cheap and funky Adobe Photoshop DVD case artwork, featuring an obviously recent headshot of Ms. Cattrall, looking nothing like she did back in 1977, but, I have to say, the movie turned out better than I expected (my expectations were extremely low). I'm not saying this is a great film, but in terms of unintentional humor, it's worth a look. I thought the movie was meant to take place in the United States, but they only ever stated `North America' in the film, and with the abundance of Canadian accents (eh?) and snow, Canada wouldn't be an illogical setting. One of the best parts come at the beginning when we see a small group of dubious gooberment officials meeting in a crummy office, trying to sort out the impending famine that will surely result due to their actions (or inactions). One recommends euthanasia, the killing off of the old and the sick (one step away from Soylent Green), but all eventually agree that telling the public the truth would be a bad thing...the truth being how badly the officials screwed everyone over...in my synopsis I made the movie sound like an action type vehicle, but that's not really accurate. There is some action, but the overall intent of the film seemed to be showing how individuals would act (and react) during a crisis situation, some choosing to maintain a hopeful, optimistic view (Grant was looking into hydroponics as a possible, viable alternative), while others choose to exploit (or harm) their fellow human beings, thinking of nothing but themselves as desperation and despair settled in...the main focus is on the Franklin family, but we also get to see another family, one that lives in the city, and how the father eventually finds a way to cope with the situation (in another classic scene worth the price of admission alone). As I said this really isn't an action movie, but there is a satisfying sequence at the end, as the farmers go to war with the invading raiders from the city. The acting is pretty rotten as the story is saturated with sappy melodramatics and exaggerated histrionics. The production values are fairly low, but perhaps that was because so much was spent on the helicopter aerial shots that permeate the movie...the worst aspect about this film, the one that stands out above the others, is the hideous musical scoring...it this really schlocky, inappropriate, psuedo sci-fi electronic crapola, much like that'd you hear on an episode of the late 70s futuristic television show "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", starring Gil Gerard. I appreciate a good musical score, especially one that blends in smoothly with the story, not necessarily drawing too much attention to itself, while the great musical scores do draw attention to themselves, but more so in a manner of complimenting the visuals, adding a vibrancy and sense of life...here it pulsates like that of an ingrown toenail cutting into the soft, pink flesh, the resultant infection releasing a steady stream of virulent pus.

The fullscreen picture on this Westlake Entertainment Group release is mediocre, making me think the source material was probably a slightly worn videotape. It's watchable, but the colors are flat and there's a consistent fuzz throughout. The audio comes through well enough, about equal to the picture quality. There is a menu and chapter stops, and even a special feature in the way of a glowing biography of Clint Walker and his career. Overall I'd give this 2 ½ stars, as it made me laugh...I would have been willing to go to three had there been some nekkidness...

Cookieman108