The Visitor (1979 film)
Encyclopedia
The Visitor is a psychological thriller
film directed by Giulio Paradisi (Michael J. Paradise), based on a story by the Egypt
ian writer (and producer) Ovidio G. Assonitis
. The film starred such names as John Huston
, Shelley Winters
, Mel Ferrer
, Glenn Ford
, and Sam Peckinpah
. Prominent Libertarian talk-show host Neal Boortz
also had a role in the movie. The film was a co-production between Italy and the United States, with an Italian title of Stridulum and Spanish of El visitante del más allá.
, and Damien: Omen II
, because the film revolves around a dispute between extraterrestrials from heaven and demonic forces. The Visitor has also been criticized by audiences, who claim the film's cover art (featuring a bizarre, alien-like being hovering over a city) was misleading, because the said images did not appear, nor were referenced in the film. The film was written and produced by prolific Italian-American filmmaker, Ovidio G. Assonitis, who was known for making rip-offs of Hollywood blockbusters.
The production companies were Brouwersgracht Investments and Film Ventures.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film directed by Giulio Paradisi (Michael J. Paradise), based on a story by the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian writer (and producer) Ovidio G. Assonitis
Ovidio G. Assonitis
Ovidio Assonitis is an independent film producer and businessman with over 35 years of experience in the entertainment industry.- Biography :...
. The film starred such names as John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
, Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
, Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
, Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
, and Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
. Prominent Libertarian talk-show host Neal Boortz
Neal Boortz
Neal A. Boortz, Jr. is an American Libertarian radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Neal Boortz Show, airs throughout the United States on Dial Global . It is ranked seventh in overall listeners, with 4.25+ million per week...
also had a role in the movie. The film was a co-production between Italy and the United States, with an Italian title of Stridulum and Spanish of El visitante del más allá.
Plot
A young girl with telekinetic powers is the focus of a battle between good and evil. Katy Collins (Paige Conner) is no ordinary 8 year-old girl. Indeed, she is unique, carrying within her the power of Sateen, an inter-spacial force of immense magnitude. Katy's primary mission on earth is to carry these genes forward, a task accomplished by convincing her mother, Barbara (Joanne Nail) to bear a similarly endowed male child with whom Katy would eventually mateCast
- Mel FerrerMel FerrerMel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
: Dr. Walker - Glenn FordGlenn FordGlenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
: Det. Jake Durham - Lance HenriksenLance HenriksenLance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
: Raymond Armstead - John HustonJohn HustonJohn Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
: Jerzy Colsowicz - Joanne Nail: Barbara Collins
- Franco NeroFranco NeroFranco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
: Jesus Christ - Sam PeckinpahSam PeckinpahDavid Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
: Dr. Sam Collins - Neal BoortzNeal BoortzNeal A. Boortz, Jr. is an American Libertarian radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Neal Boortz Show, airs throughout the United States on Dial Global . It is ranked seventh in overall listeners, with 4.25+ million per week...
- Steve SomersSteve SomersSteve Somers is an American talk radio host best known for his work on the New York City sports radio station WFAN . He has been with the station since its inception in 1987.-Personal life:...
Reception
The film-making involved a great deal of symbolism, with an attempt to be an art film, though it ultimately received poor reviews by the mainstream critics. The film has been called a rip-off of Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
, and Damien: Omen II
Damien: Omen II
Damien: Omen II, is a 1978 American horror film directed by Don Taylor, starring William Holden, Lee Grant, and Jonathan Scott-Taylor. The film was the second installment in The Omen series, set seven years after the first film, and was followed by a third installment, Omen III: The Final Conflict,...
, because the film revolves around a dispute between extraterrestrials from heaven and demonic forces. The Visitor has also been criticized by audiences, who claim the film's cover art (featuring a bizarre, alien-like being hovering over a city) was misleading, because the said images did not appear, nor were referenced in the film. The film was written and produced by prolific Italian-American filmmaker, Ovidio G. Assonitis, who was known for making rip-offs of Hollywood blockbusters.
The production companies were Brouwersgracht Investments and Film Ventures.