oOoBarracuda One of my favorite Gene Wilder films was 1974's Rhinoceros. The film, directed by Tom O'Horgan, was based on the play by Eugène Ionesco of the same name. Gene Wilder was reunited with Zero Mostel to illustrate the dangers of herd mentality among the populous. When there is one man left in a city that is quickly seeing all of its inhabitants turn into rhinoceroses, he remains steadfast in the notion that he must maintain his individuality.Stanley (Gene Wilder) is a man that is exhausted from the mundane existence that has become his life. Stanley hates his job and does not feel that he is exercising his full potential. Stanley's best friend John (Zero Mostel) is trying to make a decent man out of Stanley, encouraging him to take an interest in the arts and be mindful of the way he dresses. After several talks in which John berates Stanley for his drinking and lifestyle, Stanley promises to give up drinking and be more of the man John is suggesting he should be. The impetus for Stanley attempting to be a better man is a woman he works with that he has fallen for. Daisy (Karen Black) works in the male-dominated paper business with Stanley and is often seen with another man that they work with who is more like John. Just as Stanley is on the brink of changing who he is to fit in better at work and have a chance with Daisy, the entire town is turning into rhinoceroses. As the four-legged creatures are seen storming the city, more and more people are turning into them and defending their lifestyle. Stanley sees the transformation as preposterous and becomes convinced that it is no way to live to become a rhinoceros. Stanley makes a vow to himself that even if he is the last human being left in the world, he will not succumb to the ways of the rhinoceros.Rhinoceros is a wonderful celebration of individuality. The film doesn't try to hide or thinly veil its message, it comes across as an overt warning of what happens to people that forgo their uniqueness in order to fit in. The magic of the film comes from its message, but also the chemistry of the reunited principles. Mostel and Wilder had lost nothing in the 7 years that passed between The Producers and Rhinoceros in terms of chemistry. The two played well against each other as tough love friends looking out for each other in their own way. There was a hilarious opener in which the audience is reassured that the following story could never happen in real life as the world is flat. This opening was an exceptional way to set the premise of the film before it ever started, and a touch I had missed on my preceding viewings of the film. Wilder stole the show in this film, but Zero Mostel had a wonderful scene in which he transformed into a rhinoceros. His transformation scene was long and intense and incredibly well-acted by the veteran actor. As noted, Wilder's performance stole the show. This was the film that I first noticed how beautiful his voice is to listen to. Like melted butter to the ears, Wilder encouraged me to buy as many of his audio books as I can. What really shines in this film is Gene's attention to detail. The nonverbal acting he performed in this movie shows what an actor should be, and endears you to his character despite his many flaws. With or without a subtle message, Rhinoceros is a joy of a film to sink your horns into, and one I would recommend highly.

tavm When I went to my local library to check out DVDs, this one caught my eye because of the two stars pictured on it with their names prominently displayed: Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Anyone who's watched Mel Brooks' The Producers knows who they are and what a great team they made. So I included it among four others and brought it home with me. I must say while the movie itself is a little uneven (that scene in Wilder's accounting office with his coworkers was a little too frantic for my tastes), whenever Gene and Zero are on screen together they're nothing short of hilarious especially when Mostel does his transformation. Karen Black is also on hand as Wilder's love interest providing a sweet and sexy presence to the proceedings. In adapting Eugene Ionesco's play to the big screen, director Tom O'Horgan does a nice transition from farce to serious drama in the last 30 minutes that made me think about how conformity can be enjoyable if stifling after a while vs. how individuality can be liberating if lonesome because of not-as-many takers. Of course, anyone expecting a conventional slapstick comedy would probably be disappointed with the whole thing but despite some unevenness, I highly enjoyed and recommend Rhinoceros.

Jonathon Dabell The Theatre-Of-The-Absurd was a style of experimental play-scripting that was practised in the '50s and '60s by playwrights like Samuel Beckett, Arthur Adamov, Jean Genet and Eugene Ionesco. When first devised, the Theatre-Of-The-Absurd movement was rather unpopular because audiences were left bewildered by the intentionally illogical and plot less story lines. A particular rule of absurdist plays is that they have no dramatic conflict, instead dealing with logically impossible situations and having the characters speak about irrational things as if they are perfectly rational. Also, the main character in an absurdist play is usually significantly out of key with everyone and everything around him. Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" is one of the most famous of all the absurd plays. This film version is set in urban America and is a deliberately subversive, surreal experience with strong comic performances. It is not, however, as multi-layered as the original play (which was set in France and had strong political and historical connotations about the Nazi occupation). This presentation of Rhinoceros is mainly a story about conformity and, in particular, those rare few who refuse to conform.Depressed, bored accountant Stanley (Gene Wilder) spends his week-days crunching numbers and his weekends drinking himself into a haze. His friend John (Zero Mostel) disapproves, but still meets Stanley every Sunday lunchtime to talk to him about the error of his ways. One particular Sunday, their lunch is interrupted when a stampeding rhinoceros charges down the street outside the restaurant. Soon, more and more rhinoceroses are sighted in town and Stanley gradually begins to realise that the entire population is turning into these huge pachyderms. More alarming still is that everyone that Stanley counts on to "remain" human seems to be switching to rhinoceros form too - his work colleagues (Joe Silver, Robert Weil, Percy Rodriguez), his dream girl Daisy (Karen Black), and even his best friend John. Stanley is determined not to conform, but as the human numbers dwindle and the rhinoceros population soars, will he be able to resist?One of the main problems with this film version of Rhinoceros is that it doesn't use the possibilities of film to "open-up" the constraints of its stage-bound play origins. For instance, during the scene where Mostel's character transforms into a rhinoceros, Wilder keeps commenting on the bump appearing on his forehead and the greyness of his skin, but there's no bump or greyness visible. Here was an opportunity to use the visual advantages that film has over the theatre stage, but it remains an unused opportunity. In fact, at all points the film refuses to become cinematic and constantly has a feel of "filmed theatre" about it. However, in other ways Rhinoceros is quite well done and credit needs to be given where it is due (Maltin rated this film BOMB, which shows how wide of the mark Maltin is prone to be). Wilder and Mostel interact brilliantly, relishing the play's enigmatic and often self-contradictory dialogue. Mostel's transformation sequence - done without make-up or visual effects, as noted earlier - is almost compensated by the sheer outrageous energy that Mostel invests in it. And, by removing the historical and political subtext of the original play, I think they've actually made it more timeless by focusing more on the themes of conformity (after all, don't we all relate to how it feels to spend our lives conforming, losing more and more of the animal-like freedom that was a characteristic of primitive man?) Transforming into a rhinoceros could be viewed as a metaphor for any type of conformity - doing drugs because all your peers do them; being promiscuous because it's the norm; voting for a particular political party because everyone else on your street is in favour of that party; etc.Not a complete success, then, but definitely a worthwhile and thought-provoking piece of cinema.

davidj-9 I have not seen this movie since the mid 70's but back then I watched it at least 20 times when it was shown on cable. Now it appears it is virtually lost, as they were unable to find a print of it for the Ionesco festival in New York this past year. If you are able to catch it on tv, do not miss it. A truly strange and unusual film, involves Gene Wilder as a man who seems all alone in the world as everyone else has started to catch a strange flu, which starts with bumps on there foreheads and then eventually turns them into raving lunatics, and finally into a Rhinocerous. Zero Mostel turns in a great performance as Wilder's friend, who goes beserk inside a building and literaly tears it apart in a rampage. The film goes on to explore whether or not Wilder is the sane one, or the odd man out, as he is the only one who has not conformed. He meets Daisy (Karen Black) who has not yet turned. They do everything they can to keep themselves from turning into what they fear, and the film really turns from comedy into psychological horror at this point. Some strange imagery, and perhaps Gene Wilders only nude scene on film, happen all before the climax. Truly a unique gem from the minds of people who defined the 60's! Tom O'Horgan directed Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, and was involved with experimental projects with Robert Downey Sr. So you can imagine this is something of a rare find! Good luck on tracking it down!