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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1980s
    Movies - 1980s Movies - A 3 Mins Read

    Apple, The (1980)

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    In the (future) year of 1994, Alphie (George Gilmour) and Bibi (Catherine Mary Stewart) – two sweet, naive youths from Moose Jaw, Canada – travel to America to compete in the Worldvision Song Festival.

    Although the pair have talent, they are beaten by the underhanded tactics of the festival favourites, another duo with the backing of Boogalow International Music (BIM) run by a satanic tycoon named Boogalow (Vladek Sheybal).

    But Bibi and Alphie are soon delighted to hear that Boogalow (representing the devil) has taken an interest in their nauseatingly sweet love songs and wants to sign them to his label.

    Bibi (representing Eve) goes along with the temptation (the apple) while Alphie (representing Adam) does not. But all is well in the end thanks to Mr Topps (representing God), a pipe-smoking Mercedes owner from the sky (played by Joss Ackland).

    The wounded plot limps along – accompanied by astonishingly clumsy dialogue, relentlessly bland music, graceless choreography and ludicrous production numbers – moving numbly, like a sleepwalker, to an apocalyptic showdown in which the chosen ones turn out to be old hippies who live in caves underneath a bridge.

    One of the worst musical films of all time, The Apple features the only screen appearance of leading man George Gilmour. Hardly surprising, really.

    Catherine May Stewart lip-synched all her songs to the singing voice of Mary Hylan.

    The film was predominantly shot in Berlin, West Germany, and a large number of extras and background artists were cast from the American High School in the city.

    Incomprehensibly, Israeli director Menahem Golan (who also wrote the screenplay and co-produced) was actually convinced his film was going to be a huge hit. When it was booed during its premiere at the 1980 Montreal Film Festival – some members of the audience even threw things at the screen – he apparently left the cinema and returned to his hotel with the intention of committing suicide until his business partner intervened.

    The film was a box office flop and received unanimously terrible reviews.

    Oh, keep an eye out for Miriam Margolyes as Alphie’s Landlady(!)

    Bibi
    Catherine Mary Stewart
    Mary Hylan (singing voice)
    Alphie
    George Gilmour
    Pandi
    Grace Kennedy
    Dandi
    Allan Love
    Mr Topps/Hippie Leader
    Joss Ackland
    Boogalow
    Vladek Sheybal
    Shake
    Ray Shell
    Landlady
    Miriam Margolyes
    Bulldog
    Derek Deadman
    James Clark
    Michael Logan
    Joe Pittman
    George S. Clinton
    Vampire/Star Rock/Boogalow’s Receptionist/Keyboard Player in ‘BIM’ Band
    Francesca Poston
    Ashley
    Leslie Meadows
    Fatdog
    Günther Notthoff
    Clark James
    Clem Davies
    Jean Louis
    Kobi Recht

    Director
    Menahem Golan

    Video

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