User reviews

Duke (Corey Allen) and Boots (Warren Oates), two young thugs, hold up a California gas-station owner. Duke, virile and savage, taunts the slower and psychologically-confused Boots because he has never made a sexual conquest.

This film came about due to press agent Stanley Colbert, who hoped to move Leslie Stevens from Broadway (where he was a playwright) to Hollywood. Along the way, Colbert introduced Sevens to Kate Manx, and they were soon wed. The three combined birthed Daystar Productions, and with it, "Private Property".

The hiring of the camera crew happened by accident, and was fortuitous; the picture looks great. Colbert hired a nobody, Conrad Hall. And Hall brought with him a minor legend: Ted McCord, a veteran of "East of Eden" and "Treasure of Sierra Madre", as well as scores of others. Hall today is better known than McCord, as he went on to great things over the next three decades -- not only as a regular under Stevens on "Outer Limits", but as the cinematographer for such classics as "Cool Hand Luke" and "American Beauty".

How long has this film been buried? Apparently it had become largely lost and forgotten because it couldn't get a production seal in America. Today, the film is tame, but apparently not then. Making a profit in Europe before disappearing, in 2016 it was recovered and given the proper Blu-ray treatment. If nothing else, it deserves this for the names involved: Leslie Stevens (creator of "The Outer Limits"), Corey Allen ("Rebel Without a Cause" and Warren Oates ("Dillinger"). These three men had only just begun in 1960, but were each soon giants in their own way.

But it also stands on its own as an interesting crime film. Part home invasion story, part "Without Warning", and part "Of Mice and Men", it is hard to categorize. Not quite film noir, but still something different. It almost evokes the feeling of a BBS film, something independent that might have been more at home in the 1970s. Coupled with strong performances from the three leads, it is worth tracking down. There is an unusual exchange between Manx and Allen when he reveals that he has been squatting next door that has to be seen to be believed, it is so hypnotic.

The Blu-ray's greatest feature is the film itself, but it also has some highly informative liner notes and an 18-minute interview with photographer Alexander Singer. Singer covers a wide range of topics, from his time on Kubrick's "Killer's Kiss", to the more technical explanations of "softening" the lens and how it has been accomplished over the years.

Very few people seem to have heard of, let alone seen, this bizarre and strange film, but it is ripe for re-discovery as a precursor of the harsher realism that American movies were able to explore once censorship restrictions were lifted. It is open to all sorts of interpretation; is it a critique of capitalism in which the marriage partner becomes "property"? Is there a hidden homosexual motivation between the two buddies who can, apparently, only attain their "manhood" when in the company of each other? It is perhaps wrong to read too much into early movies using today's sensibilities, but subversive this film most certainly is, and reflects much of the thinking expressed in a ground-breaking book of that era entitled "The American Sexual Tragedy". Passion, when repressed, always runs morbid, and this film illustrates that notion with realism and skill.

Private Property is a great little neo noir vehicle, outstanding in that its inherent quality, belies the shoestring budget upon which it was made. All the creative elements fortuitously came together for writer/director Leslie Stevens. He gets a great central performance from Corey Allen as deviously shrewd drifter Duke, as well as a distinctly arousing turn from Kate Manx as domestic goddess Ann, seemingly the object of every man's desire, apart from her husband Roger. Then on top of all that, he manages to score the highly experienced Ted McCord as his cinematographer. He must have thought all his Christmases had come at once.

One part home invasion, one part voyeuristic thriller, and one part social critique, considering it was made 60 years ago, Private Property still manages to be quite confronting. It's fairly upfront in its treatment of sexual themes and desires. It looks remarkably good for a film made on such a low budget, even going as unexpectedly far, as featuring some quite extensive underwater photography. I have to be honest and balance my praise, when adding the musical soundtrack however is frequently over-intrusive and not always quite appropriate, for the accompanying scenes.

Stevens comfortably helms the project making excellent use of both his car and home to site the majority of the action. On the evidence of this film, one feels it's a pity we didn't see more cinema work from him, as for much of his career, he worked in theatre, later transitioning to television, where he is arguably best remembered as being the creator of the original Outer Limits.

This legendary, presumed lost film is now available is very good print on blu-ray and DVD. Was it worth the wait? I'd say yes. PRIVATE PROPERTY is artfully photographed and has a very capable cast who give convincing performances. The film is short and to the point: a crime thriller with some subtext, that holds a viewer's interest and sustains plenty of tension. It's not some lost masterpiece, but an accomplished minor film that is somewhat ahead of its time in frankness about some sexual matters.

Corey Allen (Duke), Warren Oates (Boots) play drifters who have apparently just met. Duke is the stronger personality and clearly a manipulating sociopath. He dominates Boots, promising a sexual initiation with a beautiful suburban housewife Ann (Kate Manx). The men have followed Ann to her home by way of nearly car-jacking another driver (Hollywood veteran Jerome Cowan). They hole up in an unoccupied house next door and watch Ann as she swims and sunbathes. All the while, Duke stokes Boots' sexual frustration. It's never clear just how much Boots actually wants Ann. He's clearly under Duke's spell, and soon Ann will be as well. Once Ann's husband leaves on a business trip the film kicks into high gear. There is a nice, moody, late-50s feeling to much of this film, especially in the scenes set inside Ann's home. But unlike most films of the era, PRIVATE PROPERTY has a frankness about sexual matters and sociopathy. Possibly only PSYCHO or PEEPING TOM (both also released in 1960) dared to openly portray violent sexual deviancy in similar ways. PRIVATE PROPERTY is nowhere near those films, artistically speaking, but it's still pretty strong stuff to watch. Leslie Steven's direction is economical and well paced. Thanks to Ted D. McCord, the film has an attractive look, occasionally resembling TV drama from the period. Pete Rugolo's score adds a lot to the atmosphere. Best of all are the actors. Manx is very affecting and it's too bad she did not appear in more films. Corey Allen (always underrated, even after a well- remembered sequence in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE) gives the strongest performance. He's very adept at playing on the other characters' weaknesses to achieve his own ends. And Warren Oates at the beginning of his career is a standout as the weak-willed, sexually conflicted Boots. It's great to finally have this film in such a terrific edition.

When I caught up with this film in Nottingham in 1965 it was being proudly advertised as "The Film with Only Two Certificates in England!" True, at that time only Leeds and Liverpool had passed the film with a "local X." The British Board of Film Censors had rejected the film on 30 March 1960, leaving small British distributor Cross-Channel (who also released Blackjackets) with the task of persuading as many local authorities as possible to pass the film for exhibition. Cross- Channel had an initial break-through when the film was chosen for the opening run at the new Compton cinema in London's West End. As a cinema club for members only the Compton did not need certificates and duly premiered the film on 16 November 1960. Personally, I found the film fairly harmless viewing even in 1965, although the story of two drifters ogling the bored housewife next door eventually became a bit creepy. Most of the local watch committees said no, but a fair few said yes:

London Compton – Wednesday, 16 November 1960 (British premiere); LEEDS Plaza – Sunday, 20 December 1964 and week; LIVERPOOL Essoldo (London Road) – Sunday, 4 July 1965 and week; LEEDS Gainsborough – Thursday, 2 September 1965 (three days); NOTTINGHAM Moulin Rouge – Sunday, 14 November 1965 and week; LIVERPOOL Jacey Film Theatre – Sunday, 19 December 1965 and week; LIVERPOOL ABC (Walton) – Monday, 16 May 1966 (three days); WAKEFIELD ABC – Monday, 27 June 1966 (three days); WEST BROMWICH ABC – Thursday, 29 September 1966 (three days);

The mini-release must have made a good bit of income since the distributor deemed a re-issue in 1969 more than worthwhile:

BIRMINGHAM Cinephone – Sunday, 24 August 1969 for two weeks; NOTTINGHAM ABC Elite – Sunday, 5 October 1969 and week; LIVERPOOL Jacey Film Theatre – Sunday, 7 December 1969 and week;

Two drifters become obsessed with and annoy a frustrated house wife in the Hollywood hills until things become dangerous. This feels like most indie movies today that are a few people in a house and then some stuff happens, so I wasn't suprised to see that it's being remade.

This was scandalous in the 50s and even earned an X rating in the UK. It's mostly innocuous, but it does have a very dark ending with some implied things. Overall, I'm not sure it's the "lost classic" as I've read and really dosnt need a modern remake. I guess it was way ahead of its time, but I generally don't really like the films it's way ahead of. Fortunately, it's only 80 minutes and the last 10 minutes was great.

Watched on Kanopy.

This black and white film produced in 1959 is tame compared to what is out there nowadays. Corey Allen, who is best remembered as the gang leader in the movie "Rebel Without A Cause" (1955), is very good as the sexy stud drifter. He shows up at the house of a luscious blonde housewife saying he is looking for yard work. Her much older husband is away on a business trip. There are plenty of shirtless shots of the muscular and hairy chested Allen who knows the wife is sexually attracted to him. They wind up in bed and then things get wild. His dense sidekick is played by actor Warren Oates in an early role.

It wouldn't be fair for me to rate this 1959 flick. On one hand, it has historical significance since it was one of the first movies denied release by American censors who found it forbidden fruit. On the other hand, as entertainment, I found the 79-minutes unfortunately too talky and boring to endorse. Hence, it doesn't seem fair to choose between the two poles.

The flick starts off well enough, at a filling station where two seedy drifters, Duke and Boots, look to fill their empty lives by pursuing a wealthy blonde for seduction purposes. Now that's a promising start, but from there on, except for the brief ending, the narrative flattens out into a basically one-note affair. After all, how long does it take wily Duke to infiltrate blonde Ann's hilltop mansion where she usually lives alone, her businessman husband out making money. Then too, it's a stretch that wealthy hubby would leave her alone without household help.

Thus, it appears budget constraints flatten the main storyline into a series of hilltop one-on-one talk-fests. Sure, Duke wants to insinuate himself into Ann's life by pretending to be a gardener. But needed suspense in his manuevers is sorely lacking. Still and all, the hilltop setting does furnish a good scenic view of greater LA that kept me watching.

All in all, it looks like the indie effort was a well-intended effort to escape the bonds of 50's studio productions held captive by a strict censorship code. But what might have been cutting edge then, seems banal now when much looser public standards prevail.

My advice: if you're looking for more than mainly talky flatlining, skip it. But if you're interested in former forbidden fruit grab it and bite.

Apparently there is some story around this as being a lost movie but here it is. Sort of reminds me of all those UFO documentaries which have the tagline about having secret information "they" don't want you to know about. Despite the show being on national TV. But I suppose some movies need a hook to garner interest.

This is a basic, but still rather twisted story about two ex-cons who take a liking to a pretty and obviously well off wife of a businessman. They plan to get as close to her as possible in order that the sexually inexperienced of the two cons can have sex with her. What follows is a story about sexual tension and the stupidity of trusting strangers when the husband is away on business. Its an effective enough film even if there is too much "1950's angst/grimace face acting while holding onto the wall for support" at certain parts. Its well enough shot and acted but will obviously be of limited interest to a younger audience. I looked up the female star and she is yet another actress who had not only a short career but lifespan. Shame as she was very watchable in this role.

This movie has a high artistic quality. It was filmed by experienced veteran Ted McCord in the typical clinically clean black and white-style of the era. The main setting is an elegant house in the sun drenched hills of Los Angeles - and the location is very well used indeed. The bright setting is sharply contrasted by sexual frustration. The main character seems to be a piece of decoration for her husband, a successful, mainly absent businessman. Her constant stereotype Pepsodent smile renders her somewhat subhuman - well a part of the property. Yet she has a yearning which is unfulfilled. At one point she pulls a broad black belt around her neck, pulls it tight and lies down on the bed. Her lonelyness is relieved by two doubtful characters, one of them a young Warren Oates. Very well filmed underwater swimming pool scenes at the dramatic climax at the end.

PRIVATE PROPERTY is, it seems, a film ahead of its time, a slightly sleazy drama/thriller with much in common with the exploitation flicks of the 1970s and beyond. It was once very hard to see or get hold of. Made back in 1960, it's actually pretty tame and slow, and for the most part consists of a couple of guys ogling a beautiful blonde woman from their hiding place next door. The film was obviously made on a low budget which hurts it somewhat, and a lively climax shows what could have been in more capable hands. Warren Oates stars as one of the youths early on in his career but gives a surprisingly lacklustre performance.

Although this film is supposedly a fictional drama, I believe there are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of lonely and attractive housewives all across North America who can relate to the scenes played out in the film Private Property. We have all heard that phrase before of "playful and innocent enough flirting or sexual teasing". And we have also heard the phrase "No means No" in countless drama films which are played out in both an actual and/or a fictitious court of law.

This film draws a very fine line between some tense criminal and very real sexual assault activity that is hard to watch and a very good dramatic simulated performance played out by all four (4) of the film stars. The female lead played by Kate Manx as the lonely suburban California housewife who was ignored by her business executive husband appreciated the attention bestowed upon her by the aggressive stranger who showered her with compliments as well as many lies.

We the audience could see that this lonely housewife was getting in over her head and the two strangers were thinking with their little heads and not their big heads. We see how quickly some playful flirting innocence can turn both violent and deadly. This black and white film is still a great watch some sixty (60) years later.

I rate Private Property a high 8 out of 10 rating that all women and men including young teenagers should watch to remind them to keep their emotions in check and the boys to keep their peckers in their pants.

Memorable and powerful look at two drifters inflicting themselves on a rich and lonely housewife. The photography and setting are striking. The main conflict is in the leader of the two who starts to develop feelings for the woman. Another is in the sheer coldness of the negligent husband, who is much more dislikable than the villains.

Two petty thief turns their eye on a lonely wife AND one, seduces her for his meek friend. When the thirst happened, feeling arises AND a sleazy affair turns dark.

Shockingly modern. Given its poster I taught this will a Corman-esque exploitation BUT it was more or less a precursor New Hollywood attitudes. Philandering wife, Peeping Tom Goons and a whole lot of imaginative shots. It was as the producers and directors was trying - to feel new wave.

It does lend to the freewheeling style of the French. It mostly succeed visually but the story midway does lag a bit. I felt that it was trying to much for its comfort. The wife is too underdrawn to be honest and they draw the seduction far too long. I wish it was more amped to be honest.

Performance wise, Corey Allen imbues everything this role requires. Sexual, Rough and probably missing some empathy. Kinda shocked that he never really found his footing in movies. He was in Rebel Without A Cause and this AND it was pretty much nothing of note. He pretty much settled in TV direction after a few years. I guess his rich background really did not force him to go for roles.

Otherwise, a Good but flawed find. It great that it was rediscovered after years in the bunker.

After all these years, PRIVATE PROPERTY (and what a title!), still has its moments, occasionally compared to PEEPING TOM, the famous British thriller. This was an early and controversial project for future tv producer and writer Leslie Stevens, who had a chilling story to relate about two drifters.

Shades of OF MICE AND MEN, to a degree, featuring Warren Oates as an aimless young man named Boots, taken under the dark wings of preditor Duke (Corey Allen), who promises him his first sexual encounter with a beautiful woman along the beaches of Malibu. Without waiting too long, they meet their victim at a gas station, a lonely trophy wife called Ann (played by stunning Kate Manx), who they follow to her Hollywood Hills home.

What happens next is an incredibly tense, sexually charged odyssey. The twist here, Ann finds the twosome rather interesting, atleast at the beginning. Duke, the master manipulator, also holds her attention before attempting to make a move himself.

The on location photography alone is worth the price of admission, a film unquestionably way ahead of its time, and with its own niche of viewers in the early 60s. Unfortunately, the distributor soon went out of business and the film considered lost. It took about 30 years for it to to be re-discovered, and by 2016 professionally restored and re-released, becoming an overnight attraction. Cult status assured.

Fascinating bits; Stevens put up $60,000 dollars for the production, about $638,000 today, the best money ever spent. Following the tradition of Ed Wood, Stevens filmed around his own home and neighborhood, including a vacant house for sale next door, also using his wife in the production, married to Manx at the time. Yes, that's their swimming pool which culminates in a violent ending. The underwater shots are terrific, and the closing minutes will stick with you for awhile, although you reap what you sew. PRIVATE PROPERTY was, in fact, condemned by the Catholic National Legency of Decency, and viewed by presidential candidate John F. Kennedy at the time and wife, Jacqueline, who didn't care for it. Kennedy later said he could have tied politics and votes to the film, but declined.

Only guest star is popular actor Jerome Cowan, as a customer (Ed) at the gas station, forced to give Duke and Boots a ride. Getting back to Ed Wood, Stevens may have hired Cowan, perhaps being a neighbor and/or an investor in the project. Strange to see him in this type of film, although fun to watch. He gets a lot of mileage sitting beside these two dandies.

Leslie Stevens eventually went on to become a prime tv producer, creating the OUTER LIMITS. Unfortunately, he and Kate Manx, who had a promising career, divorced and she tragically took her own life. This film certainly salutes both her talent and beauty. Corey Allen went into directing himself, long time director for CAPITOL and DALLAS, and Warren Oates onto a defnitive film career. He would next appear in RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY.

Now on blu ray in a smart box set for collectors. Many thanks to MOVIES Net for running this film late night, the perfect chosen time.