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Larry Bishop, Don Calfa, Tsila Chelton, Cindy Eilbacher, Helena Kallianiotes ... see more see more... , Biff Manard , Marcel Marceau , Boyd 'Red' Morgan , Read Morgan , William Castle , Philippe Clay , Phil Adams , Mondo , Lara Wing

Shanks is not so much a movie as an hallucinatory experience. World-renowned mime Marcel Marceau plays a dual role as a mute puppeteer and an eccentric inventor. The inventor dies, passing along his s... read more read more...ecrets for reviving corpses to the puppeteer. With the help of an enigmatic little girl, Marceau activates several dead bodies and goes on a robbery spree. Costarring with Marceau are fellow mime artists Tsilla Chelton and Phillipe Clay. Shanks had cult potential, but was released with a surprisingly lackluster ad campaign--all the more surprising in that the film was directed by that master huckster William Castle (whose last film this was). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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37% liked it

185 ratings

PG, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: William Castle

Release Date: October 9, 1974

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Flixster Reviews (26)

  • fb1142797643
    March 11, 2011
    fb1142797643
    "Shanks" is not marvelous, but if you wanted to make a film to exploit the talents of Marcel Marceau, there would be few ways to do it better.

    Marceau portrays Malcolm Shanks, an innocent puppeteer who is beloved by the town's children but saddled with an abusive sister and her ... read morenasty, drunk husband. Keen to seize his wages, they find him a job with an old, rich scientist (also played by Marceau, in ridiculously heavy makeup) who is conducting reanimation experiments on the dead. Sure, it happens! When the scientist dies himself, Marceau takes over the operation, finding that his marionette skills are well-adapted to mastering the handheld invention which directs a dead creature's movements.

    At least three mimes portray animated corpses, and most of the fun is watching these artisans at work in such an unusual, macabre setting. No one utters much dialogue except the sister and husband -- Marceau's character stays silent but *does* croak a few lines in the guise of the old scientist -- and the wordless action is accented by occasional title cards in the style of a silent film. Eventually, a hoodlum motorcycle gang complicates the plot, which unfortunately is a rather clichà (C)d touch.

    "Shanks" is just a novelty, but it's entertaining. It is also William Castle's final work as a director.
  • mikeboas
    August 20, 2010
    mikeboas
    Marcel Marceau as a mute? No way! And here he is as a puppeteer who learns the secret of bringing the dead to "life" through electric marionation.

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Dennis Schwartz
August 2, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A grim fairy-tale. Full Review

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Shanks Trivia

  • Currently Micheal Shanks plays Dr Daniel Jackson in the Stargate franchise. Who originaly played this character in the 1994 film Stargate, co staring Kurt Russell?  Answer »
  • in which series did actors such as richard dean anderson, michael shanks, amanda tapping and chris judd play in?  Answer »
  • This movie inspired the TV series starring Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge and Don S. Davis.  Answer »
  • Several major battle scenes in "Braveheart" had to be reshot because a couple of extras could be clearly seen wearing t-shirts that read, "The English Suck!" and "Long Shanks is a Wuss!".  Answer »
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