#200: KASTLE, Leonard: The Honeymoon Killers (1969)

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KASTLE, Leonard (United States)
The Honeymoon Killers [1969]
Spine #200
DVD


Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) is sullen, overweight, and heartbreakingly alone. Through Aunt Carrie's Friendship Club she strikes up a correspondence with Ray Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco), a suave, charismatic smooth-talker who could be the man of her dreams — or a wicked con artist bound for trouble. Based on a true story and filmed in documentary-style black and white, The Honeymoon Killers is a stark portrayal of the desperate lengths to which a lonely heart will go to find true love, from brutally immoral killings to a passion that transcends all bounds.

107 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2003
Director/Writer


Leonard Kastle was 40 when he wrote and directed The Honeymoon Killers.

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-page wraparound featuring an essay by Gary Giddins.

Commentary

None.

Video interview

With writer/director Kastle.
Illustrated essay

By Scott Christianson (Condemned: Inside the Sing Sing Death House) about the true crime story of “Lonely Hearts” killers Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck.
Cast and crew

Biographies by film historian Bruce Eder.
Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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