| The Bloody Brood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Julian Roffman |
| Written by | Anne Howard Bailey Ben Kerner Elwood Ullman |
| Produced by | Julian Roffman |
| Cinematography | Eugen Schüfftan |
| Edited by | Robert Johnson |
| Music by | Harry Freedman |
Production companies | Meridian Studios Julian Roffman Productions |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $87,000-90,000 |
The Bloody Brood is a 1959 Canadianthriller film directed by Julian Roffman.
A man begins to investigate on his own the death of his brother, who died from eating a hamburger laced with ground glass. With the police case stalled because of ineptness, the man's own investigation leads him toward abeatnik hang-out frequented by Nico (Peter Falk), a shady character who supplies drugs to the patrons and philosophizes about the ills of the world.
Julian Roffman and Ralph Foster formed Meridian Films in 1954, and Roffman chose to direct its first feature film,The Bloody Brood.[1] The film was shot over the course of sixteen days in May 1959, on a budget of $87,000-90,000, with financial backing from Roffman andNat Taylor. It was made as the top picture for adouble feature.[2][3] Taylor's wife, Yvonne, was an associated producer.[1] Roffman and Taylor later worked together onThe Mask.[4]
The production interiors were lensed at theCommunity Theatre, on Woodbine Avenue, in Toronto, a cinema that had been earlier retrofitted for use as a TV studio after 1955.[5][6][7][8] Ralph Foster and Julian Roffman founded Meridian Studios in 1954.[9][10][11]
The film was distributed byAllied Artists and premiered on 26 October 1959, in Toronto.[2] It was banned by the Alberta Censorship Board and the ban was upheld on appeal.[12][13] It wasfinancially unsuccessful.[14] TheNational Legion of Decency listed the film in class B as morally objectionable in part for all.[15] TheMPAA's censorship board called for the film to be edited before its American release.[16]
Author and film criticLeonard Maltin awarded the film two out of four stars, calling it "[A] laughable, thoroughly cynical depiction of the Beat Generation."[17]Gerald Pratley, writing inVariety, stated that "Only Roffman's virile direction and deft editing, together with the convincing portrayals of the cast, prevent the entire production from collapsing into comic absurdity".[2]