Harlequin (1980)

What if Rasputin wormed his way into a political family in the modern day?

A senator and his wife in SoCal (David Hemmings and Carmen Duncan) are puzzled by the sudden appearance of a peculiar man (Robert Powell) who seems to have the power to heal their son suffering from leukemia. Broderick Crawford is on hand as a looming political kingpin.

Shot in 1979, "Harlequin" debuted in Australia in 1980, but didn’t make it to America until 1983-84. It was inspired by Grigori Rasputin, the mystic and faith healer who influenced the imperial family in Saint Petersburg of prerevolutionary Russia from 1906 till his assassination in late 1916. This was meshed with the harlequin from Italian theater. What makes the flick interesting is that the eponymous character is portrayed by the actor who played Jesus Christ in the television epic “Jesus of Nazareth” a few years earlier. Interestingly, David Bowie was originally intended for the challenging role.

While shot in Perth, producers disguised this fact to boost international sales, making the setting of the story America with references to American states and the political system thereof. This was helped by the inclusion of British and American actors, as well as Alan Cassell's voice being dubbed into an American accent. Doing so was controversial because the film was made with money from Australian taxpayers. Nevertheless, viewers KNOW it’s not America once Sandra Rast gets into her car and drives from the right side (lol).

While some parts of the score are dated and questionable, there are enough intriguing elements for those interested. Alyson Best appears in a few scenes and is a highlight on the beauty front. Meanwhile the senator played by Hemmings comes off as Trump in his 50s.

It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and is also known as “Dark Forces” and “The Minister's Magician.”

GRADE: B-