Ben (1972)

 

Ben features more close-ups of a large black rat than you’re likely to see in any other film—with the possible exception of Willard, the film that preceded it. The title rat is the leader of a large pack of rats who live in the sewers of Los Angeles; he apparently has the ability to direct them by squeaking orders loudly. You hear a lot, a whole lot, of rats squeaking in this film. The opening sequence replays the ending of Willard and sets up the plot for the sequel, featuring several of the important characters in the opening sequence. The basics are simple: Danny, a lonely, friendless boy played by Lee H. Montgomery, spends much of his time in his own room, which has a marionette theater and a model train station. Danny has a heart condition and is rather weak. Ben shows up at Danny’s “workshop,” and they bond quickly over a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He tells people that he has a friend named Ben (and that Ben is a rat), but everyone seems to think that he is talking about an imaginary friend. As the film progresses, the rats go on a rampage—even though Danny warns Ben repeatedly to stop. The most disgusting event is their destruction of a supermarket, chewing their way through boxes of cereal and other food; the most hilarious is their invasion of a spa/gym next to a cheese shop, prompting many towel-clad women to run into the street. Ben seems to tell the rats where to go, and he even demonstrates what appears to be an ability to read, sending his army to attack a truck carrying meat and poultry. Eventually, the flamethrowers and firehoses come out in an attempt to rid the city of the rats, and we get to witness some pretty gross killing—of both rats and people. Ben features so many repeated images of groups of rats on the run, sometimes an image that we’ve already seen multiple times, such as them entering the sewer where they call home. It also includes performances by some familiar names such as a young Meredith Baxter as his protective sister, Joseph Campanella as gruff police officer, and Arthur O’Connell as a cantankerous newspaperman. Ben also features two songs. One of them, of course, is the title song, the source of its sole Oscar nomination. It’s called “Ben’s Song” in the film, and Montgomery’s Danny seems to make it up on the spot while playing the piano (although his acting during this scene is particularly bad, a bit of an anomaly in the overall film. The more famous rendition, of course, is Michael Jackson’s, and that’s the one that appears during the closing credits. It’s still an odd song, no matter who sings it, because it’s still a long song to a rat. The other song, “Start the Day,” gets sung twice during the movie, and it’s cringe-worthy both times. You probably shouldn’t expect a film of exceptional quality when the primary focus is an evil-minded rat, but for a low-budget thriller in the early 1970s, Ben does provide a bit of campy fun.

Oscar Nomination: Best Original Song (“Ben”)