The Spirit
Tags: cult

Plot synopsis:
In a cat-filled mausoleum in Central City, Denny Colt, also known as "The Spirit", receives a call from Detective Sussman, about a major case that could involve "The Spirit's" arch-nemesis, "The Octopus". The Spirit dons his costume and travels across rooftops, while delivering a voice-over soliloquy, about the city being his one true love. A woman (Kimberly Cox) is being mugged in an alley below. He manages to save her, receiving a knife wound that he barely seems to notice. The woman asks, "What are you?", with an officer arriving at the scene answering, "That's The Spirit". The Spirit runs away, catching a ride from Officer Liebowitz and heading toward the flats.
At the swampland, femme fatale Sand Saref rises from the water and appears to shoot Sussman multiple times. The Spirit and Liebowitz find the wounded Sussman, but a flashback reveals that it was really The Octopus, who shot him in an effort to recover two identical chests underwater. Sand and her husband Mahmoud tries to flee with both chests, but The Octopus wounds Mahmoud, and breaks a line connecting the two chests. Sand escapes, leaving one chest behind, which the Octopus retrieves from the murky depths.
After The Octopus kills Liebowitz, he sends away his cloned henchmen, "Ethos", "Pathos", and "Logos", to take on The Spirit alone. His accomplice Silken Floss drives up, running over Pathos in the process. She departs with the cargo as the two arch-nemeses fight.
The scene transitions to the next morning when The Spirit is awakened by his lover Dr. Ellen Dolan, daughter of the Police Commissioner. Appearing to be in perfect health despite his gunshot wounds, The Spirit is shocked to notice a gold locket in Sussman's hand; a piece torn from Sand Saref's neck earlier.
Saraf's locket contains pictures of a much-younger Denny Colt and Sand; the two grew up together in Central City, where Denny bought Sand the locket as a gift, to satisfy her love of "shiny things". They lived happily until Sand's father, a police officer, was shot dead by a criminal with whom Colt's uncle was involved. Sand, now disenchanted with the city and its corruption, fled to Europe and has not been heard from for fifteen years. In a secret lair, The Octopus and Silken Floss open their stolen chest, but discover that it does not contain the mysterious Blood of Heracles as expected but the Golden Fleece, and decide a trade is in order.
Sand and Mahmoud visit the office of a high-class fence named Donenfeld, whom Sand paid to locate the underwater treasure. It is implied that Donenfeld gave up the treasure's location to the Octopus to ensure his family's safety. At Alice's Hospital, the Spirit has fully regenerated and is as good as new; Commissioner Dolan angrily enters with young rookie cop Morgenstern and calls the Spirit away to a case.
Sand's history as one of the world's great jewel thieves is related to the Spirit. As the Spirit is about to arrest her, he is caught off-guard by her standing before him fully nude. Sand doesn't recognize the Spirit as the presumed-dead Denny. She is stunned when he reveals his knowledge of her looking for the Golden Fleece and she shoves the Spirit through a window, only to see him survive the fall.
After his run-in with Sand, the Spirit receives a tip on the location of the Octopus's lair. In the process of breaking in he is captured and tied to a dentist's chair. The Octopus reveals his own origin as well as how he and the Spirit became arch-enemies: Octopus and Floss's experimentation have led to the creation of a serum (something of a scientific equivalent to the Elixir of Life) that could grant immortality. The Octopus first tested it on the dead body of the murdered officer Colt, who came back from the dead; his resurrection has earned the ire of Death, being the only man to ever wrongfully escape her clutches. Contacting Dolan, the only one aware of his true identity, he vowed to become the city's protector, "her spirit". Eventually, the Octopus injected himself and arch-enemies were born. However, the Octopus needs the blood of Heracles, a demi-god, to perfect the serum's formula. The Spirit manages to escape by spontaneously seducing a belly-dancing female assassin named Plaster of Paris, who as a parting gift turns on The Octopus in favor of The Spirit's charms.
Outside in an alley, The Spirit irks Paris by mentioning Sand's name; she stabs him out of spite. After being unconscious for a period of time, the Spirit stumbles to the city docks and collapses into the cold water, where he confronts the ethereal Angel of Death, Lorelei Rox, who has haunted his sleep. While at first, he is willing to finally give into her embrace, he escapes her yet again when he manages to gather his senses by remembering Ellen, Sand, Floss, Paris, and the other women he claims to see in place of his life flashing before his eyes. As the Spirit swims to the surface, Lorelei vows that he will be hers eventually.
At the projects, Sand and her latest henchman fly in with the Blood of Heracles to meet Floss and a clone carrying the Golden Fleece. After a four-way Mexican standoff, Sand attempts to convince Floss to get out of serving the Octopus before she is killed by the Octopus himself. The clone kills Sand's henchman and the Octopus asks Floss for the vase. As the Spirit suddenly materializes, Floss drives off, unable to take a side. The Octopus unloads with progressively bigger guns on the Spirit, apparently killing him off, but Dolan's SWAT team storms the area and opens fire right after. Morgenstern blows the Octopus' arm up with a hand-cannon and Dolan shoots him several times on the head. To recover from the damage, the Octopus gets to the Blood of Heracles and prepares to drink it, but Sand shoots the vase just in time as the Spirit rises, having worn a bullet-proof vest. He then attaches a grenade to the Octopus' chest, blowing him up into pieces with Sand protecting the two of them with the Golden Fleece.
The showdown over, the Spirit gives Sand her locket back. They kiss as Ellen looks on, feeling betrayed. The old flames bid each other goodbye and the Spirit convinces Dolan to let Sand go in gratitude for saving him and the world. Nearby, Floss discovers one of the Octopus's severed fingers crawling towards her; she picks it up and departs with two of the clones saying, "We'll start from scratch". Meanwhile, the Spirit and Ellen make amends and embrace.
The final shot shows the Spirit standing triumphantly on a rooftop with his cat, looking over the city as the sun rises.

Review: A decent, well-intentioned attempt at a classic character.
I just saw this unsold pilot for the first time since it aired in 1987, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was much better than I remembered.
Sam Jones looked great as the Spirit and he played the part in a tongue-in-cheek manner that was just right.
Nana Visitor (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9) was also very good as Ellen Dolan and showed some real chemistry with Jones, as well as a gift for physical comedy (she did start out as a dancer, after all).
The fellow who played Commissioner Dolan suited his part very well.
The woman who played P'Gell was okay, but she didn't have quite the spark the role needed.
A sultry young Joan Collins type would've been better.
Eubie (formerly Ebony) White didn't have much to contribute to the plot and consequently didn't make much of an impression.
The movie's plot (about some art forgeries at a Central City museum) is more of a straightforward adventure story than anything Will Eisner ever did, which does take away from some of the Spirit's uniqueness.
There are a couple of plot holes here and there (why do they have a gravestone for Denny Colt in a Central City cemetery when he was just visiting?), but nothing too heinous.
And, if you have more than a passing familiarity with the Spirit, it's all too easy to figure out who the mystery villain is.
The movie takes place in 1987 instead the 1940s (with plenty of contemporary references to remind you of that fact).
It was too expensive to do it as period piece, I'd imagine.
Sometimes the budget limitations are all too evident (Wildwood Cemetery looks like nothing so much as a studio set).
And a few too many scenes are daytime ones.
But there are a few shots here and there which positively REEK of the right sort of film noir atmosphere.
You can definitely tell the creators of the movie had a genuine affection for the Spirit.
It would've been very interesting to see where this show would've gone if it had become a series.
If you come across a copy somewhere (I was told it originally ran 90 minutes long but it was edited down to 70 before air), check it out, it's worth a look.
For another cool movie with a Spirit reference, see THE IRON GIANT..
One and Only adaptation of Will Eisner's SPIRIT was pretty good.
The adaptation of Will Eisner's SPIRIT to the TV screen followed many other offerings developed from comic strip pages or comic books.
(Remember, the two aren't exactly the same medium) It is indeed ironic that this is the one and only adaptation (as of the time of this writing)of Eisner's smart alec, wise cracking, tongue-in-cheek super hero.Story has it that Republic Pictures was interested in doing a film version and was in negotiation with the copyright owner in the mid '40's, but they were never able to close the deal.
The left over screen play became the serial, THE MASKED MARVEL, one of Republic's best.
Perhaps that it was just as well, for that studio had a penchant for tinkering with material adapted from the comic strips, pulp mags, radio and the comic books.As for this 1987 made for TV movie, it's pretty obvious that it was a failed pilot for a proposed television series.
Whereas an old, long time comic reader,like myself, can be a little harsh in criticism of an adaptation, a viewer unfamiliar with the character may be able to give some fresh observations, clear of any preconceived notions of what this screen version should look like.Well, while sitting and watching the story unfold, with the characters interacting amid some crime wave, the Little Lady (my wife, Mrs. Ryan) nailed it with one statement.
"This can't make up its mind if it's serious or not!" That pretty well describes both THE SPIRIT and his creator, Mr. Will Eisner, the true creative genius in the comics.The film is a sincere attempt to put Eisner's world on the screen.
The casting of Denny Colt/The Spirit, Commissioner Dolan and Ellen was really quite well done.
Though in a contemporary setting, it was still in the tradition of "the good old days" as far as the costuming goes, you know, when men and women still wore hats!
That brings up this one final (and meandering) point, and that is that the director and the production made a conscious effort and succeeded in giving the characters a Will Eisner look as far as facial expressions and body language.
We say,Kudos to them for their efforts.It's just too bad that no series followed!
Oh, well in today's motion picture world, comic adaptations seem to be a hot item.
Maybe some big timer producer and director could do a really 1st class SPIRIT production for the Big Screen.
We can only hope.UPDATE: Dateline, Chicago, Illinois.
By now, everyone who goes to the Movies at the Shopping Centre Multiplexes has seen the poster advertising the new film of THE SPIRIT, (subtitled, MY CITY SCREAMS); which is to be released Christmas Day, 2008.
Well, we'll see then just what we've been talking about.
Just keep your fingers crossed!
TO BE CONTINUED.............UPDATE II: We saw the new film, Writer-Director Frank Miller's rendition of THE SPIRIT a couple of days ago.
Well, we got our wish; but is this a good thing or another case of "Be careful what you ask for; because you may get it?" Please read our write-up elsewhere in IMDb.com.
THANX!.
In spite of its flaws I liked it..
Based upon Will Eisner's comic book character, the movie manages to capture the essence of the hero while sacrificing the film noir elements of the original comic book.
Here are all the trademarks of the original character: the torn shirt, the beautiful femme fatale, the cemetery, the rain storms.
However, the film never looks "right" - the film appears low budget despite some very good actors and actresses.
Part of the problem is the translation of the Spirit to the 1980's.
Two scenes in the film stand out as classic Esiner: the scene in the foundry and the final fight in the museum.
Not a great film but a fun way to spend an afternoon..
Good, but not great..
I enjoyed this adaptation of The Spirit comics, and in many ways it caught the flavor and humor of the original stories.
It had a nice cast of virtual unknowns, and hit all the marks for fun and adventure.
Sam J.
Jones did a creditable job, and Laura (McKinley) Robinson had P'Gell down cold, and was a gorgeous femme fatal.
It had a low budget look, tho, for much of its length, and not enough of the wonderful camera angles The Spirit comic practically cried out for.
That said, Will Eisner told me himself, at a ComicCon, that he would rather I never mentioned it again.
He wanted a darker, more noir look to it, with a better cast.
As for the re-make from 2008, which reeked, the less said the better - I'm sure Mr. Eisner would have plenty of negatives to talk about for that film; many, many more than for this one..
Feels like an 80s music video.
This is an origin story, but does not dwell much on the character's origins.
You get to see the moment he decides to become The Spirit, but not much of his story before that.
The case he's trying to solve involves the curator of a museum being involved in criminal activity.
The character himself is dumb, clumsy, and at times quite rude.
It's hard to see why one should sympathize much with him.The best thing with this movie (TV pilot) is also one of the things that makes it hard to take it seriously: it looks more like a music video then an action story.
A bit similar to the Schumacher Batman-movies at times, while at other times it looks like any 80s TV-series.
Especially the graveyard set reminds me of something like Michael Jackson's Thriller.So is it worth a watch?
Maybe if you have some sort of relationship with The Spirit, or if you like movies based on comic books.
It's typical for its era, but that's about the only interesting thing about it..
TV Spirit Entertaining.
The 1986 TV movie of The Spirit was a pilot for a possible series.
However, Spirit creator Will Eisner did not like the film and thus no series was produced.
I thought it was a very entertaining film and captured the spirit (sorry) of the comic with a modern twist.
I'm sorry it didn't materialize into a series.
Sam (Flash Gordon) Jones was a perfect Spirit.
Nana Visitor was a nice Ellen Dolan and of course would later go on to Star Trek:Deep Space Nine years later.
Maybe with the release of Frank Miller's big-screen version of The Spirit, more people will be able to see this rare gem of Spirit history.
It seems that when Hollywood makes a film from an already established character or idea, someone will inevitably seek out previous versions of the property and release it to video in order to make a few dollars.
When Antonio Banderas donned the mask of Zorro, we were able to get earlier versions of the masked hero on DVD, such as the great Alain Delon version of the 1970s (although all copies I ever saw were badly edited).
Heres hoping someone will release the TV adventure of The Spirit to DVD soon..
Semi-comical version of a serious character, but it mainly works.
I saw this pilot when it was first shown, and I'm sure countless "Spirit" fans hate it, because, like Batman, the Green Hornet etc., it took the character in the direction of "camp".
But I evidently never got enough of Batman, because I thought it was entertaining, in some of the same ways as that show.
There are two parts that stay with me.
First, when Denny's partner has been fatally wounded, and he makes a dramatic speech about how he always stood for the law, and obeying the exact letter of it.
Then, he says something like, "Boy, was I stupid!" Which is his way of telling Denny to become a vigilante instead, which he does (though the TV Batman kind).
Then, there's the scene where he tries to seduce the villainess into letting him go by kissing her, but she isn't fooled, because he's too honest to kiss her convincingly !
This was a great example of "camp", that was also "underplayed", by both the actor and actress..
Although the movie has its ups and downs, most fans will find this easier to digest than Frank Miller's big-screen adaptation.
Originally made as a pilot for a series based on Will Eisner's legendary comic book character, it ended up forever lost as a TV-movie.
It wasn't until the arrival of Frank Miller's ill-received big-screen adaptation that this garnered attention once again.Denny Colt (Sam Jones) comes to Central City to investigate the death of his good friend (Philip Baker Hall).
After getting a little too close to the truth, Colt is shot and left for dead to drown in the harbor.
Thought to be dead, he "raises" from the grave as the masked avenger the Spirit.
He joins forces with the city's police commissioner Dolan (Garry Walberg) to find the connections between his friend's murder and a local art heist.The cast of "The Spirit" features some interesting actors in key roles.
Sam Jones steps out of his Flash Gordon outfit and into the blue suit and fedora of the masked vigilante.
Nana Visitor ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Torchwood") plays police commissioner Dolan's daughter, Ellen, who has a crush on the Spirit.
Television actor Garry Walberg of "Quincy, M.E." fame portrays Commissioner Dolan.Most fans of "The Spirit" will find this failed 1987 TV-pilot much easier to digest than Frank Miller's big-screen adaptation of the hero.
Although the movie has its ups and downs, it's more accurate to the tone and visual appearance of Will Eisner's beloved comic book.