ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Tromafreak Whilst searching for the next slice of schlock for my B-movie collection, it's pretty much common knowledge, by now that I'm either gonna end up with something painfully bad, or if I'm lucky, something so bad it's good. But sometimes, on a one of those rare occasions, I'll unearth something unexpected. Something interesting. Dare I say something Incredible. If Stephen King got his idea for Misery from this movie, all I can say is that he sure could have done a lot worse. The Strange Vengeance Of Rosalie, at first centers on Virgil, who is passing through the New Mexico desert on his way to a Hawain vacation. Uh-oh, a hitchhiker. Unfortunately, this is the early 70's. A time when people thoughtlessly picked up hitchhikers. But really. This is a teenage girl we're talking about, here. Rosalie is a Native American, kinda hickish, like the beverly hillbillies, in the way of not knowing about stuff. But anyway, she's nice enough. Once Rosalie guilt-trips unsuspecting Virgil into hauling her miles upon miles out in her shack in the middle of the desert, she repays him by breaking his leg. The thing is, Since Rosalie's grandfather died, it's been awfully lonely around the desolate homestead, and loneliness can do strange things to one's mind. In other words, Virgil ain't going' nowhere. Other than the fact that she's half-crazy, kinda immature and perhaps a bit backwards, Rosalie is pretty easy to get along with. So, to be fair, ol' Virgil could do much worse in the way of captors. No torturing, or anything like that. Just somebody to talk to... also, maybe someone to control.Man, what a strong feeling of isolation. Poor Virgil might as well be on another planet. At least ten miles from anything. Car ain't workin', leg sure as hell ain't workin'. Reasoning with the captor is frustrating, and possibly hopeless. As the captor, Rosalie can be an unlikeable character, yet often pitiful, and occasionally endearing. As the viewer, I found myself rooting for Virgil to just give up and stay in that hell hole. This would be around the time that Rosalie shows that she's nothing but poison, perfectly willing to mame or murder, if it suits her. It just doesn't seem like it's because she's a bad person. Poor girl just don't know no better. Besides the breaking of the leg, for roughly the same reason, what this film has most in common with Misery is that constant feeling of dread, hopelessness and isolation all rolled into one. The Strange Vengeance Of Rosalie isn't quite as well-known or big budget. This film is from a different time, and is for a different audience. This film has that odd drive-in obscurity feel to it, as opposed to the early-90's made-for-TV feel of it's counterpart. I wouldn't say the character of Rosalie is anywhere as deep or complicated as that of Kathy Bates, but Rosalie is a different kind of animal. While still stubborn and set in her ways, Rosalie's needs are more primitive, if you will. All the girl wants is some company. Someone to talk to. Perhaps a husband, if it leads to that. Whatever Rosalie decides. Virgil has no say, he has a broken leg. I truly have not been this impressed with an obscurity like this in a long, long time. Most low budget films I get a hold of are of the Horror genre. Rosalie is more of a suspense-thriller. So, in closing. If you ever get tired of the same old so bad it's good, gory, schlocky grainy-screen goodness, perhaps you're in the mood for something different. Something that'll make you think. This is quality Drive-In cinema. 10/10

dmacewen For the viewer who claimed Stephen King "ripped off" huge parts of this film for Misery: don't flatter yourself. Your insight simply isn't that sharp. Yes, it's apparent that the general scenario for Misery is indebted to this (vastly inferior) film, but that is where the resemblance ends. King is a profoundly original artist, and as is usually the case, his prodigious talent and inimitable vision transform the influences derived from his encyclopedic knowledge of the field into a finished product that transcends its sources. The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie is even less memorable than Starret's mediocre Race with the Devil. In fact, I am quite amused by the intellectual restrictions of these viewers and readers who fancy themselves sophisticated because they are able to spot the things that King has supposedly "ripped off": as if he's trying to get away with something. On the contrary, King is usually very forthright about his influences and urges his readers to check them out for themselves (unlike the creatively and ethically bankrupt James Cameron). That he didn't do so with Misery is likely due to a lack of cognizance of the influence. In short, those with developed critical skills assess the creative process at work. Those with a stunted artistic and intellectual capacity merely note that story scenarios and plot elements were lifted by King and yell "Rip Off!" And then they pat themselves on the back.

Coventry Sometimes, regretfully seldom though, one single glimpse at the opening sequence is enough to know the film that the film you're about to watch will turn out everything you look for in obscure, neglected and ultra-gritty 70's cinema. In my case it also proves an incurable lunatic, of course, because "The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie" opens with a beautiful pan shot of a forsaken desert area. There are living chickens tied to a tree (!) and the titular character is digging a hole in the ground to dispose of a corpse. Truly magnificent opening and even though nothing else in the film lives up to the beauty of this intro, I'd still recommend the film if just for that! The few reviews I encountered on "The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie" accurately refer to the film as a predecessor of "Misery". I wouldn't go as far as calling Stephen King's story a rip-off, but there are certainly common themes and recognizable sequences to find in this film that came out nearly two full decades before King published his book. Bonnie Bedelia is best known for playing Bruce Willis' wife in "Die Hard" but this is an actual eye-catching and stellar performance! Her still under-aged character Rosalie lures the handsome Virgil to her remote cabin in the New Mexican desert, and she intends to keep him there even if that means physically disabling him. There's where the link with "Misery" becomes indisputable. Rosalie breaks the guy's leg, ties him to the bed and subsequently nurses him like she's a caring wife. The party of two then brutally gets interrupted by a biker looking for the gold that is reputedly hidden in the area somewhere. Rosalie may be young, but she's dangerously deranged enough to take on two adult men. "Strange" is definitely the term to use here, as it's a gritty and thoroughly unpredictable film that moodily unfolds with each minute that passes. The isolated setting is grim and the hopeless situation in which Virgil finds himself stuck in is more than a little disturbing. The interactions between Rosalie and her bed-ridden victim do become a little monotonous eventually and I wouldn't have mind if some of that footage ended up on the cutting floor. 107 minutes of running time is rather long for this type of film, but at least it comes with a crude and offbeat 70's end-shot and the obligatory uncanny "La La La" song. Stunning as it may sound, the script never reverts to being gratuitous exploitation, even though all the themes hint towards that direction. A beautiful and scantily dressed minor literally throws herself at this potent, thirty-something guy, yet he doesn't take advantage of her. Heck, even the sleazy biker doesn't make a move at raping her. It's really quite admirable how the film thrives on awkwardness, stellar performances and various depictions of human despair instead of on sex. "The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie" is a unique find for cult collectors and based on the acting skills illustrated here, it's a real shame Bedelia never become one of Hollywood's most wanted starlets.

figjam69 The plot, as told by figjam (I'll try not to be too corny): > A stranded and dirty teenage girl is picked up along a desolate strip of highway by a traveling salesman. Being very straight-lace as defined by the times, he's at a loss as to how to react to (and protect himself from) the primal instincts of a lost, lonely little girl.> Unable to read or write, unable to understand the concept of hygiene, her closest "companion" being her rapist, all the girl needs is the help of a social worker. How do you get her the help she needs when you're her captive? > She needs companionship, but she doesn't know this and therefore, can't articulate it. She tries to keep the salesman from leaving her at any cost.> The key words to understanding Rosalie are GROTESQUE INNOCENCE. It's this innocence that makes this movie better than Misery (according to me). I wonder if this is the vision that Stephen King had for Misery but couldn't quite achieve.