The Astrologer (1976)

R | 96 mins | Drama | 14 January 1976

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HISTORY

The summary for this unviewed film was based on reviews from the 17 Dec 1975 Var, 14 Jan 1976 HR, 16 Jan 1976 LAT, and 17 Jan 1976 LAHExam.
       The 12 Nov 1974 DV reported that horoscope publisher Moonhouse International financed the film, which had been in production since 1972. The company’s founder and board chairman, Craig Denney, also starred in and directed the film, with a screenplay based on his novel of the same title. The publication of Denney’s novel has not been determined. At the time of the article, location photography had been completed in Africa, France, and Tahiti, and was currently underway in Southern California. Republic Arts, another company, which Denney led as chief executive, purchased the rights to the film, and a distributor was being sought for a spring 1975 release. The article described the film as, “a spinoff from an unsold half-hour tv pilot produced by Moonhouse under the same title.”
       The review in the 17 Jan 1976 LAHExam, revealed that the film’s title theme, which was credited to orchestra conductor Zubin Mehta and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, was used without Mehta’s knowledge, according to an unidentified spokesman for the orchestra. A full-page advertisement in the 20 Oct 1975 DV credited the band, Procol Harum, with the “end title theme.” However, the band’s name does not appear in a later advertisement from 9 Jan 1976 DV, nor is it mentioned in any reviews.
       Critical reception of The Astrologer was generally negative. The ...

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The summary for this unviewed film was based on reviews from the 17 Dec 1975 Var, 14 Jan 1976 HR, 16 Jan 1976 LAT, and 17 Jan 1976 LAHExam.
       The 12 Nov 1974 DV reported that horoscope publisher Moonhouse International financed the film, which had been in production since 1972. The company’s founder and board chairman, Craig Denney, also starred in and directed the film, with a screenplay based on his novel of the same title. The publication of Denney’s novel has not been determined. At the time of the article, location photography had been completed in Africa, France, and Tahiti, and was currently underway in Southern California. Republic Arts, another company, which Denney led as chief executive, purchased the rights to the film, and a distributor was being sought for a spring 1975 release. The article described the film as, “a spinoff from an unsold half-hour tv pilot produced by Moonhouse under the same title.”
       The review in the 17 Jan 1976 LAHExam, revealed that the film’s title theme, which was credited to orchestra conductor Zubin Mehta and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, was used without Mehta’s knowledge, according to an unidentified spokesman for the orchestra. A full-page advertisement in the 20 Oct 1975 DV credited the band, Procol Harum, with the “end title theme.” However, the band’s name does not appear in a later advertisement from 9 Jan 1976 DV, nor is it mentioned in any reviews.
       Critical reception of The Astrologer was generally negative. The HR review questioned the producers’ claim that the film had a $10 million budget, and called it “a vanity production, made to showcase one man’s talent—and ego.”

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GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS
SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Daily Variety
12 Nov 1974
---
Daily Variety
20 Oct 1975
p. 2
Daily Variety
9 Jan 1976
p. 23
Hollywood Reporter
14 Jan 1976
p. 3, 16
LAHExam
17 Jan 1976
---
Los Angeles Times
16 Jan 1976
p. 17
Variety
17 Dec 1975
p. 32
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTORS
Asst dir
PRODUCERS
WRITER
Orig scr, Orig scr
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dir of photog
ART DIRECTORS
Prod des
FILM EDITOR
Film ed
SET DECORATOR
Set dec
SOUND
Prod mixer
Rerec mixer
Rerec mixer
SOURCES
MUSIC
"Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)," written by Justin Hayward, performed by the Moody Blues.
SONGWRITER/COMPOSER
DETAILS
Release Date:
14 January 1976
Premiere Information:
Los Angeles opening: 14 Jan 1976
Production Date:

Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Republic Arts Pictures & Ernest J. Helm Productions
24 November 1978
PA52980
Physical Properties:
Sound
Color
Duration(in mins):
96
MPAA Rating:
R
Country:
United States
Language:
English
SYNOPSIS

Alexander, a young astrologer, works alongside his mother, an aging fortuneteller, in a traveling carnival. The young man’s dreams of wealth and power take him to Africa, where he becomes a ruthless gem smuggler. There, he allows one of his co-conspirators to drown in quicksand. Following a prison term in Kenya, Alexander sells the stolen jewels in Tahiti and returns to the U. S. He buys a home for his mother, and marries a former girl friend, rescuing her from a life of prostitution. Over time, Alexander becomes a consultant to the U. S. Navy, a film and television producer, and a famous astrologer who creates forecasts via computer. His advice is sought by some of the most powerful men in the world. However, Alexander’s egotism and ruthlessness cause his undoing, resulting in the dissolution of both his marriage and his empire. ...

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Alexander, a young astrologer, works alongside his mother, an aging fortuneteller, in a traveling carnival. The young man’s dreams of wealth and power take him to Africa, where he becomes a ruthless gem smuggler. There, he allows one of his co-conspirators to drown in quicksand. Following a prison term in Kenya, Alexander sells the stolen jewels in Tahiti and returns to the U. S. He buys a home for his mother, and marries a former girl friend, rescuing her from a life of prostitution. Over time, Alexander becomes a consultant to the U. S. Navy, a film and television producer, and a famous astrologer who creates forecasts via computer. His advice is sought by some of the most powerful men in the world. However, Alexander’s egotism and ruthlessness cause his undoing, resulting in the dissolution of both his marriage and his empire.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.