The Alchemist is a film from 1983 starring Robert Ginty, probably most famous for starring in The Exterminator from 1980. I remember first seeing this in the late 80s, and I have been looking for it ever since. You know when you see a flick in your youth and then remember it as something special? That’s precisely my relationship to The Alchemist. It’s directed by Charles Band under the pseudonym James Amante.
It starts with events taking place 100-150 years ago or so. We see a woman seeming a little confused; we also see Robert Ginty searching for her, and finally the third figure, a magician, luring the woman towards him. A brawl takes place, and when Robert Ginty is about to stab the magician, a sudden move makes him stab the woman instead. We later learn that this woman is his wife and love of his life and that the magician also is in love with her. In other words, it’s a love triangle. After the incident, the magician curses Ginty to live for all eternity to punish him for what he has done.
Ok, now, let’s fast forward a couple of hundred years. The film is made in the early 80s, but it takes place in the late 50s. I think this is needed to make the centuries even. It must be exactly 100 years.
In any case, we now get to follow this woman driving in her car. She picks up a hitchhiker, and after they have an argument, he leaves the car. Then he’s picked up by her again; it’s really messy and not that logical, but it does create a bond between them. She’s having hallucinations and sees people or figures as she’s driving down the highway. She almost gets them killed by driving off a cliff and things like that. Finally she crashes the car, and they have to go into the unknown for help. They find a small cabin, and behold! Who resides there if not the same person that was cursed so many years ago?
It is now that we learn that he is actually the Alchemist, since he has created some glass figures. It’s not said how he has created them, though, but I guess that was the most exotic thing they could come up with. The odd couple from the car learn about the story and that she is a dead ringer for his deceased wife from all those years ago. But there’s more. Demons also come to haunt the woods so they cannot leave. Of course, this eventually circles back to the original storyline. There is a time or dimensional portal bringing it all together. It’s very convenient.
And now, let me circle back to my original statement. I have been looking for The Alchemist for the last 30 years or so. Not very actively, but occasionally it has crossed my mind. Films you see in your youth and then remember bits and pieces from are often the subject of nostalgic praise. And I must say it was fun to finally rewatch it. Did it age well? No, not particularly so. The story is thin, and the characterizations are cartoonish. It’s immensely overacted at times and, in all honesty, not a very good film.
So my rating bears traces of nostalgia as well as all my present views of The Alchemist. The story itself is neither unique nor exciting, but it has that occult feel to it that I was very into back in my youth. I’m still into that, of course, but these days I have higher standards before I’m impressed. I guess that comes with experience.
