Movie thread

[bware419ers]

[jayhawk]

Okay, now that I'm done with the Deep Throat manifesto it's time to move on to other movies made in the time period 1972-1975 that I consider important. We'll continue this list not with a specific film but a film genre, the Blaxploitation film. If you were a black actor in the 1960's trying to find work in Hollywood, unless your name was Sidney Poitier your choice of roles was pretty much limited to either a pimp, a domestic servant or a slave. Then along came what is commonly referred to as the Blaxploitation movies. These movies, usually action films, were movies written by, directed by and starring black actors. Some of these movies, like Dolemite (1975) and the movies featuring Pam Grier, were actually pretty good. Others, like Blacula(1972), (Blackenstein (1973) and Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde(1976), were just rehashing of old horror movie characters with black actors in a starring role. Many of these movies did a pretty good box office and it turned out people paying to see these movies weren't just black audiences, but the pasty white people as well. Hollywood's favorite color is green, and when the Blaxploitation movies started making big money it sent a clear message to Hollywood that the pasty white people were ready to accept a black actor in a leading role. These films heavily influenced the work of future directors like Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino and paved the way for actors like Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, which is why I consider them important.

The final movie I consider to be important during that time period that I will talk about is Jaws (1975) On the surface this is just a monster movie, with the monster being a giant shark. But if you look a little closer, this movie is really an attack on capitalism, and corporations placing profits over people. You say we have a monster that is using people as shark chow, and you think we should close the beach? Nonsense, it's the height of tourist season. Think of all the money we will lose.
This is the film that anointed a punk kid named Spielberg as the king of Hollywood. After the huge success of Jaws(1975), any movie with the name Spielberg attached to it was guaranteed to get the green light. Spielberg wisely chose to distance himself from all Jaws sequels, electing instead to make really good films dealing with a variety of subjects.

Still to come - The what the f^ck were they thinking films.

[jayhawk]

Okay, let's finish off the period 1972-1975 by discussing some really bad movies. Now I've got nothing against bad movies. Bad movies can be fun. Who doesn't enjoy watching a guy in a Godzilla suit stomping cardboard buildings and swatting toy helicopters while the residents of Tokyo flee screaming in terror? When I say bad movies made in this time period I am talking about movies one doesn't watch but endures.

The late film critic Roger Ebert used to say that he never left a movie before it was over. His reasoning was that some people put a lot of effort into every movie he watched, and he owed these people the courtesy of staying to the very end, no matter how bad the movie was. He broke this rule watching Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973, walking out 45 minutes into the film. Mr. Ebert. you're a better man than me. You made it 25 minutes longer than I did. This boring and pretentious movie, based on the boring and pretentious bestselling book of the same name, tells the story of a seagull named Jonathan. After being kicked out of his flock for daring to be different, Jonathan goes on a journey of self-discovery and urges the other seagulls in the flock to join him. This movie actually has a few glowing reviews on IMDB. with a few people saying it is their favorite movie ever. These reviews were probably made by the same people who took the brown acid at Woodstock. It's the only explanation that makes any sense. I did not watch the entire film, but I did read the book when it came out, thinking at the time that I would be a teenager in a couple of years (Yes I am that old.) and it was probably time I started reading more adult books. This book spent a great number of weeks on the New York Times best seller list, so it had to be good, right? It wasn't, and I decided that being an adult was for the birds (pun intended) and if being an adult meant having to read garbage like Jonathan Livingston Seagull I would stay a child (A philosophy some claim I still embrace), and I went back to reading my John Carter of Mars books, with some Shakespeare thrown in every now and then as a change of pace. Books I enjoyed reading. I've already typed more on this movie than it deserves, so let's move on.

The 1960's were in the rear view mirror, but nobody told Ralph Bashki, whose animated movie Fritz the Cat *1972) flaunts its X rating like a special needs kid showing off a participation trophy. I am not a fan of the Bashki style of animation, but that's not the only reason I despise this film. It's racist and very heavy handed with its symbolism. The police are drawn as large pigs (Pigs.. Get it?)and their only job is to break up orgies and shoot hippies. The black characters are all gangsters, prostitutes or heroin addicts. Very racist and insulting. I remember my parents, curious as to how a "cartoon " could be rated X, going to see this movie. I remember them coming home with my dad, a Nixon republican, in a state of shock. It took a couple bourbon and cokes before he was able to speak, and then all he could do was mutter "What a steaming pile of sh*t." over and over. Not sure what he was expecting but it wasn't what he saw.

Steaming pile of sh*t is a great segue to the next film on the list, Pink Flamingoes (11972) This film is an attempt by its director John Waters to make the most disgusting movie possible. You've heard the expression "Date Movie"? Well, this is a breakup movie. Looking to end things with that unspecial someone with the minimal amount of drama? Take him/her/them to see Pink Flamingoes. They will be happy to be rid of you. More visual Ipecac than a movie, this film is notorious for its final scene. In one unbroken shot we see a dog walk down a sidewalk. The dog stops, squats and takes a dump. The 300 lb. drag queen Devine approaches, scoops up the freshly minted poo in her beefy hands, smiles into the camera and proceeds to chow down, smiling the entire time. There's probably a plot somewhere but I don't remember it. I've only seen the movie once, and have no desire to ever see it again, for obvious reasons.

Let's finish up with a film considered to be the Holy Grail of bad movies - The Day the Clown Cried (1972) Directed by and starring the comedian Jerry The French think I'm a Comedy God Lewis, this was Lewis' attempt to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. It didn't work. Set in Nazi Germany during WWII, the movie stars Lewis as a circus clown named Helmut Doork. One day Helmut is fired from his job at the circus. His act is stale, the other clowns are tired of having to deal with his ego, and, worst of all, he's just not funny anymore. Helmut steps into a bar to drown his sorrows, gets drunk and starts ranting at a picture of Hitler. Not a smart thing to do in Nazi Germany. Helmut is of course arrested by the Gestapo. He tries to explain that he was drunk, didn't mean the things he said, and he is really a good Nazi. The Gestapo didn't buy his apology, and poor Helmut is sent to a work camp. Perhaps a little hard labor will change his point of view. In the yard of the camp one day he spots a group of Jewish children in a camp on the other side of the fence. The men have been told they should not talk to these children, but does that stop Helmut? Of course not. Helmut rubs some dirt on his face, wanders over to the fence, and starts doing his clown routine. The children think he's hilarious (Spoiler Alert - He's not) and they roar with laughter. This goes on for days, with the children erupting with joy every time they see Helmut. Helmut is ordered to stop entertaining the children. He is yelled at, threatened and beaten, but he does not stop. Don't you see, he couldn't stop if he wanted to. Making children laugh is in his blood. The camp commandant clearly has a Helmut problem on his hands. What to do, what to do. Then one day a solution presents itself. The children are scheduled to be sent to Auschwitz for extermination in the showers. They are bound to be scared and upset. What better way to keep them calm than to send Helmut along with them. Once these children are murdered, Auschwitz can keep Helmut around to entertain future children that arrive. Helmut protests, but he really doesn't have a choice does he? Helmut is loaded in the cattle car with the children and off to Auschwitz they go. Sounds like the start of a really bad buddy flick, doesn't it? When they arrive at Auschwitz, Lewis departs the cattle car with the children and proceeds to lead them to the shower, playing a harmonica and dancing. He goes into the shower with the children, stares sadly into the camera, and with a tear rolling down his face closes the door behind him, trapping him in with the children. Fade to black, roll credits. It was only during the editing process did Lewis realize what a horrifically bad film he had on his hands, and it locked it away in his safe, never to be released. He eventually gave the only print of the movie to the Library of Congress, with instructions that it not be available for public viewing until seven years after his death. Lewis died in 2017, yet this film is no closer to being released than it was when Lewis locked it away in his safe back in 1972. Each new year brings rumors of a release, but the truth is that this is a film that will never be released, which is rather surprising. If Jeff Bezos was to acquire the rights he could release it in theaters or stream it on Amazon Prime, where he would easily make back the $75m bribe he spent on Melania(2026) and more. There are cinephiles who have waited decades to see this movie and Bezos could charge whatever price he wanted. While the movie isn't available for public viewing, bits and pieces of the film are available on YouTube and the shooting script is available online for your viewing and reading pleasure(?).That's enough for this post. Jayhawk out.