Jack Smith

An epic film costing hundreds of dollars! An antic hurdle-course collage combining found-film materials with my own more-or-less staged filming. It is a social-critique picturing a stolen and dangerously sold-out America, allowing examples of popular culture to self-indict. (Anthology Film Archives)

Jack Smith has been simultaneously hailed as the godfather of performance art, the William Blake of film, and a photographer who has "influenced three decades of artists." While largely unknown in mainstream circles today, Jack Smith was central to a period when American culture finally began to question itself. (Tongue Press)

A man fondles objects, looks at himself in the mirror, poses in different clothes, smiles and makes faces at the camera while his voice on the soundtrack speaks of his despair, makes impressionistic statements and little songs, quotes greta garbo and maria montez, tells the story of a lonely little boy and (in drag) tells the story of a woman (Madame Nescience) who dreams of herself as the mother superior of a convent of sexual perversion. (imdb)

Egotistical faded star Hedy Lamarr visits a plastic surgeon to be transformed into the "14-year-old girl" she believes herself to be. She is then caught shoplifting by Mary Woronov and is put on trial, with Tavel as the judge and her five ex-husbands the jury. Hedy remains self-centered and detached throughout, posing and primping and bursting out renditions of "I Feel Pretty" and "Young at Heart." (imdb)

Produced and directed by Andy Warhol, without the permission of DC Comics. It was screened only at his art exhibits. A fan of the Batman serials, Warhol's movie was a "homage" to the series, and is considered the first appearance of a blatantly campy Batman. (wikipedia)

In the style of a variety show, staged at the Factory. It features Gerard Malanga, dressed in a tuxedo, as the master of ceremonies, and who also does a poetry reading. Paul Swan, the famous turn of the century modern dancer, re-stages one of his old dances and ends up dancing with Jane Holzer. Jane leaves the film set after her part is done, while the others remain. Mario Montez sings If I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate and dances in drag, while the cameraman zooms frantically in and out. (warholstars.org)

A film diary containing material from years 1964 to 1968.

We see people jumping around the city, meeting each other in a dark place where everyone seems to be dressed like an cliché Egyptian and dancing like zombies till dark. the dancing dead than get lost somewhere in the woods and find a way out at a mysterious beach, that suddenly appears. (imdb)

The Atom Man is a Chaplinesque skinny guy that constantly does strange things, makes moronic facial expressions, and represents a childish but innocent, anarchical way of life. Amongst other things he feeds heroin to his mouse under the sink, licks magazines, and puts antennas on his head. The Queen is a fat, rich, near-naked black woman who represents industrialism, commercialism and rich lifestyles. She likes to have tumble in bed with skinny white men and be served various foods and comforts.

A man exchanges shoe blacking for his friend's soap.