Sperhauk lent me a copy of Fando and Lis. It's a 1968 movie by Alejandro Jodorowsky. I think the early history of the movie is more interesting than the film. It premiered at the Acapulco Film Festival and was accepted very poorly. People yelled at the screen, fights broke out, and mass evacuations occured. People didn't go home. They stayed out front of the theater working up their anger. They rioted and Jodorowsky had to escape in his limo. When it opened in Mexico City later, more people rioted. The film eventually got banned in Mexico. It's like the riots at the premiere of
Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
1913
On May 29, 1913, in Paris, Les Ballets Russes stages the first ballet performance of The Rite of Spring (Le Sacré du Printemps,) with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. The intensely rhythmic score and primitive scenario -- a setting of scenes from pagan Russia -- shock audiences more accustomed to the demure conventions of classical ballet. The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first draw catcalls and whistles from the crowd, and are soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience escalates into a riot.
The Paris police arrive by intermission, but they restore only limited order. Chaos reigns for the remainder of the performance. Nijinsky and Stravinsky are despondent. However, Sergei Diaghilev, the director of Les Ballets Russes, comments that the scandal was "just what I wanted."
The ballet completes its run of six performances amid controversy, but no further disruption. Both Stravinsky and Nijinsky continue to work, but neither creates pieces in this percussive and intense style again. In later years, The Rite of Spring is regarded as a path-breaking 20th century masterpiece. The work is often heard in concert and the ballet is set by many prominent choreographers. After extensive research, Nijinsky's original setting is reconstructed and presented by the Joffrey Ballet in 1988.
I like art riots. I wouldn't riot over F&L, it's certainly no path-breaking 20th century masterpiece, or The Rite of Spring. I don't need to see the former again and I might even have a copy of the latter. I might have been more impressed with this movie 30 years ago, and more patient. Now I don't care much for it, life is too short, much better to watch something I like more. I feel no connection to the story or the characters. There isn't that much story, and it's not a very nice one. In the recent Metabarons comic Jodorowsky had too much story. You could not shut those robots up. If you need some allegorical shit AJ is the man to go to. There was an interesting documentary about Jodorowsky on the disc. The first hour was pretty good. Jean "Moebius" Giraud, the comic artist, was one of the people interviewed. They have collaborated on several comic books. I always enjoyed the art of Moebius. I even like Lt. Blueberry, the western comic he does under his own name.
Greg lent me a copy of I Am A Sex Addict. This is a personal documentary by and about Caveh Zahedi. He was addicted to prostitutes back in his mid twenties. It's an entertaining piece, with a clear defined story, and a good sense of humor. He was kind of stupid when he was younger and he doesn't mind letting you know the mistakes he made. There's therapy involved. Now that I've seen it I don't think I'd go buy one for me to have but I'm glad I saw it.
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