Release Date: 08/26/2008
Label/Distributor: Arts Alliance America
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Retail Price: $29.95
Genre: Biography Cast: Judith Malina,Taylor Mead,Mario Montez,Holly Woodlawn,Gary Indiana
Running Time: 95
DVD Video Options: Color,DVD-Video,NTSC
DVD Audio Options: English;Original Language
UPC Code: 829567052525
A mesmerizing collage of images and audio from the life and work of Jack Smith, the underground filmmaker, photographer, performance artist, and anti-capitalist, who worked in New York from the '60s until his death in 1989. Highlights include the story behind the Supreme Court case over the banning of his 1963 classic Flaming Creatures.
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
By Ed Grant -- Video Business, 9/15/2008
ARTS ALLIANCE AMERICAAvailable now
> Well-crafted intro to influential but little-seen works of underground icon.
The life and times of underground filmmaker Jack Smith are detailed in this colorful, clip-filled documentary. Best known for his controversial, landmark Flaming Creatures (1963), Smith is depicted as an eccentric soul who influenced those around him, including his one-time collaborator Andy Warhol. Director Mary Jordan supplies many resplendently weird and eye-catching scenes from Smith’s films and stage work, as well as comments from his friends and admirers, including George Kuchar, Judith Malina, Mary Woronov, Jonas Mekas and John Waters.
Shelf Talk: Atlantis fills an important void, as Smith’s films are currently unavailable on DVD, and Jordan does an excellent job of providing a “101” introduction to this often invoked but little-seen pioneer. A necessity for a well-stocked cult-movie section, the film also can be shelved with gay interest titles.
Documentary, color/B&W, NR (mature themes), 94 min., DVD $29.95Extras: none
Director: Mary Jordan
First Run: DVD premiere
