Folks... I’m in tears.... I just wrote a 2400 word review of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON that.... I thought was one of the best reviews I have ever had the pleasure to write. Now... Now it’s 0300 hours in the morning. My energy still feels high, but I know that my spirit isn’t what it was. But... Because I so love this film, and I’m still on a high from watching it, I’m going to write a wholly new review for the film. Who knows... perhaps it’ll be better, though... sigh.... It’ll teach me to back up more periodically.... sigh....
Tonight, here in Austin, I had the pleasure to partake in the Tribute to John Landis that is taking place at the Texas Union Theater on the University of Texas campus. A holy theater that introduced me to many of my favorite films and memories. And on this night, it would give birth to the first time my ADULT eyes have witnessed AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON on the big screen.
The event planners have tried to find a print but due to the horrible and criminal idiots at UNIVERSAL, it turns out that there is no existing theatrical print to rent out. Is this true? I mean... How can something like this happen? I mean, shouldn’t the studios have at least two prints of every film they’ve ever made that can be sent to any theater at any time it puts in a request?
Now, the event folks had to resort to an adapted scope print of the film in 16mm that was created for the hearing impaired. The print was old, it was scratched up, it had stains, it was glorius!
As a child I first saw this film in the Fox Theaters here in Austin. (This theater is no longer with us, but is now a hive for fucking Mercedes Benz’ to be purchased) I loved the FOX, it was where I saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, BLADE RUNNER, ROCKY III and many of my other favorites.
But the place I most strongly associate this film with is the ol Drive In that I attended so often that I can still imagine the feel of the gravel beneath my feet. I can close my eyes and see the sea of cars, the poles with two speakers, the gigantic screen, the playground in front of it. The aura of the city in one direction and above an ocean of stars and an oasis of moon.
I remember sitting out there in my folding chair leaving Mom and Dad in the car... I was too old to sit between them, and I certainly wasn’t going to sit in the back seat. Sometimes I crawled up onto the roof of the vehicle. Sometimes after I’d seen a movie 14 times and knew the dialogue I’d go up into the weedy set of swings and become a human metronome keeping beat with the movie.
I loved watching this movie in a swing.... feeling air push past my face during the ‘tube’ sequences was just... bliss.
I own the film on DVD, TAPE and it is etched into my conciousness.... Nurse Alex has been an idol for deviant worship for many years. I’ve never been to a hospital and been treated by a nurse, but if and when I do go... God, I hope it’s in England, and I hope she looks like Jenny Agutter.
This film. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is simply one of my purest joys, and this was my chance to see it again. The audience was a bit sparse, no doubt due to the lack of press from either THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE and THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN. I mean, here’s a festival of incredibly entertaining films... Movies that formed a generational conciousness, and there was practically zero press coverage for the event. AICN seemed to be the only folks that cared, and that hurt.
I mean, here’s this quaint little theater that fostered the coolest of cinema in the darkest of periods in Austin’s dark ages... Before the Dobie got cool, before the Village showed the unusual, before the Drafthouse existed. This tiny little place gave birth to many a person’s love for Kurosawa and Fellini. It’s where I fell for them, as well as Harryhausen and George Pal. Now this theater is nearly dead. Abandoned by the University, spurned by many of the film groups in Austin, and is the last bastion of hope for a struggling University Film collective to foster projectable cinema on campus.
And at least on this night, and with this festival they are going unseen and unnoticed. What a travesty! For in this hallowed hall this night bayed a wolf, flapped a breezy piece of butchered neck and movie mayhem was had by all who attended.
If I hadn’t been personally contacted by the folks at the University I would have missed this event, and that blame my friends falls upon the film department editors of the local papers. Many citizens locally depend on them as their sole source for this much needed information.
I mean... My god, if I didn’t hear about this event till after the fact, I’d be at an almost riot level of anger towards the local film scene. I’m not sure if some sort of weird political stuff is afoot, but... for crissakes, the AUSTIN CHRONICLE was founded by film geeks that started the original programs that existed in this theater 27 years ago.
Sigh.... Sorry folks, my other review focused strongly on the movie, but this just hit me. I needed to vent.
Despite the lack of a packed auditorium, despite the destracting subtitles.... the film still rocked my world.
I love this movie, I love the perfect friendship between David and Jack. SO real.. SO honest.. SO sarcastic. The gallow’s humor, the black wit, the sorrow of parting friendships.... All tonally perfect items which pleased me to no end.
There’s the relationship between Nurse Alex and David. I mean... To find a cute British Babe wearing a Nurse outfit, with a Mickey Mouse bendie, repros of posters on her walls, and a wonderful shower built for two...
Then there is the perfection of the art which belongs to Rick Baker. Rick is unparalleled in his artistry. The work he does in this film is immense. The raising of the spine, the extending of the hand, the elongating and narrowing of the feet... My God... CGI has so far still to go, and it will always need the sound effects and the anguish... the feeling of being ripped apart, the sounds of the cartlege twisting and reforming, the stretching of bones... Can you imagine the horror?
I mean, I don’t know about you, but after this movie I never once had even the vaguest desire to be a werewolf. I mean, if you are Dracula or any other vampire your lot in life is to live forever, hang out in the coolness of night, suck on babes, and kill pestering dorks. The only real sacrifice is self-vanity (aka the mirror bit) is taken away and you dietary regime can no longer include garlic dishes, but then that’s only in some versions of the story.
However, Werewolves really get a suck ass existance. I mean, they have to wander the earth in fear of killing everyone the see or meet lest they get locked up or commit suicide. You wake up in strange places with no memory of how you got there. Then there’s the fucking pain of the transformation. Of course it’s just during the full moon session, but ya know... It would still suck, cause in your daytime hours you’d have to put up with all these stinky gross bastards that your werewolf persona killed haunting you and making feel all guilty from the mind games.
Hell, they’d even be in a porn theater waiting for you. Your girlfriend’s apartment... In fact, the best thing about this movie is that it takes it’s premise serious. It is merely our reaction to what we see that makes us laugh. It’s the same way with EVIL DEAD 2 and DEAD ALIVE. Raimi and Jackson took their premise serious... The characters in those respective films also took it serious. Thus we do too, to an extent. It is merely how far things go that take us to a grand guignol sense of absurdity that makes us have the shits and giggles.
Well, it’s now 0500 hours in the A.M. and I’ve got to update the site. I hope you enjoy this here examination of one of our past treasures. Tonight, I’ll be introducing THE BLUES BROTHERS at the Texas Union theater... If you’re a UT student the admission is free, if you are a regular joe or jane, the price is $10 for a fest pass.
Hope to see as many of you folks there as possible! Afterwards, I’m headed for the Alamo Drafthouse for a double-bill of DOLEMITE and DISCO GODFATHER with Rudy Ray Moore in attendance.
Man, I love Austin!
