midnight movies : from the margin to the mainstream
midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream is a feature documentary that tells the hidden history of these classic midnight movies of the 1970 ...
a documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent movie era to the 1970s .
from 1970 - 1977, six low budget films shown at midnight transformed the way we make and watch films .
midnight movies - from the margin to the mainstream de stuart samuels est un documentaire qui retrace le parcours de six films cultes des années soixante - dix. entre 1970 et 1977, ces six films à petit budget, montrés aux séances de minuit, ont influencé la manière de faire et de voir les films... .
at midnight on december 18th 1970 manager ben barenholtz showed alejandro jodorowsky' s surrealist western' el topo' at the elgin theatre, 175 eighth avenue, new york, ny 10011t. it was an instant, unexpected hit, running seven nights a week till the end of june 1971. despite almost no publicity, word of mouth turned' el topo' into an overnight phenomenon. segment from stuart samuels' midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream.' urltoken
midnight movies - el topo de alejandro jodorowsky (v. o. s. e. )
midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream is a feature documentary that tells the hidden history of these classic midnight movies of the 1970' s - - el topo, night of the living dead, the harder the come, pink flamingos, rocky horror picture show, and eraserhead. between 1970 and 1977 these 6 low budget films, shown at midnight, transformed the way we make and watch movies, films that re - invented the medium while pushing the boundaries of “bad taste” and “social taboos. ” attending “midnight movies” became a social identifier, a badge of one' s intellect, a mark of a person' s cinematic sensibilities and cultural allegiance, a rite of passage for a whole youth generation in crisis. appearing in the documentary are original interviews with directors john waters (pink flamin
midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream tells the hidden history of these landmark films, el topo (1970), night of the living dead (1968), the harder they come (1973), pink flamingos (1972), the rocky horror picture show (1975), and eraserhead (1977). the documentary includes in - depth interviews with the directors, producers, writers and actors who were part of these low - budget, yet monumental productions, the exhibitors and distributors who played them, and the audiences who viewed them .
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movies and tv shows are certified fresh with a steady tomatometer of 75% or higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide - release movies, 40 for limited - release movies, 20 for tv shows), including 5 reviews from top critics .
a documentary on diy producer / director roger corman and his alternative approach to making movies in hollywood .
the collection of films gathered in this documentary is centered around the cult of the midnight movies, a series of films in the 70s which were not only experimental in form and shocking in content, but also presented a different type of viewing experience in the decade between the flower power 60s and the electronic explosion of the 80s. all these films became cult objects and enjoyed success which was not necessarily, or not only commercial, but also focused on a type of non - mainstream audience. the films themselves were very unequal judged on the art scale, with three of the six being important films, to be remembered in any history of the moving pictures art, and the other three closer to the trash pan. it is however interesting to see the authors of the movies looking back to the time of the making and the critics trying to put them in perspective. at the end it is not so much the documentary material that stays with the viewer but the reflection process that makes us think about the relationship between art, viewing conditions, experiment and success .
midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream
focuses on six movies that re - invented the film medium while pushing the boundaries of bad taste and social taboos. they are :
el topo
( 1970) ,
night of the living dead
( 1968) ,
the harder they come
( 1973) ,
pink flamingos
( 1972) ,
the rocky horror picture show
( 1975), and
eraserhead
( 1977). the documentary includes in - depth interviews with the directors, producers, writers and actors who were part of these low - budget, yet monumental productions, the exhibitors and distributors who played them, and the audiences who viewed them. these filmmakers shared a common desire to upset the traditional aspects of making films - - taking filmmaking beyond the norm by making films for ritual viewing, not box office success .
to the film' s credit he does manage to get the major participants together, with each film having a representative key creative person talking about the project .
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ìpink flamingos, î ìnight of the living dead, î ìeraserhead, î ìthe rocky horror picture show, î ìthe harder they come, î and the legendary mexican surrealist western ìel topoî all have one thing in common: they were 1970s midnight sensations. screaming in from way outside the margin, these films were fueled by audiences attracted to the absurd, the grotesque, bad taste, and in the case of ìel topo, î the hallucinogenic experience. the time was marked by risk - takers, adventurous theater owners, and a sense that there was a secret life of movies only the privileged few would see. director stuart samuels singles out these films as six key midnight pics and interviews directors david lynch, george romero, john waters, perry henzell, alejandro jodorowsky, and richard oíbrien, presenting them as creators of a certain rite of passage for an entire generation. clips from the films and of film audiences of the time punctuate this fascinating flick. ña. s .
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it' s really informative, and you can tell there' s a high appreciation for these films behind the camera. it' s great to see some of the movies i think are among the all time greats getting some attention .
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a fun doc about the birth of cult film in the 70' s. focusing on 6 influential' midnight' movies including 2 of my all time faves, night of the living dead and rocky horror, it shows how the phenomenon changed film and helped bring about our ironic post - modern culture. makes u wish you' d been there at the start * sniff * i' ve yet to see the infamous pink flamingos and jodorowsky' s mystical' eastern,' el topo, but i' m sure i will just to say i did lol
home video changed the world. the cultural and historical impact of the vhs tape was enormous. this film traces the ripples of that impact by examining the myriad aspects of society that were altered by the creation of videotape .
a horrifying, surrealist version of edgar allan poe' s
the pit and the pendulum
directed by the masterful animator jan svankmajer .
a fast moving odyssey into the subterranean world of the rarely explored province of filipino genre filmmaking .
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a documentary analyzing the furore which so - called
video nasties
caused in britain during the 1980s .
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films made after june 1, 2017 now being accepted for consideration for the 43rd ciff .
films made after june 1, 2016 now being accepted for consideration for the 42nd ciff .
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i saw this many months back and remember liking it. it offered great insight into a period of moviemaking that we' ll never see the likes of again. it made me happy and sad all at the same time .
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it' s a celebration of cinema - going as a' ritual experience or trip', a communal adventure with no real equivalent in the exquisitely atomised youtubeverse .
samuels' own enjoyment for midnighters comes through in his funky visual design - - visually spunky for a clips - and - talking - heads film - - and in the energetic editing .
you' ve heard of hollywood, a town of tinsel and glamour, the town of paramount, columbia and mgm. but there is another hollywood, a place where maverick independent exploitation filmmakers... see full summary »
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] i was high when i wrote it. i was not high when i made it .
stuart samuels productions inc. - 68 scollard st. suite 301 toronto, ontario, canada m5r 1g2 - t: 416 - 968 - 9362 - f: 416 - 968 - 9870
non renseigné - t: 33 (0) 1 47 38 14 02 - viviana andriani - viviana. andriani @ urltoken
in this affectionate glimpse into those countercultural times, filmmaker stuart samuels has compiled an engaging distillation of those nocturnal filmic emissions .
for any movie nut who craves their exhibition history, this is a must see documentary .
a documentary about challenging and outrageous films should offer something more provocative than counter - culture filmmakers congratulating themselves on a job well done .
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midnight movies : from the margin to the mainstream is a 2005 documentary film written and directed by stuart samuels , based on his book on the subject . the film chronicles the period between 1970 and 1977 in which six low-budget films shown at midnight transformed the way films are made and watched : el topo ( 1970 ) , night of the living dead ( 1968 ) , the harder they come ( 1973 ) , pink flamingos ( 1972 ) , the rocky horror picture show ( 1975 ) , and eraserhead ( 1977 ) . also portrayed in the film are the films freaks ( 1932 ) and reefer madness ( 1936 ) , which gained notoriety and a huge cult following thanks to midnight showings . providing interviews are filmmakers george a. romero , alejandro jodorowsky , john waters , perry henzell , david lynch , and richard o'brien , as well as film critics roger ebert , jonathan rosenbaum , and j. hoberman and ben barenholtz . the film was screened out of competition at the 2005 cannes film festival . 
midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream is a 2005 documentary film written and directed by stuart samuels, based on his book on the subject. the film chronicles the period between 1970 and 1977 in which six low-budget films shown at midnight transformed the way films are made and watched: el topo (1970), night of the living dead (1968), the harder they come (1973), pink flamingos (1972), the rocky horror picture show (1975), and eraserhead (1977). also portrayed in the film are the films freaks (1932) and reefer madness (1936), which gained notoriety and a huge cult following thanks to midnight showings. providing interviews are filmmakers george a. romero, alejandro jodorowsky, john waters, perry henzell, david lynch, and richard o'brien, as well as film critics roger ebert, jonathan rosenbaum, and j. hoberman and ben barenholtz. the film was screened out of competition at the 2005 cannes film festival.
midnight movies: from the margin to the mainstream is a 2005 documentary film written and directed by stuart samuels, based on his book on the subject. the film chronicles the period between 1970 and 1977 in which six low-budget films shown at midnight transformed the way films are made and watched: el topo (1970), night of the living dead (1968), the harder they come (1973), pink flamingos (1972), the rocky horror picture show (1975), and eraserhead (1977). also portrayed in the film are the films freaks (1932) and reefer madness (1936), which gained notoriety and a huge cult following thanks to midnight showings. providing interviews are filmmakers george a. romero, alejandro jodorowsky, john waters, perry henzell, david lynch, and richard o'brien, as well as film critics roger ebert, jonathan rosenbaum, and j. hoberman and ben barenholtz. the film was screened out of competition at the 2005 cannes film festival.