The 31 Best Films I Saw in 2011 adds another documentary to the list. Thanks to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, the Grindhouse culture of cinema was brought into the 21st century. In the wake, came sleeze-inspired films like Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun. One can hope that Edgar Wright gets around to making a full-length feature for his Don't trailer. This installment's film takes a look at the surprisingly long existence of Grindhouse exploitation cinema, dating back to the silent era.
The Best I Saw in 2011: Elijah Drenner's American Grindhouse
While Grindhouse cinema was at its height in the 1970's, it starts back to the silent era of filmmaking, when the likes of Lon Chaney Jr. and Conrad Veidt were dominating the screen. One of the earliest examples of exploitation, as mentioned in the documentary is Traffic in Souls. This film dealt with forced prostitution, dramatizing and bringing grimy elements into the film.
The film goes through the decades as the genre grew with the likes of Tod Browning, William Castle, Alfred Hitchcock, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Dennis Hopper, Wes Craven among others. Actors David Hess and Fred Williamson are notably present. Robert Foster serves as the film's narrator. Originally shot for the final edit, interviews with Ray Dennis Steckler (director of The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies?!!) and Joseph Ellison (director of Don't Go in the House) can be found on the DVD special features.
The documentary comes to a close with the resurgence of the sub-culture. In addition to the aforementioned films, other recent Grindhouse-inspired films include the spoof Black Dynamite, The Passion of the Christ, American Gangster, and Hell Ride. It appears the genre is back and far from dead.
The Review
The depths of detail the films goes is remarkable. Seeing how far back the roots of exploitation can be traced shows that while the heyday was in the 1970's, its inception predated that historical segment. The enthusiasm of directors like John Landis and Joe Dante during their interviews show they have a love for this section of cinema. Robert Foster does justice as the narrator. His smooth, yet raspy voice compliments the on-screen sleaze.
If there's one complaint, its that it focuses more on American films. It was around 1980's when Italian horror films from Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato, and Umberto Lenzi were directing their gory brand of horror. Even before that in the 1970's, there were the Spanish horror films like Living Dead at Manchester Morgue and Tombs of the Blind Dead. In recent years, Japan has been delving into exploitation with films like Audition, Battle Royale, Junk, Versus, and Tokyo Gore Police. While these films aren't American, they had an impact or added to the Grindhouse culture.
Conclusion
For fans wanting to see what the big deal was with Grindhouse culture, this film serves as a great hello. Its comprehensive, yet it leaves the viewer wanting to know more and see more. After seeing this documentary, I had a list of films I really wanted to see. This is a great view and will fly by at only 80 minutes.
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