The marathon started in grand politically ruptured fashion with a rare showing of the long suppressed, COONSKIN, animator Ralph Bakshi's flawed, angry and experimental treatsie on the Black Urban Xperience circa 1975 at the tail end of the blaxploitation film era. Sold as "SONG OF THE SOUTH in Harlem" Bakshi found himself in real hot politik as the young archetypal Al Sharpton led a protest before seeing it. The film was re-titled STREET FIGHT and sunk into the cracks of reel time. You can see why this would be a fave for Tarantino. The incredible opening credits with the legendary Scatman Crothers alone set the audience up for things to come. A mash-up of Bakshi's cartoony caricatures, rotoscoping, and animation with a live action bookend, the film is a heady trip but I've never warmed to Bakshi's style. I think his dialogue is great, but the Saturday Morning antics of the characters pull me out. Yet Bakshi is clearly coming from a place of empathy and radical rage, so charges of racism are rather moot and P.C., especially given that Spike Lee is a fan along with rappers like the Wu Tang Clan. Way to start the night!
Up next, ALLIGATOR from 1980, a personal favorite. I always loved the witty, aware script by John Sayles and particularly Rober Forster in the lead. Quentin explained that this film was the reason he cast Forster in JACKIE BROWN. This is probably the best JAWS rip-off along with the Sayles-penned PIRHANA. The effects are pretty cool for a low budget creature featue, and there are some wonderful shock moments. There's even a little political allegory as the gator sweeps through a crooked contractor's wedding, eating guests like a demon of capitalism. I was also in hog movie heaven, working over my pepperoni pizza and draft beer.
Next was the little-seen DEATH COLLECTOR from 1976. A gritty slice of greasy New York mobsters, this was the film that prompted Martin Scorcese to cast Joe Pesci in RAGING BULL. And Pesci acts here as if he's been in Scorcese films all his life. Despite the exploitive title, this was a well-made tough ambitious flick with some terrific scenes. At some point, Manny had vanished, perhaps for a date. Bethany was still next to me, her head pillow already in use. It was already around 2 am, and we still had three films to go.
Some old fashion sexploitation came up with NASHVILLE GIRL, starring Monica Gayle, best known as "Patch" in Jack Hill's amazing SWITCHBLADE SISTERS. Here, she plays a gentle country girl who spends most of the film beng degraded by men in her life. There was an honesty about how women in show biz are used by con-men that gave the movie more validity than the usual drive-in fare; her cruel manager was presented with some psychological subtlety. So not bad. I even liked some of the faux-honky tonk tunes.
Quentin was still vibrant, getting us pumped up, analyzing the energy flow of the crowd. He seemed satisfied and intro'd the most unusual film of the night, 1973's LITTLE CIGARS, a New World release I'd never even heard of. Basically the story of a modern Snow White and her criminal dwarves, LITTLE CIGARS was not the "ha ha midget thieves" I was expecting. The film has a seedy noir feel, and you can identify with the lead little person's triumph at hooking up with the luscious Angel Tompkins. Though I caught a few zzzz's during the film, one of the highlight moments of the fest was the audience's almost visceral reaction when the dwarves threatened to turn the film very unpleasant. You'll have to see it for yourself.
The marathon was winding down and we were all curious as to what the Surprise Wake-Up Movie would be. I told Bethany it might be THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN since QT's distribution company, Rolling Thunder, would be releasing it in a month or two. Bethany nodded and fell back asleep. Quentin bound on stage, looking over the human wreckage of the Alamo at 6 am. Still jazzed, he announced that we were to be the first audience for...THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN! Hoots and hollers from those able to move. I'd seen pictures of this fim since I was a monster-mag-reading kid, and heard that it was the most expensive film ever made in Hong Kong. Clearly an attempt at a Dino De Laurentis style KING KONG remake, I viddied TMPM in a sort of hallucinagenic Ludvico trance. I was in a stange delirious state. My eyelids fluttered as the jungle woman twirled the leopard, exposing its genatalia in a slo-motion love montage. Then I would slip back off to cozy sleep, awakening to the film's final protracted city battle as one of the silliest men in suits destroyed Hong Kong. I particularly loved the endless close-ups of the great ape's screaming puppet face. The film ends on a rather grand tragic symbolic image, and I could see why Quentin wanted the film seen by the world.
But it was around 8 am, the sun was out and the Exploitation Marathon had come to a mellow finale. Bethany and I staggered into the Austin Sunday morning, and I recall driving home somehow, hitting my pillow and falling into a deep b-movie slumber, dreaming of jungle women and giant apes.
Yes, a great night. We had survived. And I would be back for that evening's 70's DOUBLE FEATURE! I was tested and battle-ready. Nothing would keep me away...I was...was...zzzzzzzz...
