Those pictures defined the rebellious side of American comedy, hooked and validated the urban dag audience, and have never really been bettered.
The festival is running a Landis season from this Friday, the 11th of October, to next Tuesday. The ACMI projectors will be pounded with Landis in an unmitigated gorgathon for fans, but the opening night will occur in the Astor Theatre in all its Deco glory.
According to Richard Moore, who curates the film component for MIAF, the Astor screening is sold out. One thousand one hundred people will cram both the pit and the gallery of the venerable pile. Of course the Astor is running The Blues Brothers. In the presence of John Landis. Who will introduce the film and do a Q&A afterwards.
But – and this is the news in this story – it is the cult screening to end all cult screenings. The audience will wear their fedoras, sing and dance with the R&B music, shout the dialogue and riff changes on the jokes. Fan mayhem, in all its sweat, frenzy and tongue-poking glory.
Said Richard Moore, “Landis has never been to a dressup screening. He knows they happen in Australia, and he is going to have a look.” As far as we know, these screenings occur nowhere else in the world.
Moore told him on the phone. “My God,” he apparently said, “maybe they are going to ruin my film.”
Why did he pick this particular director? ”I do like those older style directors like George Romero and Joe Dante. They started making films when the studios were in enormous transition, they are highly intelligent and politically aware, and have a great sense of humour – and they know the history of cinema as well.”
Besides the old favourites, the season will include two documentaries which have never been seen in Australia. Mr Warmth, made in 2007, is about Don Rickles, the last of the great Jewish vaudeville(ish) comedians, and includes tapes of his shows, lots of interviews, and Don’s home movies. Harry Dean Stanton gets a cameo.
