MoMA Revival Fest’s Lineup Runs Gamut From Kitsch to Classic

Is it just me or does this year’s iteration of the Museum of Modern Art’s “To Save and Project” seem more stuffed than usual with this, that, and the other thing? The listing of films is as encyclopedic as the menu of a neighborhood diner. The first few paragraphs of the press release encompass figures as different from one another as the silent era “It” girl, Clara Bow; punk belle-lettrist Richard Hell; and Sidney Goldin, an auteur of yiddish theater and cinema.Elsewhere, Joan Crawford and Betty Boop bump up against Andy Warhol, Quincy Jones and “Porgy and Bess in Wien” (c. 1953), a documentary that details the first stop of a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour of the famed opera. MoMA curators Joshua Siegel and Olivia Priedite, with the assistance of independent curator, Cindi Rowell, have spread their nets widely. It’s difficult to imagine a single person capable of enjoying every selection.Stranger things have happened — like, for instance, a world-class repository of modernist culture putting a nudie flick front-and-center as its exemplar of “our priceless film heritage.” But there you have it: A restored print of Russ Meyer’s “Vixen” (1968) will be presented on opening night with appearances by multimedia artist Peggy Ahwesh and its star, Erica Gavin. The tagline for the film — “Is She Woman … Or Animal?” — is, I think, exegesis enow.The picture made oodles of money, and has since earned an enthusiastic following, particularly amongst those who extol kitsch as a strike against elitism. Meyer’s minor flair as a filmmaker is less apparent than his fascination with large-breasted women. Will Ms. Gavin relate the auteur’s disappointment in her slim frame? Will Ms. Ahwesh locate a post-feminist rationale for taking “Vixen” seriously? The mind despairs at the former question and boggles at the latter. Get your tickets now.Monte Hellman’s “Cockfighter” (1974) will also likely raise eyebrows. We’re all familiar, to one degree or another, with the endnote to a movie proclaiming that “No Animals Were Harmed” in its making. This can’t be said for Hellman’s meditation on one man’s journey to achieve immortality — kind of like “The Odyssey” if it were set in a low-rent American South. No joke: Screenwriter Charles Willeford based his original novel on Homer’s epic poem.Frank Mansfield (Warren Oates) is set on becoming cockfighter of the year — so much so that he takes a vow of silence after losing a match presumably because of his braggadocio. Frank continues to trade and train his fighting roosters, all the while forsaking family, friends and something that looks like love.One doesn’t have to be a card-carrying member of PETA to find the footage of cock-fighting disagreeable, but considerable allowance would have to be extended to forgive Hellman for the film’s skewed comic tone and deadening, arbitrary pace.Producer Roger Corman cited “Cockfighter” as his only 1970s film that didn’t turn a profit. The so-called King of the B’s didn’t have a hand in mounting “Truck Turner” (1974), but he was a mentor to its director, Jonathan Kaplan. Kaplan, who died last fall at age 77, proved a dab hand at a variety of genres, whether it be drive-in fodder (“Night Call Nurses”) or more substantive fare (“The Accused,” which netted Jodie Foster a Best Actress Oscar). He stated that “it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of casting … the essence of [an actor’s] personality is what audiences respond to. People respond to people.”Isaac Hayes in ‘Truck Turner’ (1974). Courtesy Park Circus / Orion PicturesKaplan took a gamble in casting an R&B musician, Isaac Hayes, for the title role of “Truck Turner.” Hayes won an Oscar for composing the score to Gordon Parks’ “Shaft” (1970), but he was new to acting and his portrayal of a pro football player turned bounty hunter is stilted. Still, Hayes clearly relished the opportunity to swagger his way through a tawdry tale of pimps on the run. He’s boosted by the camaraderie of Alan Weeks, who is on hand as Truck’s partner, Jerry Barnes.As with most films lumped under the “Blaxploitation” label, “Truck Turner” has an unstoppable score provided by, but of course, the leading man. There are two veteran actors on hand who do much to enliven the pulpish surroundings: Scatman Crothers and Nichelle Nichols. Fans of the original “Star Trek” series will be shocked by the foul mouth and sexy regalia assayed by their beloved Lieutenant Uhura. As a madam who brooks no nonsense, Nichols not only runs away with the movie, but steamrolls right over it. If that’s not worthy of preservation, I don’t know what is.

MoMA Revival Fest’s Lineup Runs Gamut From Kitsch to Classic

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