Cinema of Death
by 5 Films of Underground Cinema
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DVD Cover Information
Director: 5 Films of Underground CinemaBrand: WEA DES Moines Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-03-27
Audience Rating: Unrated
Model: 4395
Studio: Cult Epics
Product features:
- Cult Epics proudly presents UNDERGROUND CINEMA. Underground Cinema first appeared in the 1960s with groundbreaking works by filmmakers as Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage and Andy Warhol, whose films dealt with provocative subjects such as politics, sex, magic and death. Cinema of Death compiles some of the most recent extreme films made, featuring raw, poetic, explosive images that will enter into
Movie Reviews of Cinema of Death
Movie Review: Moving wallpaper
Summary: 3 Stars
"Cinema of Death" is a hard DVD to review. A collection of five pieces of what could be called "video art"; they are all black and white (except for the last one) surrealistic scenes involving disturbing imagery themed on death and pain. The films are often intentionally grainy, often lacking anything like a story, and reminded me of a mix between the famous "curse video" from the film Ring and the original film in the Japanese The Guinea Pig series.
I could not imagine watching these as straight films. There might be people interested in doing this, but the lack of storytelling, the focus on blending imagery with sound, and the surrealistic savagery simply cannot hold my attention for the length of each piece, about 20 minutes, with some shorter and some longer. What I did find is that they work perfectly as a sort of moving wallpaper, something to run in the background at a Goth/techno club or during a Halloween party. The bizarre and disturbing nature, the lack of cohesive storyline, all provide an atmosphere that enhances another activity. On that hand, "Cinema of Death" works very well, and it is from that viewpoint that I am reviewing the DVD.
"Adoration" is the first piece, and is sort of a one-act play about famous Japanese cannibal Sagawa Issei who invited Dutch student Renée Hartevelt to his house for a literary conversation, then shot her in the neck and spent the next two days indulging in necrophilia and cannibalism with her corpse.
"Dislandia" is a free-form surrealism piece involving a young girl, papier-māché masks and a variety of other disturbing imagery. For some reason, this segment reminded me of the game Lunch Money.
"Pig" shows Christian Death front man Rozz Williams in a wordless bondage and piercing show that is the most realistic, and thus the most difficult to watch.
"Hollywood Babylon" is a grainy tour through the California Museum of Death, housing photos from Kenneth Anger's famous book Hollywood Babylon, including Marilyn Monroe's autopsy photograph.
"Le Poem" reads Rimbaud's "The Drunken Boat" over the top of an actual autopsy.
As far as the DVD goes, there are some interesting special features where the various directors introduce their films, and what their intentions where while shooting.
People looking for a gore-fest aren't going to be too happy with "Cinema of Death", even with the very real "human as meat" scene from "Le Poem". It is much more of an "artistic" style, although I use the term loosely. I still think it makes a great background movie, and can wrench a few squirms out of party goers not expecting to see a penis piercing and a dead man's eyelids being cut off.
Summary of Cinema of Death
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