Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 40

"I D4 ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL Sunday, February 6, 1977 Film Russ Meyer: StiU 'King Leer' Porno Filmmakers Plan Own Awards lillilli Joanul Pboto by Jim Nachtwey 'Soft Porn' Filmmaker Russ Meyer Doesn't See Increasing Censorship pickup to the drivc-in to see a movie. "This one's got some good wrinkles with one sex romp after another, but so outrageous in its concept, it'll be change of pace." After that, Meyer says he'll do a PG-rated movie his first ever but that he won't be able to put his name on it. "If I put my name on it, it would be a disservice. If I did, they'd say where are all the girls and all the sex?" He said the PG film will be done in Georgia and that it'll be a rural picture, using local folks as the actors. "The sex will be all Disney-like," he added.

He said he didn't plan to show the picture in New York or other cosmopolitan centers; just do it for rural audiences in mid-America. Obviously pleased with the success of "Up," Meyer said it was currently running in a 40-theatre multiple booking across Los Angeles, including a major house on Hollywood Boulevard, and other so-called "legitimate" theaters. It replaced "Seven Per Cent Solution" in New York and did roaring business despite the recent blizzard. Asked what "Up" is about, Meyer sai, "True to my fashion, I never let the story get in the way of the action." His success apparently hinges on the use of big-busted women (everyman's light storyline, simulated and implied sex a lot funnier that and a generally happy approach to man's foibles. Albuquerque freelance writer Chuck Mittlestadt contributes movie articles to the Journal.

hostility, because it was an it made a lot of money. And all of a sudden, it became a real buff film. "It has been shown four times at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the reaction has always been the same. The fans love it and have seen it repeatedly. "When it came out, it was oneof the mostcritically maligned films ever produced.

But, it has grown to become a cult film. That was my best. It holds up and will forever." Asked what he thought about the seeming trend toward more censorship in this country, he said he felt there's less censorship now. "I don't think there's any trend toward it. "I think the voting constituency is young enough now that it won't stand for going back.

"And I think the public's getting wise to the fact that (taxpayer's) money is being spent needlessly. They're starting to realize the amount of money being spent, together with the fact that there's a lot more serious crime that could be prosecuted." Meyer said the inclusion of more nudity and sex in what he called "so-called straight films" is making his jobmore difficult. Other directors will get stars like Marlon Brando and Donald Sutherland to work in such scenes he said. Meyer's next film will be called "Beneath The Valley of the Ultra-Vixens" which is apparently a combination of bits of titles from most of his major successes and that it will be strictly a dross movie. "That's the element I like to work in making them for the guy who takes his old lady and a six-pack in his By CHUCK MITTLESTADT Like his movies, an interview with Russ Meyer is outrageous comedy, tongue-in-cheek humor and just a lot of fun.

Unlike his films, he occasionally comes up with something serious: his thoughts on censorship, on the trend to more nudity and sex in major films, even to the fact that he is planning of all things a PG rated picture. Meyer, whom the Wall Street Journal tagged "King Leer" and Film Comment Magzaine dubbed "King of the Nudies," is the independent Hollywood filmmaker whostartedtheskinflick cycle in motion pictures almost two decades ago. In Albuquerque this past week to promote his latest dy approach and is never explicit. A couple of Meyer's favorite targets cops and Nazis also get into the action in outlandish burlesques. Meyer, who started out as a cameraman, still supervises the photography, in addition to directing and producing, and the scenics he has in this one if you can take your eyes off the pretty girls long enough are truly magnificent.

"Up" is a happy, adult comedy, with high marks for technical excellence, in addition to the far-out story and the braod acting. Albuquerque freelance writer Chuck Mittlestadt contributes movie articles to the Journal. X-rated picture, "Up," Meyer said the most important thing to him in making movies was "getting something across to generate humor. "I have to keep thinking in terms of outrageousness, something that's even more of a put-on." The man who started the trend to sexual permissiveness on the screen with the classic comedy "The Immoral Mr. Teas" in 1959, and since that time has turned out almost two dozen similar pictures, has been imitated by countless hundreds of others.

Gradually, they have turned out films that have gotten rougher, more graphic and more explicit. But, it isn't the hard core films that particularly bother Meyer. "Hard core," he says, "seems to be on the wane. If you leave it alone, eventually it'll go away. If you make a slick film, you'll get by.

Only the stuff with some sort of quality will remain, and there'll always be a market for it. "If 'Deep Throat' hadn't been condemned by a New York judge (resulting in immense publicity) it would have been just another film." Meyer considers his competition comes from the likes of Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, not from the hard core producers. "I'm in the mainstream of exhibition and distribution now, and I'm pressured by the competition from the big films, and that's why I go out and personally promote my movies." Asked what was the favorite film he made, his reply was positive: "Beyond The Valley of the Dolls." "I don't think I'll ever make a better picture than that. It was a nice experience to be asked by a major studio (20th Century-Fox) to make a film and, in spite of their real 'Up': Meyer's Best Movie Yet with tattoos and wearing socks. Absent, too, are the girls with ridiculously overdeveloped mammaries and pathetic faces.

"Adult films are playing to 2.5 million people a week," Friedman said. "That's roughly 16 per cent of total motion picture audience in the United States. "People in the industry are enjoying a profitable year. The 800 theaters which play this product operate 52 weeks a year. And 1976 was the biggest year since 1971 when 'Deep Throat' came out.

We've detected a big difference in audiences dur-ing the 10 years of the AFAA. No longer do our films just attract the single male over 40 who went during the matinee hours." "A committee of five from AFAA will select the five best films of 1975-76. Each of those films will be shown, one a night in all of the theaters represented by our association around the country. The public will vote for the winner. We hope to have association members set aside a week prior to the balloting to get reaction to the nominees from patrons.

"I'm confident 'Misty Beethoven' will be a nominee. Other likely nominees are 'The Joy of Letting 'Au-tobiographyof a Flea, "A Cry for 'Count the Ways, 'The Private Afternoons of Pamela 'Phantasex' and 'Little Orphan Statuettes for the awards are being accepted from several young artists. The award itself will be in consummate good taste, yet hopefully suggestive of ribaldry." Friedman is convinced that in the last third of the 20th Century films will be an accepted form within the American theatrical scene. By VERNON SCOTT HOLLYWOOD (UPI) -The Adult Film Assn. of America a euphemism for an organization of porno producers, distributors and exhibitors will give awards honoring the best X-rated films and performances of the year.

The AFAA held its annual convention in Houston, recently, to thrash out details of the awards under the supervision of the organization's Chairman of the Board, David Friedman. Many of AFAA's 255 members attended to other business as well, including the continuing fight against censorship, trade practices and attempts to upgrade X-rated movies, if such be possible. Part of the upgrading campaign, according to Friedman, is the proposed awards program. "Adult films are improving every year," said Hollywood based Friedman. "Our pictures are getting bigger budgets which attract better actors and actresses.

"No longer do producers shoot films in motel rooms. The average cost of quality adult films today runs from $125,000 to $150,000. We're turning out about 100 X-rat-ed features a year in the UnitedStates. The whole industry in Hollywood produces only about 325 non-adult movies." Friedman is not altogether objective about the Adult Film Academy Awards. He is the producer of "Misty Beethoven," a runaway hit among X-rated movies.

It is a burlesque of "Pygmalion" featuring a cast of genuinely beautiful girls, handsome young dudes and every conceivable porno ploy. Gone are the rumpled beds, guys By CHUCK MITTLESTADT UP, directed by Russ Meyer. Lobo Theatre, rated. Russ Meyer's newest movie, "Up," is the happiest, campiest, brightest film he's ever done. It's a soft-core adult sex romp that should be a classic in its field for a long time to come.

Movie Review Meyer, who has been turning out skinflicks for almost 20 years, has a knack for coming up with the most beautiful and biggest-busted women, and each picture seems to top the last one. This time around, his star is Raven De La Croix who plays Margo Winchester. Besides her 'General Hi Amin Dad a 9 Disappointing to swim at Kabarega State Park, exhorting cabinet ministers to "love your leader" and advising Ugandan physicians to be "very smart and clean" and not spend too much time getting drunk. Schroeder doesn't deliberately poke fun at Amin. He lets him show himself proudly playing with six of his 18 children or T.TF'P OF By DAVID DUGAS United Press International GENERAL IDI AMIN DAD directed by Barbet Scbreider, DonPancho's Theatre, no rating.

Uganda's President Amin certainly ranks high among the more bizarre and brutal figures on the current world scene. A documentary called "General Idi Amin Dada" by French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder presents a close if superficial look at the man. Notes provided by the movie's distributor say Amin agreed to be filmed on the assurance "the general would be allowed to direct a ESTATE BEN TURNER PARTY! obvious attributes, the brunette doll has a flair for comedy. The storyline, such as it is, has Margo as an undercover cop, going to a small lumbering town to unravel a murder. She takes a job in the town's only cafe, and in her spare time beds down most of the suspects in the case.

Her delivery is similar to that of the fabled Mae West, even to occasional vocal imitations of the famed sex queen. Miss West should be flattered. Nudity is prevalent. In fact, Margo is nude more often than she is clothed, as are many of the other characters. The sex is strictly a put on plenty of simulated and implied action but it is done with a broad come- chuckling when asked about his telegram to Germany saying that Hitler didn't kill enough Jews.

This is a sometimes fascinating and disturbing portrait of power. But one comes away wishing that in 90 minutes it somehow had been able to tell a great deal more about the general and why 10 million Ugandans have endured him this long. THE $C' PLAYER PIANO ROLLS 9:10 to c.m mi: i WtTRLlIZER'H; major part" of the picture. Schroeder further disclaims any attempt at political analysis. Amin's statements are allowed to stand regardless of their truth.

The picture was filmed in February 1974, SO there are no references to the Israeli raid on Entebbe Movie Review Airport or to rising opposition within Uganda to Amin's economically crippling rule. Perhapsthatistbeonly way a film such as this can be made. Onesees the general commanding crocodiles SALE I PAINTINGS WEJOYHAU I wring senwriorK I from DMJSO A Here are two examples from our new Spring collection. I "Julius" is available v( in navy green combination rfl I jsi ri or bone peach combination a' I as well as all 1 i white or black xtv I "Max Mid" enhances the Sf classic pump with gold Sir ornamentation. In go-with everything y''-' shoes I A DOWNTOWN WINROCK MONTGOMERY PLAZA A DvFWNROCKMOmGRYrHstoiOTe Sunday Noon 'til 5 Mon 'til 9PM 'ffl 6PM Y) A PAIR "SPRING IN COLORADO" 30" 20" 'FALL IN COLORADO" 30" 20" "QUANICASTI TREE" A SCENE IN COMMODORA, MEX.

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