Gregory Hess returns as guest blogger to offer insights into interesting films available only on VHS. And, where can you still rent titles on VHS? Facets, of course.
"Touring can make you crazy, ladies and gentlemen. That is precisely what 200 Motels is about. "
Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels begins with this fairly glib intro, half admission and half apology. But if you’re looking for an explanation for this manic, naughty little film, that’s about as close as you’re going to get. The opening credits roll over a blast of trumpets, and a Zappa-like figure descends from above, in a purple turtle neck, holding a magic lamp. It isn’t Zappa at all, actually, but Ringo Starr playing the part of Zappa. This character is referred to as Larry the Dwarf. Make sense so far?
Such is the world of 200 Motels, which features no motels at all, but a dizzying array of fictional lowlifes, bizarre alter egos of Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, and a dismally skunky portrait of 1970s flyover country. This wasn’t Zappa’s first foray into filmmaking, nor would it be his last, but it is likely his best remembered, thanks in part to the high-profile cameos by Ringo Starr and Keith Moon as “The Hot Nun.”
The film was budgeted for a paltry $679,000, which paid for a few weeks of shooting at Pinewood Studios, some time with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and not much else. It’s as wonky and freewheeling as any of Zappa’s records, balancing genital jokes with operatic overtures, scandal with skeeze. It’s Zappa’s attempt to come to terms with the essential nature of men in a band on tour: They’re gross, base, sex obsessed, and altogether crazy. It makes a film like the Monkee’s Head (which may have been an influence) look relatively comprehensible by comparison.
200 Motels mostly defies narrative explanation—one moment the band is on stage singing “Do You Like My New Car?” and the next they’re arguing with Rance Muhammitz (Ted Bikel) about who stole the “mystery burger.” The setting is vaguely defined as Centerville (“Churches! Liquor stores!”), a fictional stand-in for Zappa’s grim vision of Main Street, USA.
There’s a lot of music of 200 Motels, though it is not generally regarded as Zappa’s best; catchy pop songs alternate with an orchestral score. There is a fair amount of concert footage as well, filmed in-studio, with highlights such as guitarist Jimmy Carl Black doing a country ditty (“Lonesome Cowboy Burt”) in full cowpoke garb. Zappa had a relationship with movie music earlier than most might guess. His first professional recordings were scores for the low-budget films The World's Greatest Sinner (1962) and Run Home Slow (1965). But here he mostly eschews traditional incidental music in favor of live song performances.
It’s worth mentioning that Zappa is technically the co-director of this film, along with Tony Palmer. But after the tensions and struggles endured on set and in the editing room , Palmer conveniently and publicly absolved himself of much of the credit. Whoever’s responsible, the film is certainly visually interesting. The video effects, which are frequent, look cheesy by today’s standards, but they were cutting edge at the time. (Good enough for Vincent Canby of The New York Times to remark, “I have no idea how these things are done but they are quite marvelous. “) This is 1971, remember—MTV was still a decade away. Just the fact that it was shot on video entitles the film, as Zappa often laid claim, to a kind-of de-facto status as the world’s first music video.
200 Motels spends much time detailing the band’s unrest at playing “comedy music,” and wanting to leave the group. Is Zappa being self-critical, or simply razzing his players? We’re never quite sure. Throughout, Zappa is shown in deliberately fleeting glimpses—the man behind the curtain, controlling the strings but staying out of sight. He never says a word.
Eventually, perhaps deliberately, 200 Motels falls completely apart. When Ringo’s Zappa stand-in starts comparing musicians to Jews during the Holocaust (“The final solution to the orchestra question,”) one can’t help but groan. Elsewhere, KKK imagery is paired with penis enlargement propaganda, and Keith Moon (the Hot Nun) sobs and frets in the company of two topless girls. When the whole band is energetically shout-singing "Penis!" with orchestral accompaniment, we know we’ve plummeted off a cliff.
Zappa was highly critical of drugs and the “hippie” culture, so 200 Motels certainly was not intended as some kind of freak-out film for drug-addled audiences, though it certainly feels that way at times. This is particularly true during an extended animation sequence, called "Dental Hygiene Dilemma," animated by Cal Schenkel, who was also the film’s production designer.
It’s tough to say if this film is “For Zappa Fans Only” or not. Certainly, those with a predisposition towards his signature blend of humor, crudity, and high-wire musical noodling will find it easier to digest. It’s true that Zappa’s vision for the film was compromised—only about two-thirds of the script was actually filmed after the production went over budget. As it is, though, 200 Motels is a film that rambles, even stumbles, with the courage of its convictions, not unlike Zappa’s music itself. By Gregory Hess
IMPORTANT POSTSCRIPT:
Out of print and unavailable on video for years after the VHS was issued in 1993, 200 Motels was recently given a DVD release by Voiceprint Records. It’s also now available for streaming via Facets’ arch nemesis, Netfl*x.
“Well,” you say, “shouldn’t that disqualify it from this series?” Ordinarily, yes. But unfortunately, this DVD is a perfect example of why you can’t abandon old formats entirely. It’s a horrible mess, carelessly transferred and incorrectly cropped. (For an immaculately detailed explanation, including screen captures, head to the “Recommended Reading” link at the end of this page.) And the version available on Netfl*x uses the same unwatchable video transfer as the DVD. This means that, for the time being, the VHS remains the best (and only) option for viewers wanting to experience this weird cult gem at home.
And if you think this kind of stuff doesn’t happen pretty regularly, folks, think again. Video releases are screwed up all the time, and movies get mangled in the process.
(Just ask George Lucas.)
RECOMMENDED READING:
A wonderfully in-depth review of the 200 Motels DVD situation, as well as a history of the film, at the UK blog Some of the Corpses Are Amusing.
1 comments:
200 Motels is enjoyable by the five people who enjoyed the Flo and Eddie version of the Mothers. It's pretty much unwatchable, even for a Zappa fan like me. Needs more Zappa.
Post a Comment