4 Films By The Kuchar Brothers (1966-78)
Dir. Mike and George Kuchar, English, USA
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Thu 26 September 2013 // 19:30
/ Cinema
"Along with Jack Smith, Andy Warhol, Ken Jacobs, et al., the twin Kuchars are among the most emblematic avant-garde filmmakers of their generation." - VICE
Twin brothers from The Bronx, Mike and George have created a do-it-yourself cinematic style that celebrates the common man but does so in style oozing with “kitchen sink” Hollywood excess.
Starting in the mid-50s with a string of shorts shot on the regular-8 format, they switched to 16mm around 1965 and began making their own films. George sadly passed away in 2011, so Little Joe, a magazine about queers and cinema, mostly, have teamed up with Copenhagen-based Jack Stevenson to honour both brothers, presenting a selection of their work (1966-1978) from Jack’s own 16mm collection.
PROGRAMME
4 films:
Hold Me While I’m Naked (1966, George Kuchar, US, 15mins), a playful satire of motion picture making that leads to existential contemplations on the meaning of life.
The Craven Sluck (1967, Mike Kuchar, US, 23mins), about the sordid domestic routines of a typical Bronx married couple, Adel and her office worker husband, Brunswick.
The Secret of Wendell Samson (1966, Mike Kuchar, US, 30mins), a personal story of inner turmoil is told in the vocabulary of science fiction, expressionism and pop-fantasy which is entertaining yet sincere and soberly conceived.
Mongreloid (1978, George Kuchar, US, 13 mins), a tribute to George’s dog, Bocko, who appeared in so many of the brothers’ films and was undoubtedly the best known dog in underground cinema.
PRESS
About "Hold Me While am Naked":
"The film is a semi-autobiographical rumination on the frustrations of a maker of soft-core pornographic films. Many movie scholars consider it one of camp’s defining texts." - NEW YORK TIMES
About George Kuchar, who died in 2011:
"Mr. Kuchar’s ability to make movies on a shoestring during a prolific career in which he sometimes made two or three films a year for the art-house circuit was a point of pride for him, and an inspiration to several generations of young filmmakers." - NEW YORK TIMES
About the Kuchar Brothers:
The Kuchar Brothers were “the people who made me want to make movies. They were the first ‘experimental’ filmmakers I ever read about when I was 15. They were giants. They inspired four to five generations of militantly eccentric art fans. To me they were the Warner Brothers of the underground.” - FILMMAKER JOHN WATERS
"In the history of experimental film, George and Mike Kuchar stand out like a luridly lit, throbbing purple thumb. Along with Jack Smith, Andy Warhol, Ken Jacobs, et al., the twin Kuchars are among the most emblematic avant-garde filmmakers of their generation." - VICE
TICKETS
On the door: £5/£3.50
Or advance tickets here: £4.50/£3 http://www.wegottickets.com/event/236491