“You’re
a cog, boy! A cog in an organ!” Thus begins the journey of Performance protagonist
Chas, bloodstained thug on the run.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Directed by Nicholas Roeg and Donald
Cammell in 1970, Performance (Wednesday,
March 17, Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House, 8 p.m.)opens with a fighter jet rocketing across the sky before quickly
cutting to aerial shots of a traveling Rolls Royce.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย This footage is interspersed with
cropped images of poorly lit and intertwined flesh. Boogie-woogie music lends
the proceedings with the well-worn feel of a porn flick from back in the day
when porn attempted plotlines. But the boogie-woogie is quickly subsumed by an
ominous synth signal, as if the 8-track got eaten in the deck. And that’s when
you realize Performance means
business.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Roeg mixes experimental technique
(fast and odd edits, an often overwhelming electronic soundtrack, sudden color
shifts, etc.) with pasty pornographic imagery, depictions of an abject
underworld, and a touch of the old ultraviolence to achieve what’s generally
referred to as “Hollywood magic.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Performance exploits the endless possibilities inherent in the form — the real magic that
can occur when celluloid meets sound in the editing room — to keep your jaw
on the floor. It draws attention to the fact that it’s a film.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย We see so little of this these days.
Last year’s American Splendor, with
its self-conscious shifts in narrative and many levels of reality, was a
welcome surprise. So are some of the movies being made by the Dogme 95
collective.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But films like Performance, Antonioni’s Blow
Up, Bergman’s Persona, or
Godard’s Weekend, all made between
1966 and 1970, make movie magic without the digital dependency. They openly
cause you to question your role as viewer. And their shocking approaches to
technique and storytelling still seem so monumental you almost expect the film
to start bouncing off the reels, as it does, quite literally, in Persona.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Rolling Stone Mick Jagger has a
prominent role in Performance, a fact
which could easily have pushed the entire project beyond the limits of bloated
pretension. And there are many ridiculously ’60s moments in the movie. But for
zeitgeist’s purposes, the selection of Jagger was brilliant. And he plays the
perfect Mad Hatter — inducing Chas into a blissfully hazy identity crisis
that you’ll feel in your gut. But don’t forget: You’re just a cog, boy!
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Fans of omni-musician Jim O’Rourke
should know that O’Rourke has named several of his more recent solo albums (Insignificance, Bad Timing, Eureka)after Roeg’s films.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย And if it’s the more base aspects of
Performance that thrill you, be sure
to see Myra Breckinridge (Wednesday, March 24, Dryden Theatre, 8
p.m.), which is screening as part of the Dryden’s “Loathsome Films” series.
Generally regarded as a subversive classic of ’70s camp, Myra stars film critic Rex Reed as Myron, the recipient of a
sex-change operation that converts him into the voluptuous Myra (Raquel Welch).
The film shows as little regard for Hollywood’s lofty history as it does for
testosterone. Be warned.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2004.
