Mau Mau Sex Sex (2000)

There is a whole sub-genre of films in history that many scholars, students and film buffs know nothing about: The Exploitation Picture. Films by Ed Wood, Arch Hall, Cash Flagg and many others used to pop up on late-night TV films when we were children. These "creature Features" only begin to scratch the surface of what was going on in "alternative" film at the time. Deep in this genre is "The Nudie Cutie," "The Roughie," "The Pussycat Film." These are films that you'll never see on television, and you have to search for religiously to even find on video. Many of them, sadly, are lost forever. But thanks to the efforts of film historians like Mike Vraney, Johnny Legend and Frank Henenlotter, these films may be preserved for generations to come. Herschell Gordon Lewis and Russ Meyer's films fit into this sub-sub- genre. And so do the films of Dan Sonney and David Friedman.

Sonney and Friedman are still alive and they're the subjects focused upon in "Mau Mau Sex Sex." Imagine if your grandfather made Z-grade pictures, if he were one of the masters of the exploitation film. "Mau Mau Sex Sex" is like spending the day with him and his cronies, listening to their stories of the days of old. The film is a look back at their careers and a look now at their retirement years, at the ends of their lives.

Frank Henenlotter adds the voice of "authority" to the film. As a "Film Historian" and expert on the subject of these old films, Henenlotter's moments in the film are the best of what we see. He explains the old exploitation pictures with a wonderful sense of the absurdity and the glorious incomprehensible beauty of the films. He uses the word "Retarded" a lot. And we get to see clips, albeit not enough of them, of these old masterpieces: "Maniac," "Forbidden Adventure," "Mau Mau," "Blood Feast," "Mr. Peter's Pets," "The Defilers" to name a few. These are great films and the glimpses we get of their footage do nothing but make us hungry for more. Henenlotter discusses them not so much as a "Film Historian," but as a film lover. It's the best part of this documentary.

Likewise, at times, hearing Sonney and Friedman discuss the old days is equally as engrossing and charming. Often too deep in their own bullshit, their banter is still sometimes amusing and wonderful. Sonney, at 84, is a bit too old to make sense anymore. We sometimes get the impression that his memory is failed. But Friedman, who still runs a little carnival (or at least that's what this film purports), has a crisp mind and interesting tales to tell. There isn't enough of him. Sonney calls him, "The World's Greatest Carny," and we begin to see that this is an understatement. Friedman knew how to sell films. And this is the great lesson and important artifact in the film. These films were as much about promotion as they were about film, perhaps more so. Those who think that William Castle is the impresario of promotion and "stunt" hype have not seen anything. Friedman is the true Granddaddy of them all. It's an awesome history lesson for young filmmakers. And something that all of them should be exposed to.

"Mau Mau Sex Sex," isn't a film history, however. It isn't a chronology. There is no narrator. The film is a loving documentary to these two old grand men of exploitation films. It's a love letter to all they are and all they have done. Perhaps this is only a "slice" of the story. But it's a great introduction to the field. If you combine this film with a knowledge of Wood and Castle, perhaps through the books of the Medved Brothers, and you are exposed to the catalogues of Seattle's Something Weird video, there's a deep history of "underground" and "independent" film here. Still, it's barely a scratch on the surface.

This documentary fails on a couple levels, however. First off is the name. It's based on an amusing comment Sonney makes in his comments on screen. But removed from this, and placed on a marquee, it makes no sense. It doesn't adequately represent the greatness that is included in the film. A more focused title would serve the film much better. Also, the film concentrates far too much on the old men Friedman and Sonney have become. The shots of Friedman running a carnival in the present day documentary segments do serve the background of the story well. But this is juxtaposed against endless moments of Sonney in the boredom of his retirement. Perhaps it is a point that filmmaker Ted Bonnitt is trying to make here, so that we see the desperate paths that these two men have taken in the old age. It's a bit of irony. Sonney is boring, beginning to become senile, and has a rather drab little life now. Friedman, meanwhile, is still as vibrant and as involving as he ever was. It's sad to see, in a way. Perhaps it's a document about the end of the era. At least we get to see a glimpse of the torch being carried by Vraney and Henenlotter. But there needs to be more here, more history, more clips, more delving. This is just a scratch on the surface, a mar. Watching Sonney in his old age does give us an immediate impression that it is important that we preserve the lives and the work of these men right now! Before it's too late. An era is slipping away. We have only today to capture it for all eternity. For the future. Before it's disintegrates into dust.

Ah, there's a whole huge and inconceivable and phenomenal world of films out there. And then there's this underground segment of film. The fringe. It goes from Wood and Castle to Warhol and Kenneth Anger. And then there's those keeping it alive today. The fringe. John Waters and Bruce LaBruce come to mind. And, of course, there's Meyer and Lewis and Friedman and Sonney. Tucked right in there between the "Scare" films of the 30's and the hardcore loops of the 70's. This was the underground. These were the rule breakers, the risk takers, and the schlock makers. This is only the beginning of the story. And like a wide-eyed child upon his grandfather's knee, all I can say is, "Tell me more, tell me more, tell me more!"

Note:

Music by Eddie Baytos and the Nervis Brothers.

Film website: http://www.maumausexsex.com

Find tons of exploitation films available for sale at: http://www.somethingweird.com

Report Card

Content: A-

Completeness: D

Cinematography\Lighting: C

Special Effects\Make Up: C

Music: B+

Final Grade: B