Wonderwall
(1968)
Apple films. In 1968 you just knew you would be getting
something weird and surreal from the product released
under the moniker of Apple films. The Beatles label
was the hotbed for all that was groovy, weird, popppy
and iconoclast. This film even was able to get Beatles
strummer George Harrison to do the soundtrack work.
That's surely it's biggest drawn now, as it was in 1968.
There's no reason to watch the movie, if you aren't
a huge Harrison fan, except as a exercise in witnessing
how fucked up the 60's were.
"Wonderwall" is a crazy 60's anomaly. It's a time
capsule of retarded ideals and drug induced idiocy.
I remember reading a quote by Gore Vidal once which
described a film called "Joanna" (also 1968, directed
by Michael Sarne) as "100 cigarette commercials in a
row." That quote ran through my mind about 100 times
while watching this bad little acid flashback of a film.
Stupid, saturated in bright colors, uninteresting and
just plain dumb, "Wonderwall" is like a "Laugh-In" segment
that goes on for 80 minutes. It would be impossible
to endure if it weren't so damn silly that occasionally
it becomes mildly amusing. It's impossible to watch
this film and not giggle at times with reflective delight.
Here's the ridiculous plot: A scientist, who spends
his days at work with his nose in a microscope, comes
home to his creepy little apartment. It looks like it
was decorated by the Set Designer for "Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang." The scientist finds a hole in the wall of
his flat and begins spying on his neighbor girl. She's
a young and beautiful fashion model who spends her days
in her rainbow painted pop apartment smoking dope and
cavorting around in various states of undress. Remember
it's 1968, so all you get are flashes of skin and an
occasional breast.
The scientist soon becomes obsessed with the girl
and stops caring for himself, his work or his apartment.
He even remodels his place to get better viewpoints
and angles into his voyeuristic peepholes. It's really
kinda icky by modern standards.
The good doctor falls for the model, named Penny Lane,
(can you believe Lennon and McCartney allowed that),
and begins to resent her modelesque boyfriends. There
are crazy pop "daydream" segments where the scientist
has Walter Mitty type fantasies that seemed to be designed
by Claus Oldenberg and Peter Max. It's supposed to be
oh so groovy but, in retrospect, it comes across like
an episode of the Monkees after some bad clams.
One of the humorous things about the film is how much
the actor playing the scientist looks like George Harrison
circa 1999. It's a funny coincidence. But it's about
the only thing truly worth noting in this film. This
piece of rubbish is so horrid it only begs the repeated
asking of "Why?" And now restored and remastered for
Beatles fans everywhere, the film might remain around
for eternity. It's amazing the damn thing didn't kill
cinema completely in 1968. It's that bad.
I dare you to endure it! It just might be the most
fun you'll ever have watching a piece of rubbish.
More
of Lodger's reviews indexed alphabetically! Just click
your favorite letter to go there.
a
b c
d e
f g
h i
j k
l m
n o
p q
r s
t u
v w
x y
z
HOME
|
In
Association with:
|
Posters From!
|
|
Please Visit
|
|
