It's really interesting that my favorite movie in the Istanbul Film Festival so far is the least cinematic of them all. Essentially, "This Filthy World" is just a means of taking John Waters' one-man show to people who can't see it otherwise. And thank God for that! (I can just imagine Waters saying that, can't you?) It's not particularly notable for its use of mise-en-scene, music, or art direction. But it's funny as sh*%.
Waters' shtick is well-known, and I love it. I don't care if he did make Serial Mom, I've always loved his movies. I love Polyester, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble. Trash as an art and comedic form just seems so naturally funny to me, as do Waters and his acolytes, or shall I say "tramps"? I think he would like that better.
This movie is his one-man show, stories about the films he saw while growing up (many of which I would love to get copies of), the people he grew up with (Divine, Mink Stole, and more), and numerous mis-adventures. He throws in quips about things that bother him, the humor of people in Baltimore (followed by the best line in the movie, quoted from a fellow Baltimorean: "Because you're an asshole!!"), and the growing outlandishness of sexual behavior, even for someone with John Waters' standards, adult diapers anyone? I never would have thought he was so funny on his own but he truly truly is. This is his torch song I guess, and you can tell he's a nice and loyal guy because he rarely has a mean word for anybody, and even his name-dropping in graceful. He's one of the few famous people that I think I would really love to hang out with. He shows us that not having talent or money can not only be cool but is actually a potential for success. That's comforting.
On one last note, I also found it interesting that Waters' favorite director was Joseph Losey. Never in a million years would I have thought of Losey as a candidate, Ed Wood perhaps, or one of the many other loony directors he mentions in the film. Although of all people he can probably appreciate how under-appreciated Losey was and is, his stubborn scrappiness, and even the importance of this quotation from the master director of Monsieur Klein: "Film is a dog: the head is commerce, the tail is art. And only rarely does the tail wag the dog."
Waters' shtick is well-known, and I love it. I don't care if he did make Serial Mom, I've always loved his movies. I love Polyester, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble. Trash as an art and comedic form just seems so naturally funny to me, as do Waters and his acolytes, or shall I say "tramps"? I think he would like that better.
This movie is his one-man show, stories about the films he saw while growing up (many of which I would love to get copies of), the people he grew up with (Divine, Mink Stole, and more), and numerous mis-adventures. He throws in quips about things that bother him, the humor of people in Baltimore (followed by the best line in the movie, quoted from a fellow Baltimorean: "Because you're an asshole!!"), and the growing outlandishness of sexual behavior, even for someone with John Waters' standards, adult diapers anyone? I never would have thought he was so funny on his own but he truly truly is. This is his torch song I guess, and you can tell he's a nice and loyal guy because he rarely has a mean word for anybody, and even his name-dropping in graceful. He's one of the few famous people that I think I would really love to hang out with. He shows us that not having talent or money can not only be cool but is actually a potential for success. That's comforting.
On one last note, I also found it interesting that Waters' favorite director was Joseph Losey. Never in a million years would I have thought of Losey as a candidate, Ed Wood perhaps, or one of the many other loony directors he mentions in the film. Although of all people he can probably appreciate how under-appreciated Losey was and is, his stubborn scrappiness, and even the importance of this quotation from the master director of Monsieur Klein: "Film is a dog: the head is commerce, the tail is art. And only rarely does the tail wag the dog."