So many of the Exploitation Docs are largely neglected by the establishment still today, so I appreciate all those who rate these cool campy flicks. Faces of Death tests the limits of contemporary(middle-class) acceptability; it does not meet any standards as far as continuity and direction, but, SO WHAT? If all film were to capitulate to that silly mantra, we would have no Todd Sheets, no Troma, pornography, No Wave music, Outsider Art -etc. Fantasy, people! If you expect technical cinematography, or a model motion picture from any Faces of Death flick, you will be sadly disappointed. These films are overtly low-class, low-brow, and low- taste in content, style, and art direction (or lack thereof). Yet, for all the would-be dictators of public opinion, who admonish the endeavors of folks like the F.O.D. team, there are hedonistic reprobates such as yours truly who bask in, and subscribe to, the campy nature of exploitation cinema. It exploits a subject matter that the status quo generally negates: death itself. Even the exploitation genre is loathe to approach this level of depravity as far as the action of death. Is it in good taste? Absolutely not. The concept of good taste is intricately woven into society's collective mind, and of course, class structure. Still, we have free will, and there are apparently enough of us who have found something good within the paragon of bad taste. Our sophisticated, "democratic" western world regulates the population's access to information, as well as its innermost attitudes, through media- particularly through film and video. The power to literally create desire, fashion and consumer trends, opinions, aspirations, and even ones own identity is expressed through film. Exploitation rebels against this control. And death is the medium through which F.O.D rebels; and its mystery gives it a power that traditional exploitation film dare not grasp. Power through persuasion is a billion dollar a year industry. The oppressive power structures, created by titans of industry, is developed in part to restrict people like me, and the F.O.D. folks from producing anything, because it indicates to the public that anyone with candor and a camcorder can use a medium that the everyday man can relate to. And this takes the power of persuasion away from them. Low-budget mondo-documentaries such as F.O.D. can be transcendent, nostalgic, and an invitation to share in what some consider a fun expression of a single persons quirky unique vision. What industry seeks to destroy, we exploitation lovers seek always to build. We are not the destructive ones. And they should go broke in their endeavor to oppress. Are all scenes authentic? Yes. Are they all actual scenes of death? It only matters if the true death is what is being exploited. It's not, though; instead, it's the act of violent death, and the audience that are being exploited. The issue of death, the fear or hatred or discomfort of violent death (particularly) -as viewed by the society , is what is exploited. That requires only authentic fear, hatred, discomfort, and issue. And in Faces of Death, this is quite authentic. And if that's too much to think about: have fun with it. The camp factor just heightens the experience. It allows for relief from the gravitas subject-matter. It reminds us that we are being manipulated -if only for a second- which is a kindness when we explore our feelings about violent death in a violent society during violent times. And let's face it, if there is anything that the Faces of Death crowd are trying to tell us, it's that humans are violent animals. It's possible, that our negation of this truth causes more harm than the actual truth. They are helping us, to deal with our own savagery. But that is for another day. The only criticism I have is that it eclipsed and over-shadowed a great film called The Killing of America (directed by Leonard Schrader, whose brother went on to write the screen play for Taxi driver). This movie is truly shocking, but is impossible to procure except ironically in th U.K., where F.O.D. is supposedly banned. This was one of the first campy films I saw as a kid. It was a catalyst for me to embark on my mission to become a connoisseur of "bad cinema." These marvelous movies changed my life. It is cliché for otherwise well-read people to deplore violence depicted in movies such as these. Violence cannot be eliminated through the repression of such material. We have a primal need to explore such attributes. In any case, let your hair down for a hair raising journey into ambiguity...that is if you are tall enough to ride this ride.
Review of Faces of Death IV
