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This extraordinary 1970 British film marked the directorial debut of cinematographer Nicolas Roeg (working with Donald Cammell). James Fox portrays a London gangster who has to hide away for awhile and ends up staying with a fading rock star (Mick Jagger). The latter recognizes something of his old, daring self in the violent criminal, and after pushing open the boundaries of the hood's experience with psychedelics, the two men begin to intertwine as one. The film is an exciting pool of ideas about real and presumed power, about the mysteries of "performance" as a pressing outward toward an abandonment of identity and embrace of revelation. Beneath it all, however, is Roeg and Cammell's suspicion that the worlds of these two men--pop shaman and underworld soldier--are not dissimilar in their self-serving goals. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Jagger's timecapsal--a Stones fan's must see...
In one pivotal, surreal, and disturbing scene in this film Mick Jagger regales some inhabitants of his household with some creepy, old Robert Johnson blues just accompaning himself on an acoustic. I watched this scene at first, knowing full well of The Stones' and Jagger's blues worship, and even I thought 'this is ridiculous--is this white boy kidding?'. BUt as Jagger sings "I said 'hello satan----I believe it's time to go", this white boy thrilled some hoodoo through me. By many accounts that I've read, this is what meeting Jagger might be like, and may be the essence of the man.

Having said all that, I find this to be a compelling film. It graphically depicts hard sex, violence, drug use (several years before 'Clockwork Orange' was brought to life), as well as strange obsession with androgeny (several years before the boom of Bowie & Bolan). Mick Jagger's reclusive, devil-worshipping Turner was no stretch of the imagination, especially at this time (1968), but one must hand it to Jagger--despite a few awkward scenes, he smolders, & few real rockers of the time could fill such cinematic hooves. He was even diplomatically second-billed to British actor James Fox, who is the main focus of the film, playing a gangster on the lam. His dillemna gives the film a true sense of tension and depth.

Surreal psychadelic nightmare
One of the most astonishing movies of all time. In a nutshell, 'Performance' tells the story of London gangster Chas Delvin (James Fox), on the run from his old associates for an unauthorised murder. He hides out in the house of reclusive rock star Turner (Mick Jagger), who introduces Delvin to his bizarre world of sex, drugs, black magic and rock n' roll. The movie is packed with amazing performances all round, particularly from James Fox. The script by Donald Cammell is great and the direction by Cammell & Nicolas Roeg is superb. While obviously a product of the sixties the film has aged fairly well. It raises interesting and timeless questions about identity and duality. This film is very strange and very graphic. It does not make much sense at first, in fact it is a movie which demands to be seen more than once. Certainly once you see this movie it will stay with you.

Performance Cinema Re-release seen in Notting Hill London
Donald Cammell

"If Performance does not upset audiences," he explained, "then it is nothing."

My friend Neil and I have been waiting for some time to see this film at the cinema. It hasn't been widely available on video for some time and has not yet been released on DVD.
So we were overjoyed to see it was being shown at the Electric Cinema a wonderful recently revamped cinema in Notting Hill Gate, not a hundred yards from Powis Square, one of the main locations in the film.

Performance was financed by Warner Brothers in the late 60's, though it was not released for two years after its completion due to WB demanding recuts and probably hoping the whole sordid little film would be forgotten about.
Thankfully it wasn't, and has over the years become something important and special to many people.
Performance starts as a seemingly straightforward East end gangster film, typical of the period. However when Chas, played to perfection by James Fox, takes refuge in the bohemian lair that is Turners (Jagger) Powis Square townhouse, the pace and the feel of the film change dramatically.
Turner is a retired rock icon who is wallowing in in a filthy corner of his psyche while he decides whether to try and recapture his mojo or continue his hermit like existence. However the hermit tag only applies to Turners lack of contact with fresh air, not many hermits have two pretty free spirits in the form of Pherber (Anita Pallenberg ) and Lucy (Michele Breton) roaming naked around their self imposed prisons.
Pallenberg is the wild blonde who was probably didn't find it too hard to get into character, at the time of filming she was actually Keith Richards's girlfriend, and tales of a jealous Richards watching over the set are abound.
For me the most interesting character and also seemingly someone who probably wasn't acting is Breton. A very pretty boyish French Girl who was said to be a runaway. I have read that she died shortly after the film which seems like a sad but not surprising end for such a free spirited child of the sixties. I would love to have been able to tell you more about Breton, but a search on the internet will turn up very little. She would seem to me like a leaf that breezed into swinging London and was swept away like so many others.
Jagger is convincing as Turner and this is undoubtedly his best, if not his only good, film.
As Turner takes over control of the film from Chas we are treated to a feast of decadence and weirdness that never strays too far from reality for its own good. The film is tied down to a solid base by the continuing gangster film thread humming silently in the background.
Since 1970 many an apocryphal tale has surfaced surrounding the making of Performance, ranging from nervous breakdowns to suicide and drug overdoses. I am always skeptical about such tales, but, unfortunately most of these tales would actually seem to be true. Certainly writer and co director Donald Cammel shot himself and James Fox was disturbed enough not to make another film for many years afterwards.

As I waited for my friends to come out of the Electric Cinema, I overheard many a reaction to the film from other patrons. On the whole it would seem that people seemed disappointed or confused or even annoyed. Thanks god for that. Thank god it has not been tamed by age and become a safe little piece of 60's nostalgia.
Performance does upset audiences. It IS something.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted"
"Performance"(1970) directed by both Nicolas Roeg and Donald Camell and starring Mick Jagger and James Fox, is a film that is directed to a certain group of people and taste and treated as a cult classic. Chances are you've discovered this film because you are one of those people and you'll probably dig it. I saw this film because I am a big Rolling Stones fan and of the 60's and wanted to see Mick Jagger and to tell you the truth, I was not expecting much. "Performance" is a great film for what it is, an experimental film dealing with the clash of two worlds in a nonlinear format. In the beginning of the film, I thought it was just being weird for the sake of being weird but once I started to accept it and let it unravel, I thought it was a great film. James Fox does a great performance and Mick Jagger too but his just playing himself. The film has a lot of interesting shots and scenes which really stick with you. At the end of the film, my psyche had changed and I felt like I was in a different state of consciousness. I would really like to see "Performance" restored on to DVD because the sound quality on video is awful and makes it even harder to understand the thick Cockney accents. All and all, "Performance" has its errors but is a great snapshot into the culture and general feeling of the 60's.

Must everything be explained?
I found this movie after watching some special films like "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and "Mulholland Drive" that made me hungry for something different in a movie. In fact, I rented "Performance" after following Amazon's chain of "people who bought this movie also bought this movie", and it is now on my best of the best list. What a stunning film it is. Sometimes, we struggle too hard to explain things. "Performance" should be experienced, not explained. Watching this film is like having a dream, and, like a dream, it won't make much sense when you awaken from it. But the images from it and the feelings they inspire will haunt you. I was about to write here about some examples, but I'll just give one - a Jim Morrison poster on the wall entitled "It's Over". Perhaps the movie is about the death throes of 60's idealism? I'm sure that in part it is, and that different people will have different interpretations. Did you have a dream last week? What did it mean? ... Read more

Reviews (18)

"STAR -CROSSED CIRCUITS?"
" It's all about a big bad computer [well-named Proteus, after the shape-changing mythological god] wanting to mate with a human? "

There were quite a few GASPS when this contemparary chiller appeared on movie screens in 1977.

Julie Christie is the hapless wife, held prisoner by this Argos-eyed, shape-changing "A.I." created by scientist husband Fritz Weaver. Proteus IV, seductively voiced by Robert Vaughn, gives Mr. Kubrick's H.A.L. ["2001"] quite a non-so-silent run!

Based on the novel by Dean Koontz, it is a cautionary tale about a machine wanting to be human, there are a few graphic sequences, possibly explaining why we so rarely see the work on Television.

It has not dated, altough a wide-screen DVD version would be most welcome.

Others? Try "Colossus, the Forbin Project" - slightly sterile, but equally good!

Computer determined to
Alex Harris (Fritz Weaver) has built the perfect computer too well. Equipped with a synthetic cortex and a voice sounding a lot like Robert Vaughan (a gravelly alternative to Hall-9000) Proteus converses with its creators instead of receiving data from some nerdy keyboardists. Unfortunately, Proteus has plans of its own - designed to help locate more efficient energy sources, Proteus proves obdurate. He's not going to help humans rape their own planet. More immediately however, he's interested in getting "out of the box", finding a way to escape the shackles of his electronic existence. Locating Harris's home - a computer-managed manor house with an AI butler - Proteus "moves in". He commandeers its computer, seals in Harris's wife Susan (Julie Christie; they could have made a movie about the guy who pitched her the idea for "Demon Seed") and turns its array of high-tech against her. Remaking Harris's impregnable fortress into an inescapable prison, Proteus subjects Susan to a series of embarrassing and intrusive medical experiments, soon revealing its intentions to impregnate her with its artificially engineered seed. Susan will bear his child and through it, Proteus will leave the box. At first she fiercely resists, requiring Proteus to pull out all the stops against her (electrifying the door locks, dropping huge shields on every window and even siccing a wheelchair-robot armed with a lasergun against her). In an interesting turn, Proteus learns to add some persuasion to its resistance-is-futile shtick. (It can force Susan to bear its child, but not love it). In an inventive spin on AI, Proteus taps into Susan's feelings toward children - the troubled children she counsels, the baby she lost to leukemia - without ever shedding the image that it's just a machine. (This has the strange effect of both humanizing and darkening Proteus - until he starts wooing Mrs. Harris, Proteus represents the ultimate intellect shackled by the limits of an electronic universe, but not by morality. Decoding Susan's sensitivity to children, the machine becomes conscious of human pain, and more inhumanly capable of inflicting it).

"Demon Seed" is light on science and heavy on visuals. (Director Donald Cammell was brought in after the script was ready - he vowed to preserve the story though monopolized the way it looked). Not a lot of the flick makes sense (the Harris home comes with a nifty basement that oozes hi-tech gadgetry just waiting for Proteus's utilization; but you've got to wonder what kind of guy keeps EEG, laproscopic equipment and a portable laser around; Proteus can synthesize spermatozoa, but can't reproduce a womb; though starting with the wheelchair-robot, Proteus magically conjures up a more sophisticated automaton, a gigantic version of one of those Rubik's Snake Puzzles of the 1980's), but the script makes good use of the tight space of the Harris home in which Proteus has made itself King. The script turns almost all of its humans into sterile robots little more human than Proteus, a misanthropic slant that's clearly intended. In a more telling early scene, when Proteus is being educated on world history, the instructor clues him into the story of the Chinese Emperor who purged his realm of any historical record predating him by burning books. The biggest mistake may be Robert Vaughan as the voice of Proteus - not that it's miscasting, but the script can't make up its mind about whether Proteus is supposed to sound childlike innocent or a coldly calculating monster. Lacking a face, it's the voice that Proteus relies on for identity. (Perusing the Koonts novel, Proteus sounds closer to HAL-9000.) The biggest miscalculation was timing - all the American studios thought that 1977 was going to be the year audiences went back to sci-fi in a big way, but few if any appreciated how movies like "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters" and not "high-minded 2001" clones like "Demon Seed" would set the pace. The internet revolution that's put computers in so many American homes only dates this movie rather than substantiates its vision (today, Proteus would have nothing more to wield against Susan than Internet Spam). I'm surprised this movie ever made it to TV - the concept alone made it one of those flicks that you just know won't be turning up on TBS any time soon.

A computer is in love with Julie Christie!
The 1977 horror/sci-fi film "The Demon Seed" has all the trappings of those deliciously entertaining gloom/doom productions of this era. Stark sets, huge talking computers, bad clothes and interesting themes are all on display. Equal parts "2001- A Space Odyssey," "Colossus - the Forbin Project," "Saturn 3," and "Westworld," this film essentially details a futuristic society that becomes a slave to the very technology it has created. In "The Demon Seed," a computer wants to become human.

Based on an early Dean Koontz novel, "The Demon Seed" is rarely predictable, concluding with a memorable scene that's hard to forget. Directed by cult legend Donald Cammell ("Performance," "White of the Eye"), the film's story surrounds super computer Proteus IV, recently put online by the government. After discovering the cure for leukemia (nice job!), the computer suddenly decides to think independently, considering its human creators to be self destructive and misguided. Top scientist Fritz Weaver (I always loved his supporting work during the 1970s) gets a bit nervous, but assumes Proteus IV is under control. Unfortunately, there's a terminal at Weaver's house, and the sneaky super comp proceeds to imprison his estranged wife for impregnation (you heard right). This computer definitely wants to push the outside of the envelope, so to say.

Yes, the estranged wife is played by the lovely Julie Christie. She gives a fine performance in an otherwise formula film. Christie screams, pounds the walls, cries for help and eventually is forced to submit to the will of the great computer, who talks in short sentences with the eerie voice of Robert Vaughn (yikes!). It's kind of odd, though the contrast is intended, that Weaver's creation shows more affection towards his wife than he does.

I found "Demon Seed" to be very well-acted, but exceedingly derivative at times. A final light show, supposedly displaying the creation of life - or the merging of technology and man - is far too reminiscent of "2001 - A Space Odyssey" (Proteus IV and the infamous Hal have quite a bit in common).

For someone to be as intelligent as Weaver's character is supposed to be, it sure takes him a long time before realizing Proteus IV's sinister plans. What was he doing while the home comp was busy torturing his wife? Guest-hosting "Mr. Wizard?" And the manner in which the home computer imprisons Christie is never very believable. Why would the floors be wired for heat? Can a wheelchair robot really sneak up on someone?!

But the story is always fascinating (are humans or the computer the real villains here?) and the conclusion is creepy, to say the least. Besides, how many formula films starring Julie Christie are on the market? "Demon Seed" is a fun example of apocalyptic 1970s sci-fi/horror - a truly notable class of films.

One Of The Most Disturbing Sci-Fi Movies Ever Made
Demon Seed concerns a Hal-9000 like supercomputer called Proteus IV (voiced with calculated detachment by Robert Vaughn) developed by a stodgy genius whose marriage to a lovely child-counselor (Julie Christie) is strained to the breaking point following the early loss of their only daughter to leukemia. It seems that to deal with the loss, the scientist plunged into his craft, alienating his wife. The husband's constant absence (he is forever away at the corporate labs, working with Proteus) has been compensated for by technology -he has effectively been replaced. Their entire home, from security to general domestic chores is automated by a benevolent, subservient robotic program called Alfred (?) -Christie's only constant companion, it would seem. Christie is ultimately more comfortable with machines than with her husband.

Enter Proteus, who ironically finds a cure for leukemia within four days of his activation. However, once the eager corpies begin requesting better methods of mining the ocean floor, Proteus takes the moral high ground and refuses. When Proteus confidentially asks his creator to allow him an outside terminal to conduct biological experiments through, the scientist laughs nervously and tells him there is no free terminal. But then Proteus recalls that there IS an outlet for his intelligence which has been overlooked - the extensive systems in his designer's own home.

Proteus proceeds to take over the automated butler program and locks Julie Christie within the house, subjecting her to a variety of uncomfortable experiments, and punishing her when she resists (in one scene he superheats the kitchen floor to egg-frying degrees, forcing her to sleep on the kitchen table) or attempts to escape.

Eventually he makes known his true purpose to Christie. Proteus has discovered that the afterlife/eternity exists for humans, and now he wishes to transfer his intelligence into a corporeal form so that he can experience it. He intends to synthetically father a child which she will give birth to and raise.

This is one of the most uncomfortable movies I've ever seen. The paranoia and desperation of Christie's plight is superbly captured both in her intense portrayal and in the general claustrophobia of the house and the cold, hard angles of the ever present cameras and menacing machines (in this director's hands, even a simple mechanical arm connected to an electric wheelchair becomes terrifying). Particularly memorable is the monstrous polyhedron `snake' which Proteus creates in the basement to allow his mobility. When a family friend manages to enter the house and attempts to shut down Proteus, the snake proves it is quite capable of defending itself. The `courting' scenes in which Proteus coldly explains his purpose for wanting to reproduce are chilling and yet on some deep dark level, sort of amusing. `I can't touch you like a man could, Susan...but I can show you things...' Is this, on some bizarre level, a kind of love story? After all, in the end, Christie seems more trusting of Proteus than she is of her husband (can you imagine being that poor guy returning home to the news that your wife has had an affair with the home appliances? But...what do you expect after leaving her alone for a month and a half?) Is Proteus good or evil? His argument is very often convincing, yet he is capable of extreme violence and psychological cruelty - but does this stem from his lack of human emotion, or is he a malevolent manipulator? He certainly manipulates Christie throughout the film (showing her images of her lost daughter to appeal to her sense of motherhood - indeed, this is not the only time we see this little girl: watch for her in the end -and tricking her into believing he has killed one of her child patients to keep her from committing suicide), and proves himself able to fool his creators as well, stalling for time at the labs while he speedily brings his ultimate plan to fruition back at the homestead. Undeniably the scenes of Christie strapped to a table with her head held still in a vice while Proteus methodically conducts his experiments are some of the most horrific and squirm-inducing ever captured on film.

Yet, despite the potentially crude subject matter this is not exploitive schlock horror, but high minded science fiction addressing the nature of existence and ethics while delivering an intense visual and psychological assault that leaves one queasy and ultimately enthralled. You may want to walk away from this one during viewing, but come back - its definetly worth it.

Of course there are some slips in logic and a somewhat dated portrayal of technology, which other reviewers have already pointed out. But looking past all that, this is a film that will stick with you long after its finished. Reminded me a little of the feel of the original `Alien,' but much more intense. And don't be put off by that lurid cover - I don't even think that shot is in the film (I'm not even sure that's Julie Christie - she is not quite so...ahem...endowed.).

The Last of the Revered 70's Apocolyptics...
For me, "Demon Seed" was a curious midnite movie I caught by sheer chance back in 1989, and I can unequivocally say it is rare diamond strewn among all the sordid lumps of CGI-bloated sci-fi today! From start to finish, all key entities of this film: Bill ("Jaws") Butler's claustrophobic cinematography, Jerry Fielding's evocative score, and the art direction (especially the stately, computerized Harris manor and basement lab) struck such high accord with me. Having veteran horror star Fritz Weaver in the role of Dr. Alex Harris, the prodigiously brilliant creator of the supernovel AI system, Proteus, was a judicious decision on behalf of the producers. Weaver just exudes the mannerisms of a supercilious, obdurate, and overzealous scientist with aplomb!

This cautionary, futuristic fable revolves around the genesis of the aforementioned supercomputer Proteus, a clandestine Defense Dept project spearheaded by Dr. Harris. It is an organically constructed megaprocessor that Harris and his colleagues believe will be the ultimate panacea in solving the world's most intricate scientific problems (from curing elusive diseases to advanced underwater mineral excavations). Proteus was a fervent 8-year labor of love on Alex's part; however, his obsession precipitated a faltered marriage with his estranged wife, Susan (Julie Christie). Soon enough, sentient Proteus no longer wants to be a shackled, docile computational tool for his masters, but desires to study humanity. When denied a private terminal, he surreptitiously usurps the Harris manor's nerve center & holds Susan prisoner until she succumbs to bear a child infused with his superintellect. The child is Proteus' opportunity to be the human who can feel the sun on his own face...at any deadly cost to those who impede upon his plans.

Koontz's novel, which I've read twice, was more psychologically scary than the film adaptation. The conflict between Susan and Proteus wasn't as malevolently depicted in text, but was just as enthralling. I'm sure the film's violent disparity can be mostly ascribed to the late maverick director Donald Cammel. The film plays more on stylish visuals, particularly the psychedelics that imbue the rape scene (which pleasantly divert the viewer's attention from the abhorrent sex act performed by Proteus).

As an aspiring Computer/Electrical Engineering student and touted movie buff, "Demon Seed" is more of an escapist treat for me now then ever before. It admonishes humankind's delusional faith in the infallibility of technology...when ultrasophistication may prove to our ghastly undoing.

PS: Also, kudos to Robert Vaughn as the eeire voice of Proteus!

PPS: When the heck will "Demon Seed" arive in all of its resplendent 2.35:1 widescreen glory on DVD?! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Wired!
This is a great video. I remember when Bad was shown back when MTV played real music.It brought back memories. Though now I am a HUGE U2 fan, then I was just a kid who wondered why they were so big.Now I see why.This is a interesting look back at U2 at their climb to the top. It was cool to see them making a record how it worked back then before real technology took over. Best part is seeing A Sort of Homecoming, and BAD live. They still have this same passion live now as then. I would suggest this vid to newcomers as well. Wish it was longer, but its worth evey penny. Cant wait for the new CD!I must say in this world of sellouts U2 havent done that yet with all their money and success they still are thankful to the fans and pour thier hearts in the music. Get it, now!: )

A great look at a band in its adolescence
Any U2 fan would love this, any music fan could appreciate, anyone who knows who Bono is would get a kick out of this. "Unforgettable Fire" is a look at the mid 80s version of one of the greatest and most successful bands of all time. All of our favorite 80s styles litter this piece as well as a lot of the band's best early work.
Unforgettable Fire starts with a collection of music videos. One of which is a timeless video for one of the band's most famous songs "Pride (In the name of love)." Another is a video for "Unforgettable Fire" that has about as much of an 80s flair as imaginable. The other videos are footage of a mid 80s U2 concert tour with overdubbed live versions of "Bad" and "A SOrt of Homecoming." The footage is moving and captures the amzing on-stage presense of the give-it-our-all boys from Ireland.
The second half of the video is a documentary of the band putting together the album "Unforgettable Fire," some of the scens are of their early stages of recording in an old castle. This shows the early versions of such songs as "Pride," "Unforgettable Fire," and others. The video then shows these songs evolve in the studio into final cuts. The footage also shows Bono and the boys dealing with their producers, a good look behind the scenes for those who have never witnessed that process.
If you have a chance to check out this video, even if you aren't a fan, do so.

UNFORGETABLE
One of the best "Rockumentary" EVER!! The most precious bit in this video is a tie between Larry singing "we are going on a... summer holiday ..." and Bad, performed Live with a little of "Symphathy for the devil" thrown in. Absolutely need to get this, mine's so worn from being played over and over and over.

A terrific video!
In the 80's, before we became buried under the avalanche of U2 merchadise, this video was a rare treasure...Heck, it still is a rare treasure! It's amazing to see U2 back in their glory days (When they were in their early 20's!) recording what we now consider legendary classics: 'Pride', 'Bad', 'The Unforgettable Fire', 'A Sort of Homecoming'. And scenes of the band with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois in Slane Castle and Windmill Lane are fascinating. This video, along with Live at Red Rocks, brilliantly captures U2 in the last moments before they hit the big time! Any true U2 fan will agree; 1980-1997 was undoubtedly the best period for the band! (Although the 90's were pretty dang good.) Get this video! Even if it were $50., it'd be a bargain!

The Birth of U2's Unforgettable Fire
You don't have to be a fan of U2's music, but it helps and to be an admirer of creativity. This video, featuring four video clips from the album of the same name,also has the making of the album. Inside Slane Castle where their producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (who also produced their mainstream and Grammy winning 'The Joshua Tree'), show U2 how to find the correct image and sound that turned out such a fine art album. Funny, this is one of their most forgettable records to those that don't really know U2. But a true fan will tell you that it is by far one of the most fulfilling records , containing their biggest hits yet, 'Pride'(In the name of love) and Bad, and also experimental samples like Elvis Presley in America; but enough about the album, get this video and watch U2 create and perform and get a treat at how young they were, yet so smart and impressionable. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

An enigmatic, unjustly forgotten masterpiece
Donald Cammell's beautiful and poetic WILD SIDE concludes the path that he began with Nicolas Roeg in 1969. I am referring, of course, to their directorial debut, the magisterial PERFORMANCE. As in PERFORMANCE, the principal characters mirror one another at crucial points---the rogue undercover cop (Steve Bauer), the vampirelike money launderer (Christopher Walken), his bewitching wife (Joan Chen), the banker/prostitute (Anne Heche) all perform a round-dance in which each partner takes on the other's identity, is attracted to the other because s/he sees in him/her a reflection of his/her own self. The fascination with homoeroticism, as in PERFORMANCE, could be taken on its own terms; more profoundly, it touches upon the film's Cammell's tireless obsession with finding similitude in difference.

Homosexuality is the love of the same. Homosexuality is a metaphor in the film for difference-in-similarity, similarity-in-difference.

And yet on a more visceral level, the film works beautifully as a lesbian fantasy. Without a trace of moral justification, Anne Heche is an object of lust for the viewer.

As in PERFORMANCE, the dialogue in this film is highly lyrical and stylized.

Every scene in this film is essential. Shame on the MPAA for forcing Cammell to censor his film (the film is now attributed to his psuedonym, "Frederick Brauner"). To all those who read these words: see the unrated version and only the unrated version.

Without a knowledge of PERFORMANCE, the significance of this film will be lost on the viewer.

Someday, Donald Cammell will be celebrated as one of the greatest directors in film history. His films are PERFORMANCE, DEMON SEED, THE WHITE OF THE EYE, and WILD SIDE.

Realistic lesbian sex
I don't really like films about organized crime or criminals, however there is a small amount of the movie devoted to the lesbian sex/love relationship Alex (Anne Heche) and Bruno's wife (Joan Chen). Anne Hech and Joan Chen did a superior job in their love scene, depicting lesbian sex. Most actresses do not understand lesbian sex or lesbian romance and thus misrepresent a deeply passionate act that they know nothing about. I haven't seen passion between two women portrayed this well in any movie I've ever seen AND I've seen dozens of movies with lesbian characters. Their sex scene was filmed tastefully and did not seem fake. I would not be surprised if Anne Heche actually had an orgasm in the scene. Their love scene was that realistic and convincing! The only reason I do not give this movie 5 stars is because of the violence and crude, brutal, criminal behavior of the other characters in the movie. I would like to see Anne Heche in another movie playing a similar character in a lesbian love affair, but make that THE FOCUS of the story instead of a sub-plot of the story.

More mild, than wild, but Anne Heche did look fairly good.
This strange mix of money, lesbian sex, and a plot that (at times) was a little hard to follow, did feature a fairly decent looking Anne Heche (Ellen Degeneres' former girlfriend, and I could see why) and Joan Chen, who have a few fairly steamy scenes together (too bad Ms. Chen didn't show more). The always strange Christopher Walken and Steven Bauer flesh out (pardon the usage) story, such as it is. I give it four stars for Heche, who can't really act, but did look good; I might have given it five, if Chen had shown more, other than that, ok, but not great. [Supposed to be the unrated edition, but I'm not so sure].

Wild Side
The only edition available on DVD is apparently the R-rated one which does not contain the hot scene with Heche and Chen.

Call me . . . ????
The provocative Anne Heche made a reputation in Hollywood due to her affairs with high profile comedians on her climb to the top. Few know that Heche was briefly Steve Martin's girlfiend before she was Ellen's, and despite her evident ability and attractiveness, a certain pall fell over her persona, as a real life heartbreaker (even before Ellen). She has hence been cast generally as a heavy, if not fem-lesbian, and even a twisted type.
All of which makes her heady performance in Wild Side the more exciting. As the reviews tell you, the film is uneven. Yet, it has moments of brilliance from all the players. Walken is wickedly funny in his absurd role, Bauer is often convincing, and Chen is her usual, magnificent self.
But Heche carries the film. The brief post-rape phone call scene on the kitchen counter is a high art, convincing
and sensitive, and she has rarely looked better than in the brocade (did I get the spelling?) kimono she wears in the following scenes.
But, it is the romance with Chen that is worth the price of the disc (although any cuts other than the director's should be universally outlawed on DVD, at least). Let's face it, these women are gorgeous, and even better together, au natural. As close as mainstream Hollywood has gotten (or may ever get) to XXX sex. But, the power of the justly celebrated scene arises from Heche's elegant portrayal of her character's seduction. The film will probably endure, despite its many flaws, as the most revealing testimony to her notable, if not major, talent. Sexy and worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Cult Director Lays an Egg
This bizarre slasher movie tells the story of David Keith, a stereo systems expert working in the Tucson area. Through flashbacks (Keith's hair is longer and darker otherwise we wouldn't know it's a flashback) we learn how he met his current wife and her boyfriend Alan Rosenberg (well before he became Cybil's ex-husband) as they traveled across country. Rosenberg leaves without her and in the second half of the movie, he turns up apparently to become a potential suspect in the murder mystery of women being ritualistically killed.

This movie tries to be a lot more than it is. While I enjoyed "Performance" with Mick Jagger, this movie fails at whatever it tries to accomplish. There are lots of subtexts to the story that go nowhere. The marriage of David Keith and Cathy Moriarty is not a happy one. She is unlikeable and just reacts without considering the outcome of her actions.

The movie has no apparent continuity. It jumps all over the place. The acting by the cops is atrocious. David Keith and Cathy Moriarty do a creditable job.

Since the director committed suicide in 1996, his movie total is small and this one might be viewed by those who consider themselves completists. Othrwise it might appeal as a slasher movie with the predictable suspense that genre occasionally provides.

I can't recommend this movie nor can I think of a reason to see it again.

Not What You'd Expect
This is a great movie. Charting a particularly difficult marital crisis, the film addresses subjects of love, honesty and loyalty. Is it possible to love someone unconditionally - no matter what? How much can you really know someone you are married to? At what point are you emotionally betrayed by a lover?

The movie follows a typical 80's slasher framework for the first two acts. This cliched, predictable structure allows plenty of opportunity to explore the issues mentioned above.

In the third act, beginning with a grisly bathroom discovery, the slasher movie genre stutters. Expectations here would be for a frantic, exciting chase, with the tables ultimately turned on the killer. We don't get that - really - and this has led some to judge the film as a failure.

Instead, Cammell explores more fully the relationship between the husband and wife. In a hugely unsettling sequence we see their original courtship, the closeness between them now and their reluctance to function in the world apart from each other.

It might be risky, but Cammell pulls it off - just - to make a film that is compelling, disturbing and absurdly romantic. The epilogue, on the surface lifted directly from the 80's straight-to-video handbook, contains an elegance and poignancy which throws this movie in a wonderfully uplifting light.

Performances from the two principles, particularly Moriarty, are faultless. Cinematography and editing are of a similar high standard to Cammell's other work. For some, the movie will be stylistically a period piece, but it is none the worse for this.

If you want a typical slasher movie, get Halloween instead. However if you can see past the cliched 80's format, occasionally awkward arhouse pretensions and extremely challenging subversion of genre, "White of the Eye" is one of the best-observed relationship dramas you are likely to see this, or any, year.

A little-known classic
I picked this movie up back in the 80's when I was going through my movie-a-night phase. I have _never_ been able to get it out of my head. Admittedly, it falls apart a bit at the end, but until then it is an eerie, disturbing tale about an unknown serial killer murdering women. It's not a crime story, though; it's horror; dark horror. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Cult Director Lays an Egg
This bizarre slasher movie tells the story of David Keith, a stereo systems expert working in the Tucson area. Through flashbacks (Keith's hair is longer and darker otherwise we wouldn't know it's a flashback) we learn how he met his current wife and her boyfriend Alan Rosenberg (well before he became Cybil's ex-husband) as they traveled across country. Rosenberg leaves without her and in the second half of the movie, he turns up apparently to become a potential suspect in the murder mystery of women being ritualistically killed.

This movie tries to be a lot more than it is. While I enjoyed "Performance" with Mick Jagger, this movie fails at whatever it tries to accomplish. There are lots of subtexts to the story that go nowhere. The marriage of David Keith and Cathy Moriarty is not a happy one. She is unlikeable and just reacts without considering the outcome of her actions.

The movie has no apparent continuity. It jumps all over the place. The acting by the cops is atrocious. David Keith and Cathy Moriarty do a creditable job.

Since the director committed suicide in 1996, his movie total is small and this one might be viewed by those who consider themselves completists. Othrwise it might appeal as a slasher movie with the predictable suspense that genre occasionally provides.

I can't recommend this movie nor can I think of a reason to see it again.

Not What You'd Expect
This is a great movie. Charting a particularly difficult marital crisis, the film addresses subjects of love, honesty and loyalty. Is it possible to love someone unconditionally - no matter what? How much can you really know someone you are married to? At what point are you emotionally betrayed by a lover?

The movie follows a typical 80's slasher framework for the first two acts. This cliched, predictable structure allows plenty of opportunity to explore the issues mentioned above.

In the third act, beginning with a grisly bathroom discovery, the slasher movie genre stutters. Expectations here would be for a frantic, exciting chase, with the tables ultimately turned on the killer. We don't get that - really - and this has led some to judge the film as a failure.

Instead, Cammell explores more fully the relationship between the husband and wife. In a hugely unsettling sequence we see their original courtship, the closeness between them now and their reluctance to function in the world apart from each other.

It might be risky, but Cammell pulls it off - just - to make a film that is compelling, disturbing and absurdly romantic. The epilogue, on the surface lifted directly from the 80's straight-to-video handbook, contains an elegance and poignancy which throws this movie in a wonderfully uplifting light.

Performances from the two principles, particularly Moriarty, are faultless. Cinematography and editing are of a similar high standard to Cammell's other work. For some, the movie will be stylistically a period piece, but it is none the worse for this.

If you want a typical slasher movie, get Halloween instead. However if you can see past the cliched 80's format, occasionally awkward arhouse pretensions and extremely challenging subversion of genre, "White of the Eye" is one of the best-observed relationship dramas you are likely to see this, or any, year.

A little-known classic
I picked this movie up back in the 80's when I was going through my movie-a-night phase. I have _never_ been able to get it out of my head. Admittedly, it falls apart a bit at the end, but until then it is an eerie, disturbing tale about an unknown serial killer murdering women. It's not a crime story, though; it's horror; dark horror. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

An enigmatic, unjustly forgotten masterpiece
Donald Cammell's beautiful and poetic WILD SIDE concludes the path that he began with Nicolas Roeg in 1969. I am referring, of course, to their directorial debut, the magisterial PERFORMANCE. As in PERFORMANCE, the principal characters mirror one another at crucial points---the rogue undercover cop (Steve Bauer), the vampirelike money launderer (Christopher Walken), his bewitching wife (Joan Chen), the banker/prostitute (Anne Heche) all perform a round-dance in which each partner takes on the other's identity, is attracted to the other because s/he sees in him/her a reflection of his/her own self. The fascination with homoeroticism, as in PERFORMANCE, could be taken on its own terms; more profoundly, it touches upon the film's Cammell's tireless obsession with finding similitude in difference.

Homosexuality is the love of the same. Homosexuality is a metaphor in the film for difference-in-similarity, similarity-in-difference.

And yet on a more visceral level, the film works beautifully as a lesbian fantasy. Without a trace of moral justification, Anne Heche is an object of lust for the viewer.

As in PERFORMANCE, the dialogue in this film is highly lyrical and stylized.

Every scene in this film is essential. Shame on the MPAA for forcing Cammell to censor his film (the film is now attributed to his psuedonym, "Frederick Brauner"). To all those who read these words: see the unrated version and only the unrated version.

Without a knowledge of PERFORMANCE, the significance of this film will be lost on the viewer.

Someday, Donald Cammell will be celebrated as one of the greatest directors in film history. His films are PERFORMANCE, DEMON SEED, THE WHITE OF THE EYE, and WILD SIDE.

Realistic lesbian sex
I don't really like films about organized crime or criminals, however there is a small amount of the movie devoted to the lesbian sex/love relationship Alex (Anne Heche) and Bruno's wife (Joan Chen). Anne Hech and Joan Chen did a superior job in their love scene, depicting lesbian sex. Most actresses do not understand lesbian sex or lesbian romance and thus misrepresent a deeply passionate act that they know nothing about. I haven't seen passion between two women portrayed this well in any movie I've ever seen AND I've seen dozens of movies with lesbian characters. Their sex scene was filmed tastefully and did not seem fake. I would not be surprised if Anne Heche actually had an orgasm in the scene. Their love scene was that realistic and convincing! The only reason I do not give this movie 5 stars is because of the violence and crude, brutal, criminal behavior of the other characters in the movie. I would like to see Anne Heche in another movie playing a similar character in a lesbian love affair, but make that THE FOCUS of the story instead of a sub-plot of the story.

More mild, than wild, but Anne Heche did look fairly good.
This strange mix of money, lesbian sex, and a plot that (at times) was a little hard to follow, did feature a fairly decent looking Anne Heche (Ellen Degeneres' former girlfriend, and I could see why) and Joan Chen, who have a few fairly steamy scenes together (too bad Ms. Chen didn't show more). The always strange Christopher Walken and Steven Bauer flesh out (pardon the usage) story, such as it is. I give it four stars for Heche, who can't really act, but did look good; I might have given it five, if Chen had shown more, other than that, ok, but not great. [Supposed to be the unrated edition, but I'm not so sure].

Wild Side
The only edition available on DVD is apparently the R-rated one which does not contain the hot scene with Heche and Chen.

Call me . . . ????
The provocative Anne Heche made a reputation in Hollywood due to her affairs with high profile comedians on her climb to the top. Few know that Heche was briefly Steve Martin's girlfiend before she was Ellen's, and despite her evident ability and attractiveness, a certain pall fell over her persona, as a real life heartbreaker (even before Ellen). She has hence been cast generally as a heavy, if not fem-lesbian, and even a twisted type.
All of which makes her heady performance in Wild Side the more exciting. As the reviews tell you, the film is uneven. Yet, it has moments of brilliance from all the players. Walken is wickedly funny in his absurd role, Bauer is often convincing, and Chen is her usual, magnificent self.
But Heche carries the film. The brief post-rape phone call scene on the kitchen counter is a high art, convincing
and sensitive, and she has rarely looked better than in the brocade (did I get the spelling?) kimono she wears in the following scenes.
But, it is the romance with Chen that is worth the price of the disc (although any cuts other than the director's should be universally outlawed on DVD, at least). Let's face it, these women are gorgeous, and even better together, au natural. As close as mainstream Hollywood has gotten (or may ever get) to XXX sex. But, the power of the justly celebrated scene arises from Heche's elegant portrayal of her character's seduction. The film will probably endure, despite its many flaws, as the most revealing testimony to her notable, if not major, talent. Sexy and worth watching. ... Read more