This Filthy World

John Waters did a one man show a year or two ago around the country. This film shows the whole show. Basically it's just Waters talking about good (and bad) taste, all his movies, his battles with the ratings board (over "Low Down Dirty Shame"), the actors he worked with, various sexual acts and his life in general. This movie is frequently hilarious and never boring...but not for everybody. The language is VERY raw and Waters doesn't shy away from anything (the comments about fisting got to me a little). This isn't for people who are easily offended but for those who love Waters and his films this is lots of fun. An 8--only because it IS a stage show and gets somewhat stagy a few times.

All this really is, is a lecture from John Waters telling stories from his life. That being said, Waters has lived a pretty interesting life, so this could have been twice as long as still been entertaining.

I love how he explains being influenced by William Castle and "the Tingler", as well as the work of Kroger. I love the idea of books being sexy. And even the thought that Aileen Wuornos deserved thanks from Charlize Theron for the Oscar.

The Michael Jackson joke was alright, and the Whitney Houston drug joke is even more powerful now that she is deceased (I wonder if he still tells it). Best of all was the concept of a trial tour, where people travel the country to go to notorious trials. I had never thought of that...

I think I have somehow been switched to the Bizarro World--after all, what else could explain how John Waters has gone mainstream?! Back in the 60s, 70s and early 80s, he was the creator of many sick and twisted comedies that most "nice" people didn't go to see. However, over the last two decades, thanks in part to some of his more mainstream films, he has become a very popular director and raconteur.

Here in this film, Waters is in the midst of a nation-wide tour where he does, in essence, a stand-up routine. He discusses his films, his life, his opinions and tells stories--most of which are very funny and some of which are very filthy. While this makes this film a bad idea for viewing by kids, it makes it an excellent guilty pleasure for adults to watch while the kids are asleep! Witty, clever and very iconoclastic--it is amazing to see how funny and insightful Waters is--showing he's much more than a talented (but twisted) writer and director.

My favorite part? When he talked about Dorothy and "The Wizard of Oz"--priceless!

"Why dost thou converse with that trunk of humours, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloakbag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years?" Shakespeare was no stranger to vulgar elegance. He made an art form of obscenities. It pulled in those (from all classes) who simply wanted to be entertained. Says Waters, "To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about." We don't always want to have our sensibilities elevated, our higher aspirations appreciated, and our refined tastes developed with dialectic. Calling a spade a spade might even help you avoid treading on it. We talk about the 'shit hitting the fan', but do we ever imagine what that would literally be like? John Waters makes us imagine.

When you ask someone what they like, they will invariably also tell you what they don't like. We justify our taste by expressing selective intolerance. Some people can't stand films with subtitles. Others can't stand the pap of multiplex movies. Some people detest nudity, while others detest censorship. Having defined what we don't want, we sit there in unproductive silence going, "Entertain me!" It could be said that This Filthy World ("Isn't it beautiful?") ignores the list of don't-wants and entertains you anyway. His immaculate and freshly starched style, penetrating insight, wit and gentle but brutal honesty, provide a safety net for us to identify with, rather than running out of the cinema or feeling personally attacked.

Filmed over two nights at the Harry De Jur Playhouse in New York City, the film provides Waters' insights on everything from the director's own childhood to his views on capital punishment, artistic censorship and why Dorothy was crazy to want to return to Kansas. He provides authoritative comment on his films (the most famous and critically acclaimed of which is still subject to the British censors' scissors), and delights us with his gourmet appreciation of all that is 'unmentionable'.

This hour-and-a-half retrospective analysis comes at a time when the 'trash aesthetic' is almost institutionalised. No longer a purely underground force attacking mainstream tastemakers, philosophical Warhol, breast-infatuated Russ Meyer, anti-establishment Troma, and a whole gamut of psychotronic paracinema of 'bad taste' with Waters as its queenly king, is controversially taken seriously. Academic film courses include subjects such as horror and pornography. Waters has exhibited at the Andy Warhol Museum. (Warhol, of course, has long been a respected name in art circles.) Critics regard Waters' outrageous 'Pink Flamingos' highly, even if it is part of the trash aesthetic. Directors like Waters did more than pave the way for trash (in every sense of the word). They paved the way for the intellectual deployment of themes and techniques that break down barriers or entertain in new ways. The vulgarity of the vernacular, expertly translated into images, challenging our established feelings: the 'entertainment' value ensures a steady cohort of supporters.

But we cannot judge a film-about-films on the strength of the films it refers to, or even entirely on the merits of its main protagonist. This Filthy World is not a John Waters film: it is a film of him performing a one-man stand-up show. Fortunately he is a charismatic entertainer. His camp sophistication encompasses a delicacy and charm when he discusses the most sordid of scenes. Immaculately groomed and attired, he looks and sounds the epitome of good taste. It is the actual content that you will find hilarious or offensive.

The film does have some shortcomings. Waters is not primarily a stand-up comedian and his monologue, a steady torrent, could be better paced. He talks precisely and quickly, with good enunciation. But from a purely cinematic point of view, a mixed interview format could have brought more contrasts and made for easier viewing. Although not essential, This Filthy World is best appreciated if you have at least a passing acquaintance with his films, whether the old classics like Female Trouble (which has been re-classified by the BBFC, with previous cuts waived) and the landmark Pink Flamingos (which is only available with cuts in the UK), or his more mainstream offerings such as Hairspray (recently re-made by others), Serial Mom, or Cecil B. Demented.

Even if you are new to the films of John Waters,it is hard not to tickled by his explanations of such strange practices as tea-bagging, or the more extreme practice of helicoptering. His creepily gross descriptions evoke shock and laughter in a way that most stand-up comedians today can only envy.

Professor Susan Hayward has said, "Queer camp is about trashing stereotypes with flash and flounce and dress in excess. It is about ridiculing consumer passivity through deliberate vulgarity." Provocative, vulgar and refined all in one, this film is Waters own take on Waters.

For John Waters fans, This Filthy World is essential viewing. As a commentary on his work, it should find a worthy future home as one of the Extra Features in a fully restored boxed-set of his classics.

This Filthy World (2006)

*** (out of 4)

This one-man show features John Waters on stage in Australia where he discusses his life, films and hopes for the future. Being Waters you know this isn't going to be your typical, uplifting conversation as he starts off talking about the three negative influences in his life and then moves onto filmmakers that he learned the most from and sure enough it's gimmick master William Castle. Waters talks about several sexual things including new positions, people from Baltimore and countless other subjects but I think the real interest for fans is going to be him discussing all of his movies in the order that he made them. This is where we get some incredibly funny stories and especially with some of his earlier films like MONDO TRASH and MULTIPLE MANIACS. The story about them in an unknown farmer's pig pen filming is priceless. The PINK FLAMINGO stuff is all familiar stories but they remain entertaining no matter how many times you see them. He then gets into details about coming out of the midnight movie stuff and hitting mainstream with HAIRSPRAY and CRY BABY. All in all this is a pretty funny show even with the few dry moments that are scattered throughout. No matter what you think of his films, Waters is a pretty unique filmmaker and he's always got some great stories to tell. This here will mainly appeal to his fans or those who aren't easily offended but it's worth sitting through.