Naked World: America Undercover

Hello, Well I am not in "Naked World", or in "Naked States" but maybe in the next one...? There is an old, very hard to find documentary on Spencer called "Naked Pavement" 1998 by Joshua Tunick (no relation) which was done in his early career. "Naked States" was next, by Arlene Donnelly, the same who did "Naked World". Arlene is a friend of Spencer's and while there is no critical voice in the movies, the movies are more to document what those of us who pose for Spencer feel and to show Spencer at work. Spencer is a visually oriented person, not verbal and when working is highly pressured by the changing light, the fact that we are naked and cold, etc. So he comes across as more abrupt than he really is. Is he an artist with artistic temperament. Oh yes! But as more and more museums have his work, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox I would say it's art. Will it last? I don't know. Wouldn't you like to have a documentary of past artists at work?

I've seen many documentaries and I'd rate this among the best I've seen. Perhaps it does not cover new ground as far as a documentary style, but the pace, photography, and music are excellent. Some people dismiss this piece because of the artist and his work. My vote is for the documentary and is not intended to be a vote regarding his art.

I will say that I rented it for the nudity but tried watching the documentary. This guy Spencer Tunick is such a flake and so arrogant. He is asked what makes a bunch of naked people standing around so special and he can't really even defend his own actions. He has a partner who comes across brainy, but then talks and talks without saying much. I would say the most artistic thing in the whole 76 minute movie is some naked people on beautiful rocks by the ocean. As if that hasn't been done a million times by other photographers. Amazing that he could get so many people to get naked for free. Oh, what I mean by flakey? He says in one shoot something like "Only 400 people showed up? I expected 700 - how can I possibly complete the project?" (what is the difference and he didn't pay them!) Like I said, I rented it for the nudity; male in particular. It was either moderately close shots of large numbers of people walking close together (so you only got a millisecond look) or it was a long distance shot, or from an angled side view or people walking by and you see them from the back. Or they were curled up on the sidewalk/pavement. Let me be clear - I didn't expect porn or eroticism, or extreme closeups but if you're going to have all these naked people, show something or else what is the point?

The subject of this wonderful documentary, Spencer Tunick, was a surprise when it was shown on cable recently. The controversial artist is seen in an uncanny account of the way he works by the director of the film, Arleene Donnelly Nelson.

We watch as the photographer travels to different countries in order to capture in film humans that pose against impressive backgrounds naked. Mr. Tunick speaks candidly about his ideas and how he goes about it. In interviews we see some of his subjects discussing before hand their ideas and reservations.

It's surprising that Mr. Tunick is able to get the hundreds of people to pose for him "en masse" without so much of a problem. His shoot in front of the Cutty Sark, a London landmark, is one of the best pictures we see in the film. At the same time, it surprises how the Parisian guards of the Louvre come after him when he tried to photograph a naked man in the museum's courtyard with the I.M. Pei pyramid in the background. We are shocked, in a way, because if anyone, in our minds, should be more understanding, would be the French!

The pictures are not pornographic at all! We see ordinary people posing nude, but there is no desire whatsoever to project anything sexual to the would be viewer, in any way. The people posing for Mr. Tunick do so out of their own free will, as no one is pressured to do otherwise.

After watching the film, we get an understanding of the artist and his vision.

It was 2 in the morning and I couldn't sleep even though I had to wake up in 7 hours. So I put on something called "Naked World" - which my DirecTV described as "An artist asks people to pose nude in the streets." Obviously, I was intrigued.

What I saw was NOT porn at all. Unless you consider 73 year old men standing naked in a field a good turn-on. And then, you have issues.

However, this was actually really good. This artist went around 7 continents (yeah, Antarctica also) and took pictures of random, common people (some good looking, some old, some the anti-supermodel) standing naked, in non-sexual poses.

It wasn't all nudity. It showed culture, reactions, and how everyone is diverse, yet we are all the same. Yeah it kinda had a message. Granted, the 400 people naked in the last scene was a little weird.

If you have time, check it out.

7/10.