The Genesis Children

`The Genesis Children' is a legendary film that I was lucky enough to have seen in it's initial (very brief) release in the early 70's. Quickly withdrawn because of hostile critical reaction, it was released on video several years ago after having been regarded as `missing' for decades. Despite a somewhat pretentious script that is nonlinear and difficult to follow on first viewing, it is a very earnest expression of naturist philosophy and is rather mystical in its approach.

The plot, such as it is, concerns eight American lads (ages about ten to sixteen) living in Rome, who are lured to a small Italian coastal town by a newspaper ad calling for boys `to act in a play.' Along the way, they encounter a man (played by Vincent Child) who appears to them in various guises: a priest; a teacher; a policeman; a politician. Directed by him to a secluded beach and finding themselves alone, they hang out for several days, swimming and sunbathing au natural. Indeed, this may be the ultimate skinnydipping movie. While there, they have some adventures. They explore a cave. They raise and repair a sunken rowboat, only to have it sink again. They attempt to steal food from a local farmer. They drive an abandoned van and end up wrecking it. Much of Genesis Children is Tom Sawyerish, but ends more like a milder `Lord of the Flies.'

On the surface, it's quite innocent except for an act of vandalism near the conclusion, which causes the boys to argue and breakup, some returning to civilisation and some choosing to stay. Also, there is a brief, ambiguous conversation between one of the younger kids and an older boy implying sexual activity.

On the downside, the production is rather amateurish and the acting a bit wooden. The cast is obviously made up of nonprofessionals.

On the upside, the color photography is outstanding with gorgeous shots of Rome and the Italian towns, countryside and coast. There is also a catchy musical score.

It must be said that Genesis Children is not intended for all audiences. Many would be offended by the extensive nudity parts of the film. I would think its appeal would mainly be for those interested in naturism and lovers of unconventional movie making.

Its amazing that a movie like this was ever made in prudish America, although one has to exclude the 60's and 70's from that label. The boys in the movies (ages 10-16) are completely nude for many scenes, and make no attempt to hide any frontal nudity. While it is unusual for boys of this age to show any nudity in American films, European films regularly show situational nudity of all ages. It would be nice to see American film-makers, and the general public relax with nudity in films (and in general), which somehow always gets related to sex (thanks to religious paranoia). There are no sexual innuendos in this film at all, and it is basically no different than watching a European nudist film, albeit there is at least an attempt at a plot here. Hard to find film, but still available through some distributors. The "leader" in the film (Peter Glawson) starred in another film (Peter & the Desert Riders) around the same time, but that film is almost non-existent.

One could hardly discern Aikman's intentions as a filmmaker at first glance. There is no real conflict in this movie, which means that in the strict sense, according to grammatology and narrative guidelines, there is no story at all.

This statement, however, could be quite deceitful, as one could easily argue that there is, indeed, a story of some sort, albeit not a traditional one. "The Genesis Children" deals with male beauty: there is a strenuous emphasis in the naked bodies of a group of boys, and that alone serves as reminder of certain theories. Can beauty be found in physical form? Or, as Plato would have it, can real beauty only pertain to the Ideal and thus belong to the sphere of ideas and not to the real world? There is also another conception of beauty that could be useful. When Nietzsche defined the Apollonian beauty he referred to symmetry, cleanness, perfection; and clearly some of that approach is present in Aikman's film, however, Nietzsche would also consider the Dionysian aspect almost as vital or, perhaps, even more relevant. Throughout the narrator's soliloquy this dichotomy comes forward "amidst beauty there is decay", thus accepting that, indeed, one cannot understand beauty while looking only at the bright side of it.

Nietzsche once concluded that art may deconstruct or defile modernity's values. Perhaps, in this most controversial production, the director intended to confront morality with creativity. One could wonder how this movie came to be. After all, it displays the naked bodies of eight young actors, all of them underage, and at points the camera seems fixated on certain areas of their anatomies (all of it would be absolutely forbidden by today's legislations in most countries).

Some of these boys have barely reached the onstage of puberty, while others have just started adolescence. There are long scenes in which they wander around naked, frolicking, playing in the water, and perhaps part of the audience could have considered all that nudity a bit gratuitous. After all, some people might argue than to watch the penises of several boys dangling around while they run to the ocean would not really advance the plot in any direction. Nonetheless, if there is no plot then why should the viewers be concerned with such visual trinket? Certainly, these young boys do not decide for themselves to spend several days on a secluded Mediterranean beach, spending most of their time naked for no apparent reason. They had been summoned by a newspaper ad: "Wanted boys to act in a play to be performed before God at Pavicelli. Come unprepared for your parts". The man who has written the ad is a mysterious bearded individual that appears to them as a priest.

Since the first minutes up until the last ones, the boys comment constantly that they feel like they are being watched by someone. That would be no surprise, after all, it's clear that they are there to be observed. In an almost metalinguistic retort, one of the boys says that instead of someone "something" might be watching them.

As was previously explained, the absence of a "story" shouldn't be a real hindrance; nevertheless, the lack of character development and some of the abrupt decisions the boys take can be a bit unfavorable story-wise. For example, after being naked for entire days, one of the boys gets up and decides to leave while shouting to the rest "You can stay here and run around naked in the sun if you want to, but I think it's obscene". If it was obscene, why did he indulge in such activities for so long? Why does he suddenly find it obscene at one point when he had no conflicts about it before? Perhaps, a more character-based approach would have served better the intentions of the director. Nevertheless, as any artistic work that deviates greatly from established norms, it bears some interest but I would not recommend it to impatient viewers.

Well this film was just strange. Boys around teens just running around naked and something about God and Christ. No it had no meaning, must have been made of some nutcase who enjoys looking at teenboys naked. It was purely stupid and meaningless.

Strange, dreamlike film is more a glimpse into the secret, fantasy-laced world of children, than a narrative movie with a story. And "Genesis Children" recreates that brief time like no other film in memory. Filmed in Rome, among the ruins and on the lush seaside, this poetic study of adolescence involves a group of boys, mostly in their teens, and a few younger, who answer an ad posted by a mysterious stranger, about taking part in a play based on a Greek Tragedy. The boys become fast friends, in a way that is only possible at that age. As a group they embark on a series of adventures, through the streets of Rome, into idyllic forests, and mysterious, dark caves, which they explore by torch light. The film is non-linear and random, exactly like the lives of children. The simplest things are laced with symbolism, usually religious in nature. When the oldest boy Jack lifts a loaf of bread above his head and offers it to the others, he becomes somewhat like a 'Jesus figure,' as the other kids take to following his lead. As the film moves forward, their adventures become more tinged with mystery, and danger, and ultimately, violence.

From reading some other comments about this obscure film, it seems that few seemed to grasp what the filmmakers were trying to do. "Genesis Children" is merely showing the difficult journey that we all take at one point, from innocence into adulthood. That journey is usually filled with confusion, frustration, and anger, as well as a natural fear of the unknown. One by one, each boy faces a certain conflict, and this leads to each one letting go of their innocence. In the end, some of the boys suddenly feel uncomfortable with being nude on the beach, while others in the group decide to stay by the sea, living in the primal way that only kids are capable of. I found this movie to be quite brilliant in many ways. The creators obviously have an almost reverent love and respect for this special time, before we must accept responsibility and conform to a fixed schedule. I think most people forget when the only thing they were required to do, was run from one adventure to the next, with no concern about tomorrow. The movie brought back memories for me, of how it felt to be truly free. And any piece of cinema that can do that, has got to be something special. On a side note, I find it profoundly sad to read so many people trashing this movie, based on some beach scenes early in the film, where the kids are swimming and playing while nude. There is not one single frame of this movie where sexuality is even hinted at. The characters didn't even seem to be aware of their being naked, so I have to wonder why it is such a big deal for the audience. I think people need to grow up. I would have no problem letting my own kids watch this film; in fact I believe they would have a deeper understanding of it than many adults. Recommended for fans of directors like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Derek Jarman, and even Ingmar Bergman. The cinematography brought to mind Jarman's "Sebastion," and the characters are filmed in the same unassuming way that Pasolini photographed his actors in "Arabian Nights." And for some reason I was reminded of the children's film "The Black Stallion," especially the scenes where the little boy bonds with his horse on the desert island. Just don't look for anything vulgar in this movie; you won't find it here..