Rape

Rape (1969)

** (out of 4)

Eva Majlath is out walking around when a cameraman notices her and then begins to follow her around everywhere.

This experimental film from Yoko Ono and John Lennon is strange to say the least. I'm not going to sit here and say I was entertained by it because it wasn't. There's just nothing interesting enough about this woman to where you'd want to spend seventy-five plus minutes with her. There's nothing good enough about the technical side of the film to where you'd say this here is good filmmaking.

This film is partially interesting simply because it's about thirty- years ahead of its time. In the day of age of reality TV and wannabe stars being followed around by cell phones for YouTube, you can't help but think that this is one of the earliest examples of a reality show. Of course, you'd have to overlook the actuality movies from the 1890s but I think Ono and Lennon were really onto something here.

I'm not exactly sure why they selected this woman for their subject. I'm not sure why they titled the film RAPE, although I'm going to guess it could be seen as their way of saying that they were being assaulted by the non-stop cameras that were constantly stalking them in the streets. Again, this here isn't a well-made movie and it's not all that entertaining but it's mildly interesting for what it is.

okay, so now I know John Lennon had some weird kind of humor. his movie 'Erection' was about a house, 'Rape' is about stalking some girl, what will be next? I don't know, because I was unfamiliar with Lennon's movies until now. but I like him better when he sings. his movies are not of great quality. and I mean this: if John Lennon would desperately want to videotape you without your permission, you should be proud about it instead of avoiding him and his camera for about 80 minutes. and if you even don't like to do that, the least you can do is asking him for an autograph. that would be so much wiser than to go away, acting as if you don't know him. I mean, BEEP, he is John Lennon, one of the greatest songwriters ever lived! how can you ignore someone like him? and if it's true that she is just an actress, she acts very poorly! her looks for instance: it's as if she is a doll that lives (and I don't mean the bride of Chucky).

and if you're making a movie about how society stalks everybody, why don't you just call it 'Stalking'?

My copy of this is many generations removed from the Austrian TV showing from which it was taken, so if there is any subtlety to the photography, then I probably missed it. What I see is a pastiche of Samuel Beckett's "Film"--which I'm sure a Fluxus person such as Yoko would have been aware of, and John probably was too--where someone is running away from the camera, trying to hide, but being "invaded" and "violated", hence the provocative title. That's it, and it goes on for over an hour. There doesn't seem to be much if any dramatic tension to the chase, and the whole thing must have been more interesting in "concept" than it turned out to be in execution. Maybe with a pristine print on an actual movie screen I would be more impressed, but I have a feeling the result would still be tedious and pretentious. Don't expend much effort or money to find a copy of this.

This movie was way ahead of its time and would make a lot more of an impact if viewed in the age of reality tv. This Blair Witch-esque exercise in chasing a woman around with a camera is dull in ways and thrilling in others. If I remember correctly, there was some controversy over whether or not the woman was randomly chosen, but it is apparent that she is an actual actress.