I recently saw Maidstone in a French DVD and have to say this movie is nowhere as bad as its reputation would have you believe. In fact, in light of the now pervasive presence of 'reality' based TV, the kind which thrives on humiliation, preying on our secret blood lust for murder, Maidstone, like the best of Mailer's literary work, is outright prophetic. Mailer's ambition may not be as long as his reach, but flawed as it is, Maidstone still works like a cinematic Cassandra machine. Not only is it a fascinating dissembling of Mailer and his infamous ego, but it captures the apocalyptic delirium of that terrible year of 1968 better than numerous documentaries made around that time. A significant, tragically under-appreciated, work of the underground cinema that is ripe for rediscovery and re-evaluation!
Review of Maidstone
