Flesh (1968)

A man desperate for money and no income, turns prostitute and interplays with a variety of clients and hustlers.

Director:

Paul Morrissey

Writer:

Paul Morrissey

Stars:

Joe Dallesandro, Geraldine Smith, Patti D'Arbanville

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joe Dallesandro	...	Joe, the Hustler
Geraldine Smith	...	Geri, Joe's Wife
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Patti, Geri's Lover
Candy Darling	...	Candy, a Transvestite
Jackie Curtis	...	Jackie, a Transvestite
John Christian	...	Joe's Customer
Maurice Braddell	...	The Artist
Geri Miller	...	Terry
Louis Waldon	...	David, the Gymnast
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barry Brown	...	Boy in street

Storyline

Geri (Geraldine Smith) ejects her husband Joe (Joe Dalessandro) from bed, and insists he go out on the streets to make some money for her girlfriend's abortion. This leads to Joe's various encounters with clients on the streets of New York City: an Artist (Maurice Bradell) who wishes to draw Joe, a Gymnast (Louis Waldon), and another 'John' (John Christian). Joe spends time with other hustlers, one of whom is played by his real life brother, and teaches the tricks of the trade to the New Hustler (Barry Brown). Back home, Joe interacts with his real life one-year-old son. Joe gets back home, presumably at the end of his duty work, and is in bed with Geri and her girlfriend Patti (Patti D'Arbanville). The women strip Joe and begin to get intimate with each other; Joe gets bored and falls asleep. (Source: Wikipedia)

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Plot Keywords:

hustler | street | new york | testicles | male nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 1970 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Andy Warhol's Flesh

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Factory Films (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

UK censor John Trevelyan was wary of issuing the film a cinema certificate and suggested to the distributors that the film be shown on a club basis. When it was initially shown at the Open Space Theatre in London in February 1970 the cinema was raided by police who attempted to seize the film, leading Trevelyan himself to hastily rush to the cinema and vigorously defend the movie against possible prosecution, calling the police action 'unjustified and preposterous'. In the light of this incident Trevelyan was able to grant the film an uncut 'X' certificate.

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Goofs

During a scene with the go-go dancer, Candy and Jackie alternately call her by the character's first name (Terry) and that of the actress playing her (Geri Miller).

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Quotes

Joe, the Hustler: How am I supposed to make any money without clean underwear?

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Crazy Credits

The only closing credit is a copyright notice.

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Connections

Referenced in Warhol's Cinema 1963-1968: Mirror for the Sixties (1989)

User Reviews

Cult Classic

Although the film opens with the credit "Andy Warhol Presents", it was actually written, photographed and directed by cult film-maker Paul Morrissey (according to Morrissey, all Warhol provided was money and publicity).

Joe Dallesandro (immortalised as "little Joe" in the Velvet Underground song "Walk on the Wild Side") plays Joe, a slightly dim-witted male prostitute, who is supporting his bisexual wife and baby. His wife wants him to come up with $200 for her girlfriend's abortion. We basically follow Joe around as he encounters various characters willing to help him, including an artist who wants to pay him to pose nude, and Warhol "superstars" Candy darling and Jackie Curtis.

Despite being amateurishly shot, with countless technical errors, the most annoying of which is a very badly-recorded soundtrack, the film is fascinating due to it's delving into a world rarely seen on mainstream screens, which probably doesn't exist anymore. Although many scenes do go on for too long, it's too startling to be dull. Fans of Joe Dallesandro will no doubt enjoy his frequent exposure (he provides most of the flesh of the title).

If you're a fan of cult or underground films, you'll not want to miss this. It was followed by "Trash" (1970) and "Heat" (1972) to form a loose trilogy.