Uncle Meat (Video 1987)

This is a documentary about an unfinished movie. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention try to film the sci-fi epic "Uncle Meat."

Director:

Frank Zappa

Writer:

Frank Zappa

Stars:

Phyllis Smith Altenhaus, Dick Barber, Massimo Bassoli

Cast

Credited cast:
Phyllis Smith Altenhaus	...	Herself / Sheba Flieschman (as Phyllis Altenhaus)
Dick Barber	...	Himself
Massimo Bassoli	...	Adult Minnesota Tishman
Rodney Bingenheimer	...	Himself
Jimmy Carl Black	...	Himself
Ray Collins	...	Himself / Bill Yards
Aynsley Dunbar	...	Himself / Biff Junior
Roy Estrada	...	Himself
Francesca Fisher	...	The Countess
Bunk Gardner	...	Himself
Buzz Gardner	...	Himself
Lowell George	...	Himself
Dick Kunc	...	Himself
Manfred Lerch	...	Himself
C. Mercedes Lewis	...	Girl Who Was A Sofa

Storyline

Uncle Meat, who sometimes goes under the guises of Don Preston and Biff Debris, is an eccentric character who believs in musical progress and enjoys drinking fuming beakers and transforming into a monster. After seeing footage of him (as Don) transforming in this way while fighting for musical progress, film editor Phyllis Altenhaus meets him in person and falls in love. Later the two meet again at a pool hall under the guises of Biff Debris and Sheba Flieshman and they share a kinky shower scene together where they indulge each other's fetishes of clothes and hamburgers and declare their mutual love. Meanwhile, Uncle Meat and his band are secretly working on a hit single (made up of household items carefully arranged on a cloth) which they hope will change the world for the better by improving everyone's karma. However, no matter what he does, he can't seem to compose a hit and eventually, after he and Sheba have been married for over twelve years, his obsession with composing a ...

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Plot Keywords:

experimental film | rock 'n' roll | sci fi spoof | cult film | underground music | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Music | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Masked and Anonymous (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Mr. Green Genes"
Written by Frank Zappa
Performed by The Mothers of Invention

User Reviews

Weird.

There is nothing else that can be said about this movie. Weird. The scary part is that Zappa wasn't on drugs when he made this movie...he wasn't on drugs ever. But still...my God. Highlights include the ingenue lead beating drummer Aynsley Dunbar with a toilet brush (at his request) in the grocery store, and Don Preston turning into a monster (which essentially translates into "making a strange face.") And really, was full frontal nudity of this man really necessary? One scene in the movie has Zappa gathering cast and crew together to deliver some bad news: "the movie's got a plot." You'd never be able to tell this from watching it. Other than a conglomeration of truly weird sexual activities, that is. If you go buy the album, you will find that nearly all of the film's dialogue is on the disc: it won't make any more sense, whether you hear the disc or watch the film. Promise.