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Deux cents motels

Original title: 200 Motels
  • 1971
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Deux cents motels (1971)
The great Frank Zappa's outrageous psychedelic precursor to today's music videos features "The Mothers of Invention" wreaking havoc in a typical American town. Ringo Starr narrates.
Play trailer2:59
1 Video
21 Photos
ComedyFantasyMusic

The great Frank Zappa's outrageous psychedelic precursor to today's music videos features "The Mothers of Invention" wreaking havoc in a typical American town. Ringo Starr narrates.The great Frank Zappa's outrageous psychedelic precursor to today's music videos features "The Mothers of Invention" wreaking havoc in a typical American town. Ringo Starr narrates.The great Frank Zappa's outrageous psychedelic precursor to today's music videos features "The Mothers of Invention" wreaking havoc in a typical American town. Ringo Starr narrates.

  • Directors
    • Tony Palmer
    • Frank Zappa
  • Writers
    • Frank Zappa
    • Tony Palmer
    • Mark Volman
  • Stars
    • Mark Volman
    • Howard Kaylan
    • Ian Underwood
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Tony Palmer
      • Frank Zappa
    • Writers
      • Frank Zappa
      • Tony Palmer
      • Mark Volman
    • Stars
      • Mark Volman
      • Howard Kaylan
      • Ian Underwood
    • 56User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:59
    Watch Trailer

    Photos21

    Deux cents motels (1971)
    Frank Zappa in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Keith Moon, Aynsley Dunbar, Janet Neville-Ferguson, Howard Kaylan, Lucy Offerall, Ian Underwood, and Mark Volman in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Keith Moon in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Deux cents motels (1971)
    Jimmy Carl Black in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Frank Zappa in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Keith Moon and Janet Neville-Ferguson in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Deux cents motels (1971)
    Theodore Bikel, Jimmy Carl Black, Janet Neville-Ferguson, and Pamela Des Barres in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Keith Moon, George Duke, Aynsley Dunbar, Janet Neville-Ferguson, Howard Kaylan, Lucy Offerall, Ian Underwood, and Mark Volman in Deux cents motels (1971)
    Ringo Starr in Deux cents motels (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mark Volman
    • Member of Mothers of Invention
    Howard Kaylan
    • Member of Mothers of Invention
    Ian Underwood
    • Member of Mothers of Invention
    Aynsley Dunbar
    • Member of Mothers of Invention
    George Duke
    George Duke
    • Member of Mothers of Invention
    Theodore Bikel
    Theodore Bikel
    • Rance Muhammitz…
    Keith Moon
    Keith Moon
    • The Hot Nun
    Jimmy Carl Black
    Jimmy Carl Black
    • Lonesome Cowboy Burt
    Janet Neville-Ferguson
    Janet Neville-Ferguson
    • Groupie #1
    • (as Janet Ferguson)
    Martin Lickert
    • Jeff
    Lucy Offerall
    • Groupie #2
    Dick Barber
    • Bif Debris - The Vacuum Cleaner
    Don Preston
    Don Preston
    • Don
    Pamela Des Barres
    Pamela Des Barres
    • Interviewer
    • (as Pamela Miller)
    Ruth Underwood
    • Fake Drummer
    Judy Gridley
    • Chorus Leader
    Ringo Starr
    Ringo Starr
    • Larry the Dwarf…
    Jim Pons
    • Member of Mothers of Invention
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Tony Palmer(visuals)
      • Frank Zappa(characterizations)
    • Writers
      • Frank Zappa
      • Tony Palmer
      • Mark Volman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The role of Jeff was originally intended for Mothers bassist Jeff Simmons, who quit the group just before filming. As a replacement, Frank Zappa hired Wilfrid Brambell, who walked off the set in a rage a few days later. During a crew meeting, Zappa announced that he would give the part to the next person who walked into the room. Martin Lickert, Sir Ringo Starr's chauffeur, was cast when he walked in with a pack of cigarettes for Starr.
    • Quotes

      Rance Muhammitz: [as a TV show host, holding a microphone] Hi Larry, its good to have you back on our panel!

      Larry The Dwarf: [holding a magic lamp] Hi Dave, its really great to be back on your panel!

      Rance Muhammitz: I'm sure the people at home would be interested to know why such a large force as you is all dressed up like Frank Zappa. Tell us Larry, whats the deal?

      Larry The Dwarf: He made me do it, Dave. He's such a creep. He's making me hold this aladdin.

      Rance Muhammitz: And why is he making you do that, Larry?

      Larry The Dwarf: He wants me to fuck the girl with the harp.

      [Keith Moon as the nun peers out from behind the harp grinning]

      Rance Muhammitz: He wants you to fuck the girl... with the harp?

      Larry The Dwarf: NO, no! With the magic lamp! He wants me to stuff it up her and rub it.

      [chuckles maniacally, host stares at him]

      Rance Muhammitz: Let us ask our studio audience: if you had just been lowered down here on TV with a wire connected to a brown leather harness, forced by crazy person to insert a mysterious imported lamp in the rep-rep-rep

      [has trouble pronouncing word with thick German accent]

      Rance Muhammitz: into the, into the RE-productive orifice of a lady harpist, and you were a dwarf... would you do it?

      Larry The Dwarf: YES!

    • Crazy credits
      The closing credits are super-imposed over a number of production-related documents, including sheet music, scripts, shooting directions, memos, and expense reports.
    • Alternate versions
      A laserdisc issue deletes the "Dental Hygiene Dilemma/quasi-Donald Duck on acid" animation sequence.
    • Connections
      Featured in Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere (1980)

    User reviews56

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    extremely weird and silly with some good music
    Should you watch this film? I believe the following questions may be a decent guide to making this decision. Are you a Zappa fan who likes many of his different musical phases? If so, then this is a must. Are you a casual Zappa fan, partial to newer stuff only? If so, then approach with caution. Do you like very bizarre sequences put together seemingly at random? If so, this is a must. If you hate that kind of thing, then you will probably hate this. When in doubt, have a backup ready so you can switch to that if you lose patience. Oh, and guys out there, I wouldn't recommend showing this to your girlfriend unless she is a big Zappa fan. By all means, I do NOT recommend planning a romantic evening with a girl with standard pop culture tastes that is bookended by playing her samples of your Magma and King Crimson collection and then ending with a screening of 200 Motels, not even as an experiment. Trust me, I have tried this (once) and the results were not good. But I digress...

    What do you get from 200 motels? Random weirdness and silliness with a very 1965-1970 feel to it, kind of like a strangely lighthearted feverish dream. You also get some very interesting music of highly variable quality and some great in-jokes that you will find hilarious if you have followed Zappa's career. I will never again be able to drive past a town named "Centerville" (there are lots of these in the midwest USA) without having that Flo and Eddie zombie-like sequence flash through my head. I would certainly not consider this a good film or anywhere close to a good film. But it is certainly oddly interesting.
    helpful•28
    2
    • Dr.X
    • Jul 30, 2000

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 15, 1971 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 200 Motels
    • Filming locations
      • Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Bizarre Productions
      • Murakami-Wolf Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $679,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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