The British Guide to Showing Off (2011)

British artist and living legend Andrew Logan, loved the world over by celebrities and misfits alike, takes us under his glittering wing and inside his outrageous, anarchic and spectacular ... See full summary »

Director:

Jes Benstock

Stars:

Andrew Logan, Brian Eno, Grayson Perry

Cast

Credited cast:
Andrew Logan	...	Self
Brian Eno	...	Self
Grayson Perry	...	Self
Zandra Rhodes	...	Self
Richard O'Brien	...	Self
Michael Davis	...	Self
Quentin Logan	...	Miss Elementary My Dear
Janet Slee	...	Miss Hokusai
Andrey Bartenev	...	Miss Bubbles of Hope
Stuart Hopps	...	Miss Sea Sea Sur Mer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leigh Bowery	...	Self (archive footage)
Nell Campbell	...	Self (archive footage)
Michael Cashman	...	Self
Julian Clary	...	Self (archive footage)
Divine	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

British artist and living legend Andrew Logan, loved the world over by celebrities and misfits alike, takes us under his glittering wing and inside his outrageous, anarchic and spectacular costume pageant: the Alternative Miss World Show. As the Shows master of ceremonies and ringmaster, Logan is the high priest of an esteemed congregation. He describes the Show as his most important artwork; a fabulous living sculpture that spans forty years of arts and culture. Using live observational camera, archive and exuberant animation, this documentary charts the mounting of the 2009 Show, interwoven with its history, the rise, fall and rediscovery, of both the event and the artist at its center.

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Taglines:

For the outsider in all of us

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Comedy | Drama

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User Reviews

An OK film about an unusual and genuinely interesting subject

As a film, if we're talking about direction, cinematography, story etc, 'The British Guide to Showing Off' isn't likely to win any awards, but its subject of it is interesting enough that its worth a watch. Andrew Logan takes us on a tour of the history of the Alternative Miss World show, from the heady, druggy haze of 1972's 'Party' theme all the way up to the show he is planning in the film, 2009's 'Elements' theme. The viewer gets to learn about Logan as a person and an artist, we see many of his contemporary sculptures, discover he is the only living artist in the UK with his own museum, and find out how and why he created AMW, a transformative human art show in which anything goes. And AMW is something that needs a documentary to explain it, because it seems that unless you've been there, you might not understand...

We hear about the year Divine hosted, the year David Bowie couldn't get in because it was too jam-packed (even though Angie was a judge) and about the year Grayson Perry's naked ex-girlfriend swore at people on stage covered in felt-tip tattoos. We hear tales of drunkenness and debauchery that would curl even the thickest of false eyelashes. Best of all, we see scenes from the show, people preparing, old and new, famous and non-famous, female, male and everything in-between, and whether you'd want art like that on your wall or not, it's stunning. It's a joy to see what people can do when they are challenged creatively, and to watch the living, breathing sculptures, suspended in the air by their hair or surrounded by dancing minions, is to witness both the human imagination and the sense of fun at their highest levels.

I'm delighted to say this film inspired me to book tickets for the 2014 AMW show. I can't wait!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2011 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Berriew, Wales, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,496

Company Credits

Production Co:

Living Cinema 001

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1