Blonde Bombshell of Cosmic Fright

Gunvor Nelson's 1972 film TAKE OFF is an entertaining  and unsettling avant-garde vision. Burlesque performer Ellion Ness dances a full routine to the music of Pat Gleeson. She's lit with what is probably an arc lamp and glows beautifully against a black background. Nelson employs overlapping techniques in the editing so that Ness often appears ethereally doubled.

For about eight minutes it seems the purpose of the film is to celebrate the beauty of Ness and the gestures of her craft. Perhaps, too, there is some early deconstruction work going on regarding the male gaze (that term doesn't actually get introduced into feminist theory until 1975). 

The final minute of the film is utterly strange cinema. The exaltation of natural beauty gives way to something disturbing and profound. It becomes a strobing nightmare, in which Ness disassembles herself into a torso that goes spinning into outer space.

David Lynch fans will admire this precursor to his peculiar female type: a beautiful blonde woman who signals cosmic unsettledness; the strobing combat between inscrutable forces of light and dark. 

The movie sharing service Fandor allows you to stream TAKE OFF in HD. I rate Fandor an excellent site for the discovery of avant-garde films. 

Willie Nelson and the 4th of July

Seeing Willie Nelson on 4th of July weekend is at once a glorious and provocative way to celebrate the Birthday of the U.S.A. Willie sings about wanderers, contrarians, two-timers, and lonely drinkers as though their stories are the stories of the world. Born restless, he quickly eschewed any sense of "normal American life," and what he became -- a batch of honky-tonk and hippie sensibilities in the shape of a prankish, rough-looking gypsy king -- is a revered aspect of the American character. Tax evasion and pot busts will never mar him. To love Willie is to love America -- the hybridity we cherish, and the untamedness. 

Reviews of recent shows prior to the one I saw at Starplex in Dallas lament decline; there was much worry that age had finally caught up to Willie. But he was excellent for several thousand fans at Starplex; his voice was strong and his playing beautiful. Each of the critics that found previous shows messy and odd were also quick to mention Willie's special hospitality toward his audience -- the reaching out of his music to engage our care where he cares. A Willie Nelson show has never been about mathematical accuracy or exegencies of stage craft. Willie's mode is stand, deliver, and smile. What he often delivers is a spiritual experience. His way of truth-seeking through song describes the perseverance, openness, and grace intrinsic in the created being. He carries a message and speaks for all of us. 

Photo: Willie Nelson at Starplex, July 4th weekend, 2017.