Discussion Questions #5

1. What were some of the venues associated with the early underground film movement in New York City? What were some of the unique characteristics of the Charles Theater and its programming?
- Some of the venues were Cinema 16, the Charles Theater, and the Fashion Industries Auditorium. The Charles Theater didn't just show films, but would often exhibit certain artists as well as music such as jazz.

2. Which filmmakers did Jonas Mekas associate with the “Baudelairean Cinema”? Why did Mekas use that term, and what were the distinguishing characteristics of the films?
-The filmmakers Mekas mainly associated "Baudelairean Cinema" with are Jack Smith, Ron Rice and Ken Jacobs. The term is derived from the name of a famous French poet, who strived to break the normal process of filmmaking and think outside the box.

3. Why did underground films run into legal trouble in New York City in 1964? What film encountered legal problems in Los Angeles almost on the same day as Mekas’s second arrest in New York City?
- Jack Smtih's film "Flaming Creatures" was seen as very indecent during the time of it's release in NYC. The completely liberal filmmaking was not only happening in NYC, but also in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, however, it was Anger's "Scorpio Rising" which fueled the protesting and legal problems.

4. What were some of the defining characteristics of Andy Warhol’s collaboration with Ronald Tavel? What were some of the unique characteristics of Vinyl? How does Edie Sedgewick end up "stealing" the scene in Vinyl?
-When Andy Warhol worked with Ronald Tavel, their films become purposely shoddy. In "Vinyl", a film based on "A Clockwork Orange", they left out most of the substance of the story, leaving the film with a skeletal plot. This was an increasingly minimalist style. Edie had a very powerful "stage presence" that often lead to her being the center of attention for the audience.

5. In what ways did the underground film begin to "crossover" into the mainstream in 1965-1966? What films and venues were associated with the crossover? How were the films received by the mainstream New York press?
- Underground films began to spur articles in major magazines across the nation; from "Saturday Evening Post" to "Playboy". "Scorpio Rising" got the chance to play for a month at the Bleecker Street Cinema, and "Inauguration" had plenty of screen time as well. The more mainstream the films became, the less the critics would accept them. As long as they stayed in small venues, they were received well.

6. Why was Mike Getz an important figure in the crossover of the underground?
- He managed a 500-seat cinema where he would screen the underground movies in Hollywood. He was found guilty of exhibiting an obscene film when he showed "Scorpio Rising"

7. How do Hoberman and Rosenbaum characterize Warhol’s post-1967 films?
- Warhol's post-1967 films began to take on characteristics of his earlier minimalist films. However the subject matter and film images began to focus on more "taboo" subjects such as sex, drugs and other explicit material.