Paul Morrissey's FLESH, TRASH, and WOMEN IN REVOLT are classics of underground cinema. While I prefer TRASH and WOMEN to FLESH, all of them have a certain appeal (wether it be Joe Dallesandro or the Factory transvestites) that keeps a legion of fans happy. HEAT, while a technically superior film to the above-mentioned, has less of that appeal, but is still enjoyable.
Joe Dallesandro is Joey Davis, a former child star who is trying to revive his career. He takes up residence in a sleazy motel run by Pat Ast and also occupied by Andrea Feldman, an odd lesbian whose mother, Sylvia Miles, is a has-been actress. Miles and Dallesandro have a brief affair that cuts itself short when Joe begins having sexual encounters with every person he runs into!
As usual, Morrissey's film relies on great acting by the cast. Joe Dallesandro is good, as usual, but was much better in TRASH. Sylvia Miles is excellent in what could be an extension of her role in MIDNIGHT COWBOY. The two actors who really steal the film are Pat Ast and Andrea Feldman. Ast is pretty outrageous with huge frizzy hair and ugly costumes highlighting her obesity, but has great dialogue ("Is that so unbelievable...to believe?") and commands quite a presence in every scene of hers. Feldman, who is memorable from TRASH as the acidhead, proves herself as an actress. While many believe she is basically playing her crazy self, I think she manages to create a wild, yet sympathetic character and making this performance even more believable is the fact that Feldman killed herself shortly before the film was released. I wonder if her career would have continued had she lived?
HEAT has a Hollywood feel to it, despite being filmed in the standard cheap way by Morrissey, which makes it a bit less realistic to some viewers. I liked it, not as much as Morrissey's other works, but it still was saved by the outstanding cast. I would recommend this over any other Morrissey work for those who have yet to venture into the world of Andy Warhol's films, as this is easily accessible and is a bit easier to view (FLESH has bad sound and editing, TRASH has unflinching realism) for the mainstream film viewer.
Joe Dallesandro is Joey Davis, a former child star who is trying to revive his career. He takes up residence in a sleazy motel run by Pat Ast and also occupied by Andrea Feldman, an odd lesbian whose mother, Sylvia Miles, is a has-been actress. Miles and Dallesandro have a brief affair that cuts itself short when Joe begins having sexual encounters with every person he runs into!
As usual, Morrissey's film relies on great acting by the cast. Joe Dallesandro is good, as usual, but was much better in TRASH. Sylvia Miles is excellent in what could be an extension of her role in MIDNIGHT COWBOY. The two actors who really steal the film are Pat Ast and Andrea Feldman. Ast is pretty outrageous with huge frizzy hair and ugly costumes highlighting her obesity, but has great dialogue ("Is that so unbelievable...to believe?") and commands quite a presence in every scene of hers. Feldman, who is memorable from TRASH as the acidhead, proves herself as an actress. While many believe she is basically playing her crazy self, I think she manages to create a wild, yet sympathetic character and making this performance even more believable is the fact that Feldman killed herself shortly before the film was released. I wonder if her career would have continued had she lived?
HEAT has a Hollywood feel to it, despite being filmed in the standard cheap way by Morrissey, which makes it a bit less realistic to some viewers. I liked it, not as much as Morrissey's other works, but it still was saved by the outstanding cast. I would recommend this over any other Morrissey work for those who have yet to venture into the world of Andy Warhol's films, as this is easily accessible and is a bit easier to view (FLESH has bad sound and editing, TRASH has unflinching realism) for the mainstream film viewer.