WAXIN' AND MILKIN'

Brian De Palma with the cast of Scarface
1983

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Phantom of the Paradise
Directed by Brian De Palma
1974

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Tags: film movie poster De Palma horror musical 1974

Hi, Mom!
Directed by Brian De Palma
1970

This movie falls under the Sandinista! category in that in it somewhere lies something amazing, but overall though it’s a bit of a mess. But that something amazing happens to be the way-ahead-of-its-time social mockumentary-film-within-a-film, “Be Black, Baby”. With a jammin funk/soul soundtrack by Grady Tate (both Beastie Boys and Big Daddy Kane sampled its drums) and grainy 16mm filmstock, it’s De Palma in his rawest, seamlessly combining cinéma vérité style with his signature suspense and violence. Easily the best thing about the movie.

The rest of the film is pretty much De Palma doing his best art school Godard-meets-Hitchcock-meets-Antonioni, while De Niro’s Jon Rubin is like an early draft of his future characters Travis Bickle and Rupert Pupkin. But what separates Hi, Mom! from its Euro counterparts is that it punches the audience in the face with its visceral message. No need to name-drop authors or have random jump cuts of people getting interviewed or mimes playing tennis. Rather, it boasts gritty realism, neurotic New Yorkers, over-the-top violence, social commentary, funk soundtracks, and great (and hilarious) acting by DeNiro. I mean that’s pretty much the zeitgeist of American cinema in the 70’s.

Good companion piece to RD Sr.’s Putney Swope and a good choice to start off any American/New York 70’s marathon or collection.