Myra Breckinridge
This one probably created more problems than it was worth. At
least some of the people involved with the production would say
that. For further details, dig out your volumes on Ms. West or
Ms. Welch as well as the activities of director Mike Sarne.
Nevertheless, it's full of laughs as long as you have the right
attitude and sense of humor. Pay attention to the more "subtle"
touches (like the laughing poster of Monroe in the background of
a punched-out Buck Loner or the emphatic phallus-shaped
horn in the foreground of Buck's office) which add as much humor
as the ironic pastiche of endless film clips.
I can imagine that Mr. Vidal was not completely satisfied with
the end result, but the film operates on a different level than
the book. (If the same type of approach had been used with
Caligula, perhaps the end result of that film would have been
better.)
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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