Tuesday,
January 25 at 7:00pm
Directors
in Focus: The Kuchar Brothers
 The
Kuchar Brothers, George and Mike are Bronx natives who began
their careers in the 1950s making amateur 8mm short films. Their
outlandish cinematic experiments have made them legends of the
American avant-garde and the forefathers of what can only be
described as the cinema of "bad taste". The Kuchars
deal with the subjects of friendship, love, and lust with reckless
abandon - end results being occasionally disturbing and often
hilarious. Blending the high drama of Hollywood with the lowbrow
humor of the underground, their films are recognized as paving
the way for filmmakers such as David Lynch and John Waters.
This program celebrates the first annual National Film Preservation
Foundation Avant-Garde Masters grant, awarded to the Anthology
Film Archives in New York City for their project to make new
preservation prints of the 8mm films of George and Mike Kuchar.
For
his assistance in helping to organize this program, International
House extends its thanks to Andrew Lampert, Chief Archivist,
Anthology Film Archives, NYC.
Kuchar
Brothers Restored Program I
A
Woman Distressed
dir.
The Kuchar Brothers, USA, 1962, 16mm, 12 mins, color
Pre-dating
Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor, the Kuchars bring us this
tantalizing tale of the inner workings of a very, very insane
asylum.
Night
of the Bomb
dir.
The Kuchar Brothers, USA, 1962, 16mm, 18 mins, color
Teenage
lust and deranged delinquence combine to create a cautionary
tale for the ages. The Chernobyl of comedy!
The
Confessions of Babette
dir.
The Kuchar Brothers, USA, 1963, 16mm, 15 mins, color
An
early masterpiece by Mike Kuchar in which Babette tells all,
leaving no turgid stone unturned.
Anita
Needs Me
dir.
The Kuchar Brothers, 1963, 16mm, 16 mins, color
“All
the horrors and guilt of the human mind exposed! It reaches
deep into the workings of a woman’s cravings. Your emotions
will be squeezed.” – George Kuchar
Sylvia’s
Promise
dir.
The Kuchar Brothers, 1962, 16mm, 9 mins, color
Love
comes in all sizes. But, the bonds of love extract a terrible
price to be paid in flesh. A vow weighs heavily on the heart.
Sylvia makes a promise, but can she keep it?
The
Slasher
dir.
Kuchar Brothers, USA, 1958, 16mm, 21 mins, color
An
insane, deformed killer stalks the grounds of a resort house,
bringing sudden violence to those of easy virtue and godlessness.
Kuchar
Brothers Restored Program II
The
Secret of Wendell Sampson
dir.
Mike Kuchar, USA, 1966, 16mm, 30 mins, color
Artist
Red Grooms is Wendell Sampson, and he is on a quest for friendship
within the Cosmic Bubble.
Sins
of the Fleshapoids
dir.
Mike Kuchar, USA, 1965, 16mm, 44 mins, color
Mike
Kuchar’s tale of love and devastation. The future never seemed
so ridiculous.
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