Le lit de la vierge [The Virgin's Bed] (Philippe Garrel, 1969)

After the dust of May 68 had settled and it became clear that the promised revolution would never be, the young were lost. Filmed in an unscripted haze of drugs and dimmed hope, Le lit de la vierge brings back Jesus [Pierre Clémenti] – now mocked as an astray, confused man and representing the many once-hopeful of '68 – to the desert where he meets Marie, his mother the virgin and the prostitute Marie Magdalène, 60s scene girl Zouzou la twisteuse in a double role.

The mother/whore and hippie aspire a new revolution of sorts, exposing the beach under the pavement as a desert of contemplation.

A gif of Tina Aumont during the filming of “Le lit de la vierge”. From Frédéric Pardo's short psychedelic documentary “Home Movie, autour du 'Lit de la vierge” (1968). DP: Frédéric Pardo.

#Bales2023FilmChallenge #PhilippeGarrel #Zouzou #PierreClémenti #TinaAumont #GroupeZanzibar #JohnCale #Nico #MichelFournier #France #Mai68 #drugs #religion #hippies #Morocco #1960s

Dillinger è morto [Dillinger Is Dead] (Marco Ferreri, 1969)

Pow!

Industrial designer Glauco (Michel Piccoli) arrives home after a long long, tedious day. His wife Ginette (Anita Pallenberg) – in bed high on painkillers – cooked dinner but the dish is bland and long cold, and the maid (Annie Girardot) is already sleeping. Glauco decides to cook himself a gourmet meal. Looking for ingredients he finds a 1934 newspaper reporting the dead of Chicago gangster John Dillinger with inside of it a rusty 1930s revolver. Fascinated, he meticulously restores the handgun while preparing his meal.

Dillinger è morto is a story of food and alienation. Piccoli's Glauco, bored of his successful career, bored of his beautiful wife, bored of his beautiful house, finds sudden vigour in the act of preparing food and restoring an item that shouldn't be where it is and with that, essentially recreates John Dillinger's escape from Crown Point.

John Dillinger posing with a Tommy gun and the hand-carved wooden gun that he used to escape inescapable Crown Point jail on March 3, 1934. Crudely carved into the dupe's barrel are the words COLT 38.

#Bales2023FilmChallenge #MarcoFerreri #MichelPiccoli #AnitaPallenberg #AnnieGirardot #TeoUsuelli #MarioVulpiani #Italy #drama #crime #satire #food #1960s ★★★★☆