American Nightmare
One factor of the huge success of The Blair Witch Project is that it’s rendered suspect any entertaining documentary for some people. Leaving the theater after AM, I actually heard people questioning whether it was “real” or not (um, it is real, isn’t it? – Just kiddin’.).
Yes, American Movie
For example, how does Mark stack up against our own local Ed Wood of the 21st Century, Mr. David “The Rock” Nelson? Here’s an ugly chart to illustrate the similarities and differences:
| Mark Bochardt | David “The Rock” Nelson |
| Lives in his parents’ basement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Lives in his parents’ basement in Park Forest, Illinois |
| Shoots on b/w 16mm film from his own script and storyboard. Edits using University of Wisconsin equipment | Shoots on camcorder – no script. Edits on vcr in basement. |
| Uses family and friends as unpaid cast and crew | Uses family and friends as unpaid cast and crew |
| Age: low 30s | Age: mid 40s |
| Dropped out of Army | Marine Corps veteran |
| Estranged from ex-girlfriend and children | Golden Gloves boxing champ |
| Plays the lead in own productions | Plays many roles in own productions |
| Tall, lanky, excitable and talkative | Short, brawny, excitable and talkative |
| Loves low budget shockers from the ’70s | Loves classic old monster movies |
| Prefers Burger King and Coke | Likes coffee and sausages |
Surfing around the web a bit, you’ll come across plenty of sites devoted to self-starter horror filmmakers all across the country. What separates Borchardt from most is that, despite the fact that he comes off as a total goof, he does appear to have a lot of talent and knowledge as to the technical requirements of cinema. I’ll have a better idea once my copy of Coven arrives, but the footage shown in AM looks promising.
Of course, it’s hard to gauge how much having cameras around affected the behavior of the subjects, but Smith seems to have tried to keep his interference at a minimum while also being honest about it. There aren’t any shots of Smith helping Mark carry equipment, but it would probably be difficult to spend so much time with these people without pitching in. The movie is very funny and there’s a lot of odd characters, but there’s also a great sense of the love and loyalty between them.
I know way too many creative people that are working long and hard to achieve something to laugh at Mark Borchardt without having it hurt a little bit at the same time. American Movie is as much a portrait of Every artist as it is anything else, and that’s the real horror story.
Order copies of COVEN and see what Mark and Mike are up too now at the American Movie website.
Django/Django Strikes Again DVD
Disc of Spaghetti
For most Americans, the Spaghetti Western began and ended with Sergio Leone, especially his films with Clint Eastwood. While those films are deservedly recognized as classics, they’re only a handful among hundreds of European oaters that came before and after.
One of the greatest successes in this sub-genre was Sergio Corbucci’s groundbreaking Django (1966), starring Franco Nero. Django touched a nerve, giving audiences an outré Western unlike even Leone’s. Instead of heat and dust, it played out in gray skies and mud. Instead of clear-cut villains, it had a dishonest hero caught between a gang of bandito revolutionaries, the corrupt Mexican army, and a Klan-like renegade militia. It featured a hero who didn’t ride a horse – instead, he came into town on foot, dragging a coffin behind him. This macabre touch builds throughout the film, ending with a severely beaten Django struggling into a showdown in a graveyard.
The film was such a success (except here, where it didn’t get much attention amid domestic drive-in fare) that Europeans went on a knock-off rampage, producing dozens of “sequels” that traded only on the Django name and image. Meanwhile, Franco Nero starred in Camelot. It wasn’t until 17 years later that Nero again took up the role for the only official sequel Django Strikes Again, this time directed by Ted Archer (a.k.a.: Nello Rossati).
Shot in Colombia, it was again a very different kind of Western, concerning Django being forced to give up his peaceful retirement in a monastery to use his trademark machine gun on an army of slavers. Donald Pleasance and Christopher Connelly lend support.
Anchor Bay has released the two films as a wonderful double feature, with excellent transfers, imaginative menus, an interview with Nero (who looks the same as he did 30 years ago), and even an odd little Django video game! The set also contains the most extensive liner notes I’ve yet to see for a DVD – a beautiful little 20-page program detailing the entire history of Django movies, including dozens of posters.