[DoctorJones24]

How bout a thread where we each propose a single film that most of us have probably not seen, and explain why the rest of us should find it.

I'll start:

JINNAH (1998)
For those of you who liked "Gandhi," this would be a great one to watch alongside. It retells the story of Indian Indepence and subsequent partition from the perspective of the "father of Pakistan," Muhammed Al Jinnah. Again, a white Englishman plays the role of the title Indian; this time it's Christopher Lee (Saruman from LOTR) who is fantastic as the complex and divided leader of Muslim India. The form of the film is also more playful and experimental than Attenborough's "I'm making an EPIC!" style. This one opens with Jinnah's death, and the film involves an examination of his "case" for admittance to heaven (think "Defending Your Life"). Shashi Kapoor, probably the biggest Bollywood star of his generation plays Jinnah's judge and jury. Specifically, the film investigates Jinnah's blame for the partition massacres that followed independence, which left about 1 million people dead--truly one of the great atrocities in world history. Attenborough's film of course absolves "Gandhi" entirely, putting the blame squarely on the Muslim leader's shoulders. So this film is kind of an answer to "Gandhi." The point is worth noting that while Gandhi preached religious tolerance and diversity, his whole philosophy of satyaghra (sp?) comes down from Hindu teachings, and suggested pretty clearly to India's Muslim minority that India would be a Hindu nation. Anyway, a tough one to find, but worth the effort.

[Doctor Stamen]

24/7. It's a film about a guy (Bob Hoskins) starting up a boxing club in Nottingham. It starts with Bob as a drunken tramp with nothing, and then it goes back to show you how he got into that state.

It's really low budget, but it's great.

[GringoTex]

"Superstar" - Todd Haynes' debut film.

The low budget 16 mm feature that tells the life of Karen Carpenter using Barbie dolls rather than human actors. I'm not talking about animation - it's all live action on miniature sets with dolls. No special effects, blue screens, etc.

I know what you're thinking: must be some black comedy/satire. WRONG. It's 100% to-be-taken-seriously melodrama. And it works. Leaves you in tears.

Unfortunately, a court order was issued banning the film from any kind of distribution. Haynes used Carpenters recordings in the film and, of course, the Carpenter estate refused to grant him clearance rights. I was lucky enough to see a 16 mm print of the film, but you'll have to do with bootleg videos. Many independent arthouse video stores have a copy but don't display it. So if you live next to one, go in and make a "special request" of the manager/owner.

[Dolemite]

"The Forgotten Zone"
this is a very hard to find film. needless to say it's crazy. it's about how the midget from fantasy island is the king of the sixth dimension who wants to keep a french girl after she accidentley falls into the sixth dimension. the film is in black and white, i believe it was made around 1980, and there are lots of very weird musical numbers. very very strange

[Daniel from Montréal]

"Married Life" which is a Canadian mockumentary where a team follows a newlywed couple and in which the director influences the couple to get ratings. Some truly hilarious scenes. Originally a 5 part miniseries. I saw it on Showcase, a Canadian channel.

Up there with Best in Show.

[oman]

Android. Not really little known, however.

[Michael K.]

<b>Forgotten Silver</b>

Another ace mockumentary, this one from none other than Peter Jackson. I saw it as the first part of a double bill with '100 years of Polish Cinema' a few years ago and thought it was absolutely fantastic, and yet I never heard neither hide nor hair of it again. Until now...

<b>'For Peter Jackson's fifth film he collaborated with Costa Botes to make this mocumentary on the supposed founder of the New Zealand film industry, Colin McKenzie. In the documentary, the man was shown to have experimented with colour, developed sound, and also constructed the mobile camera, when it was all just an elaborate.

It is a hilarious look at the film industry in a documentary style that has many reputable people like Sam Neill, Harvey Weinstien, Leonard Maltin. It even has Peter Jackson himself, supported the evidence.

When it was screened in New Zealand, it managed to fool half the population, thus being one of Jackson's favourite triumphs.'</b>

http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/mo...forgotten.html

[Dante]

Boondock Saints

One of the best movies never to hit the big screen.

[phats_away]

american movie

a documentary on this guy making a low budget horror movie called craven

[Smiley321]

Videodrome is a great surreal movie starring James Woods and Debbie Harry (of Blondie).