Central Bazaar

[MichaelB]

Central Bazaar



For this remarkable experimental film, the provocative avant-garde legend Stephen Dwoskin gathered together a group of strangers and filmed them as they explored their fantasies over a period of five days: a project that now sounds a little like TV's Big Brother. The ceremonial gowns and make-up here not only evoke the eroticism of European horror movies but also highlight the film's interplay between performance and intimacy.

Jonas Mekas called it 'theatre of life'

Extras
- New high definition transfer created from new film elements
- DVD-9/ Dolby Digital mono audio (320 kbps)
- Laboured Party (20 minutes, 1974): Dwoskin's 'on-set' companion piece to Central Bazaar. An unsuspecting Labour Party canvasser calls at the house and falls under the provocative and playful influence of the feature films participants.
- Fully illustrated booklet including original essays by Will Fowler (BFI curator) and Jonas Mekas (legendary Avant-garde filmmaker), reviews and biography.

[ouatitw]

I can't wait for this to arrive, too bad they're not doing a bluray release as well.

I also figured they would have the cover art out as well since this is being released in only 1 month.

Edit: never mind.

I can't wait, I always wanted to watch this after seeing the clip in Trying to Kiss the Moon, I'm pretty excited.

[foggy eyes]

Another Dwoskin masterpiece.

Caps won't do any justice to the image(s) in motion here, but I've grabbed a few at random nevertheless:















Amazing transfer, even better than the LUX/Re:voir disc of Dyn amo.

Buy!

[ouatitw]

This just arrived for me today. I watched a few minutes and I agree about the transfer, it looks very good.

Thanks BFI.

[RossyG]

I saw this last night. Superb picture and sound quality. The film was like an RD Laing psychiatry session filmed by Kenneth Anger and was certainly not what I was expecting. I thought I was in for a gritty, grainy Big Brother prototype, but I wasn't disappointed or bored for a moment. It was an amazing, hypnotic experience although I would question the use of one participant, the main focus for the last twenty minutes, who looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

All in all, though, a great release.

PS> Anyone know if this was certified by the BBFC in the Seventies? I'd be amazed if they'd allowed it through uncut.

[MichaelB]

Beaver.

And apologies for answering RossyG's question nearly a year late, but I suspect this wasn't BBFC-classified in the 1970s, because it wouldn't have gone anywhere near a mainstream cinema - and BBFC classification wasn't (and isn't) compulsory for theatrical releases provided the local licensing authority is amenable.

[RossyG]

That certainly makes sense.

Some of the scenes are pretty explicit; the sort of thing the UK censors would have still been cutting in 1999, never mind 1974.

[zedz]

Watched this yesterday and found it quite hypnotic. The encounter-group shenanigans I thought would wear thin very fast, and I must admit they never really engaged me, but the real dynamic force of the film was the colour - and I have to agree with the positive comments above: this is a shockingly good SD transfer - and Gavin Bryars' music. There's such a strong mood and aesthetic established by the look and sound of the film that the content itself becomes almost ambient. I have to say this is likely to become one of my favourite film scores, and it's a very substantial work by Bryars, since for the majority of the film it's music / soundscape exclusively, with the actual soundtrack of the scenes we're watching removed.