Flesh - 16MM

Interview and Roxy Cinema present:

Initially conceived to beat John Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy (1969) to the box office, Morrissey’s directorial feature debut is a defining moment in American independent cinema. Produced for $4000, the film follows a day in the life of Joe whose girlfriend kicks him out of bed and onto the streets to make some money to help pay for her girlfriend’s abortion. What follows are a series of encounters with johns, including a gymnast (Louis Waldon) and an artist played by former silent film actor Maurice Braddell. But the threadbare plot belies something far deeper and funnier in Morrissey’s unsentimental, accepting attitude toward life, perfectly embodied by Joe Dallesandro’s brooding, disaffected performance.
“In Flesh, the man at the end talks about the wound he’s got on his arm, that his flesh is scarred, and he’s going to pot and getting fat by not going to the gym. One girl wants an abortion- wants her flesh removed. Everyone is in a predicament relating to their flesh. Joe’s predicament is that his flesh is attractive. It was all very deliberate. . . “
– Paul Morrissey

Special thanks to the Andy Warhol Museum