The Connection (1961)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   It seems almost unbelievable that The Connection was made in 1961, but entirely believable that it was denied a license by the censors. Obviously, the subject matter is fairly bold. We spend almost two hours with a roomful of heroin junkies, most of them jazz musicians who create a kind of score as the camera moves around. Formally, it is a faux-documentary, in which the film maker appears to get too involved, and eventually leaves the film in the hands of his cameraman to finish (a classic distancing device à la Jonathan Swift is used at the beginning to make you believe in its legitimacy), but it often feels a touch too scripted to be real... and yet the junkies could be "performing" for the camera and are often accused of that by the frustrated documentarist. And it's the little touches I find most convincing and surprising - hearing a man pee in a toilet behind a door, the word "shit"... Not what you expect from 1961 cinema. Truth is, The Connection is based on a play (theater being miles ahead of movies at this time, though the play was about staging a play, just as this is about making a movie, clever) and you might recognize an actor or two (the cameraman is Roscoe Lee Browne first movie role, for example), and of course, the end credits reveal all. Beyond the conceit, Shirley Clarke's film takes a non-judgmental look at addiction, while also imposing a judgmental look at the film's own voyeurism. It feels true even if it is staged. The "American New Wave" would have to wait a few more years, maybe because the film wasn't widely seen. 3 years 11 months ago
2. 

   nbats

   https://adult.noodlemagazine.com/watch/498710_164179179 3 years ago

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