WAIT! Besides the philosophical implications, I know what that quote has to do with this post. It's a quote from a film by some of the guys in this post and it explains what 1933 was like in cinema. 1933 was one of those strange years that snuck up on everybody in the film world and left them confused as to what would happen next.
I. ECSTASY (JANUARY 20th, 1933)
Directed by Gustav Machaty
What good is life without a little nudity? Maybe a couple orgasms now and again? If you think life is better off without these things I a) recommend you never watch Ecstasy and b) stop playing World of Warcraft you strange little person.
Most of the films that challenged the censors in the U.S. were crime films. Back in the '30s, sex was REALLY taboo. Besides drugs, sex was so taboo the censors felt the need to make an entire film about it. Ecstasy challenged the Hayes censors and lost a battle it knew it couldn't win. If it's 1933 and your film contains a naked Hedy Lamarr having an orgasm, consider yourself dead in the water compadre. The film faced an extremely limited release in a few art houses in major cities and the word of mouth grew from there.
Ecstasy's legacy is undisputed as one of the most controversial films to hit the silver screen. Along with the being the first non-pornographic films to show full frontal nudity, it's also one of the first films to be condemned by the Legion of Decency. Ecstasy's tale of a suicidal love triangle, divorce, and sexual frustration rocked the Breen Office and the general population like they were the goddamn Casbah and is still pretty risque for the modern day.
II. DUCK SOUP (NOVEMBER 17th, 1933)
Directed by Leo McCarey
Here at Bad Craziness International, these zany gentlemen reign supreme. Outside our main headquarters (as well as a few of our thousands of satellite grounds scattered about the globe/solar system) there is a 30 foot, solid gold statue of the "mirror scene" that was made famous by this film. This film is by far the finest piece the Marx Brothers ever did, and it brought stream of consciousness/political satire to the forefront back in the '30s.
Duck Soup revolves around the life and times of the citizens of "Freedonia" (which on a side note was the name of America directly following the American Revolution), namely the new ruler Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx), Chicolini (Chico Marx), and Pinky (Harpo Marx). Firefly is a cunning but absent-minded autocrat who doesn't care for the citizenry at all but instead cares about his own affairs. Needless to say, the film's anarchic style of comedy became renowned for its fast-pace, quirky delivery, and ridiculous quality. A joke could range from anywhere between a joke about Mrs. Teasdale's (Margaret Dumont, a Marx Brothers staple) taste in men to serious jabs and discourses at the nature of fascism and totalitarian states. This sparked controversy back in 1933 when 4 Jewish guys were cracking jokes about Hitler and Mussolini, who, as you may not know folks, were in fact vehement anti-semites.
Duck Soup has influenced every great comedian and comedy group that you can think of (and believe me, Bad Craziness knows EXACTLY what you're thinking, even before you do). Woody Allen, Monty Python, Benny Hill, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Dave Chappelle, Mel Brooks, the writer of this blog, etc. The Marx Brothers have a hand in almost every bit of comedy that's come out since their ferocious reign as the kings of comedy, especially in terms of political humor. They were able to make political humor extremely dangerous because even when they didn't mean to make political comedy (like Charlie Chaplin), they managed to do it.
III. KING KONG (MARCH 2nd, 1933)
Directed by Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack
"It was Beauty killed the Beast". King Kong is easily the most messed up love story ever told. Not only does it argue in favor of bestiality, it caused riots outside of theaters for its gruesome and extremely sexual content. This piece of cinema history from RKO Radio Pictures shook the world with its innovative special effects (done by Willis O'Brien who also worked on The Lost World and I don't mean Jurassic Park although Jeff Goldblum does everything justice) and subversive subtext.
America loves itself some religion. Every Sunday, a vast majority of people head on down to the local steeple and cook them up a heaping helping of Jesus Stew. What's one thing that pisses off these Bible-thumping patriots more than gay marriage? Sex. Weird sex. Homosexuality isn't weird. Sex with animals is weird. At least to the highly religious of all denominations and variations, not just Christians. We here at Bad Craziness don't care what you do in the bedroom or barnyard (or couch or public bathroom or what have you), but religious people care where your pants lance does the dirtiest dirty dance. Aside from the violence in King Kong that originally involved a decapitation and graphic depictions of people being crushed, there is a sexual subtext in the film that disturbed many in the audience: bestiality. In one controversial, legendary scene, it is implied that King Kong gives a virtually naked Fay Wray a little "tickle" off screen that makes her giggle and moan. So if the blood and vicious sound effects weren't going to bother the faint of heart with more religious conviction than the Grand Rabbinate and Pope Urban VI combined, then the implied interracial gangbangs, overt bestiality, and idea that women have sex for reasons other than childbearing might.
King Kong in many ways is the first slasher film with its subversive themes and grisly presentation, and its legacy will live on forever. From the classic Claymation to Fay Wray's legendary screams, this is one of our favorite movies and one of the most important films to come out of the cinema dust bowl.
1933 was in a way the last straw to the censors before they signed the Hayes & Breen Code of 1934 and these three movies tell you why, folks. Next time we're hitting up the "greatest year in cinema history"
Follow me on Twitter (DylanMerrick6) and like the Bad Craziness Facebook Page to learn so much about movies, you'll never need to speak to your friends again! Happy Thursday hombres and as always!
~Viva amigos,
~D. Merrick
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