Greaser's Palace

source: Greaser's Palace

I saw this movie in the late 70's in a stuffy hot 2nd floor big open room on folding metal chairs in an "art film" series on campus. It is unique, and still rates in my top 10 favorites. I love religious spoofs, and cowboys and the old West really add to the humor. Yet another story of a reluctant messiah, who just wants to be a song and dance man, but has to deal with his destiny. It was too much for the commercial market, so never got the wide screening it deserved. If it were released in 1999, it would be a bigger hit.

The most bizarre part of the film is where the little old toothless man with the painting starts saying some gibberish over and over again (hoshi-jeb, hoshi-jeb, hoshi-jeb) So I plugged it into a sound recorder and played it backwards. And ya know what I find?? I believe he's speaking backwards, and what it distinctly sounds like he's saying is, "Veggie Soup". Hmmmmmm.....?? IMDb won't let me post this without at least 10 lines of text so I'm now typing a bunch of stuff just so they'll let me post this and it's pretty lame that they have to do this to me because all i wanted to do was make a comment, I didn't feel like writing an essay, but it's what they're forcing me to do and now I'm done.

not half as good as PUTNEY SWOPE or POUND. But, here is Downey on a budget: widescreen and in color too! Intensely dry humor starts this western off to a weird start. By the end of the first half hour, I started to "get it", but then the film shifted gears to Jodowroski territory with Allan Arbus in a zoot suit shuffling across the plains of the Old West, performing miracles along the way. The film completely falls short of anything near the more hardcore Jodowrosky stuff (real profound symbolism, artsy fartsy-ism, etc.), but it does entertain the terminally stoned mind. Which is not a bad thing. Cinema fans schooled in the post-blockbuster world will no doubt be bored to tears. There's no buzz editing and explosions. Fans of indie films from the 60s and 70s will only note this for it's historical significance. Worth watching for that alone, but not much else.

There is no two ways about it, this movie is a drug movie. It's meant to be watched while on drugs. Since I'm not on drugs I got to see the real film. It's not really very good. Now, it LOOKS good and the color has held up, but the story line is silly and very 60's. I was bored early on and stayed that way for the duration. The Greaser character makes no sense. People annoy him and he shoots them, but then others are even more annoying and nothing happens. It's not dramatic and it's nor particularly funny.

I saw "Greaser's Palace" in New York City when it first came out. It was a Playboy production at a time when Playboy was seeing the Playboy Clubs begin to decline and they were looking for other avenues--film production seemed like a nice idea at the time, but it was short-lived, partly, not doubt, because of this film. The only thing I remember about this film, other than the odd wardrobe and overall weirdness, was the line "Do you want to suckle my stinger". I have no idea which character said that line, or to whom it was said. I'd like to find this movie on DVD & watch it again, a second time after all these years, to see what I've forgotten--undoubtedly quite a bit of it.

Jesus comes back to the old west as a 1930's song-and-dance man in a zoot suit and takes on local strongman Mr. Greaser, whose struggles with constipation are painful to witness. I love this film. It will never be selected as entertainment for anyone's church youth group, but its fresh take on Christianity make for a wild and very original ride. Favorite moments: Lamey Homo protesting his dad, Mr. Greaser's, disciplinary methods, "I dreamed I was swimmin' in a rainbow and there was millions of babies and they was naked...Dad? I don't want to die any more." Dad's response: "Then behave yourself!" Sibling rivalry on the part of the Holy Ghost protesting God the Father's refusal to let him take on some of God the Son's perks (like being crucified): "You'll never know what I can do because you never give me a chance!" Jesus healing the paralyzed man, who is seen later in the film crying, "I can crawl again! I can crawl again!" It took me a moment to identify which character was supposed to be Judas, until the woman settler, who goes through so many terrible disasters, began counting out thirty pieces of silverware. It is somewhat disjointed, and definitely sacrilegious in spots, but those drawbacks are very minor. This is an original, savagely funny film.

Basically this movie is wacky. It features, Jesus Christ in a Zoot Suit, God in a black cowboy outfit and the Holy Ghost in a white sheet with eyeholes and a cowboy hat. Innana or at least what I believe to be the personification of Goddess-worship also is featured and almost killed several times by unknown assailants. Herve' Villechaize has an amusing homo- sexual role with Jesus and the overall best part has to do with Greaser's Bowel movements... A must see for David Lynch fans.

I saw this movie after midnight on a movie-channel, in a dark room. I really wasn't expecting much but somehow this strange and surreal film has a mood to it that very few movies have. Don't try to make sense of it ( I don't know if there is any ) Just relax, and take it in, and you'll see what I mean. Nothing in this movie is spelled out. It is a mystery. It's very funny, and it just leaves you with a feeling of having seen something very important and meaningful about life and death, but you're not sure what... My favourite spot in the movie is when "our" man is asked to give something to the followers, upon which he starts to hum a continuous tone. The "disiples" soon catches on and sings the tone to. He then leaves them, and they dare not stop this gift they have been given. Throughout the rest of the movie you can always hear them in the background or nearby, off camera, as the movie goes on with other things! And the closing scene with the setting sun, and the music/sound just had me mesmerized! I saw it only once, in 1986, and even today I often think about it. I wish I could buy it, but I haven't seen it anywhere. I really want to see it one more time. A MUST see !

Yeah, what those comments above this one say. It's really weird. Even if your not out to see the symbolism which is included in everything this movie does, you won't be able to turn away. At times it resembles a car crash; something in you says maybe you should look away, or just go about your business, but are somehow unable. A must see.