Frenando Arrabal, Take two

Reviewed by Zack Davisson, 2010-03-01

This is the second boxset release of the films of Fernando Arrabal, completing the entire set of the seven feature films that the celebrated and challenging artists made during his lifetime.

Arrabal was a contemporary and friend of famed director Alejandro Jodorowsky and author/painter Roland Topor. The three together formed the Panic Movement, named after the god Pan and with the intention of using shock value to overcome the stagnation and repetition the art world was currently in due to its fascination with Surrealism. Although the films in this collection are post-Panic Movement, which was dissolved in 1973, the philosophy flows through all of Arrabal's films as well.

The films in this collection are:

"Car Cemetery" ("Le Cimetiere des Voitures") - Before popping this one in the DVD player you have to ask yourself if you are OK with a film featuring a cast of almost-naked men with car parts hanging from their genitalia making out with each other. Because this is what you are going to get with "Car Cemetery." The film is a made-for-TV adaptation of one of Arrabal's most well-known plays, setting a Christ-metaphor in a post-apocalyptic where the music is punk and the clothing is optional. Completely bizarre production (In a good way) and possibly the least sexy film I have seen with this many naked people.

"The Emperor of Peru" ("L'Empereur du Perou" or "La traversée de la Pacific" meaning "The Travels of the Pacifice.") - You could not ask for a different movie from "The Car Cemetery." This is in face a surrealistic fantasy children's film, starring beloved actor Mickey Rooney. Three children, one with habit of Walter Mitty like fantasies, encounter an eccentric man in the woods (Rooney) who claims to be the Emperor of Peru and has a steam train that can take them anywhere. This is a charming fantasy film, limited by its small budget but otherwise working well with what is available. A harsh bit of realism pervades the film, as one of the children, Hoang, is a Cambodian refugee that has experienced horrors the other two children couldn't possibly imagine.

"Farewell, Babylon!" ("Adieu, Babylon!") - Essentially a narration of Arrabel's book by the same name, overtop images of Leila Fischer wandering the streets of New York, and interspersed clips from Arrabel's other films. A few famous faces put up now and then, like Spike Lee and Mario Van Peebles.

"Borges: A Life in Poetry" ("Jorge Luis Borges: Una vida de poesia") - A sixty-minute documentary featuring the last interview with author Jorge Luis Borges, who was a great influence on Arrabal. This documentary plays in the same style as "Farewell, Babylon!," where the Borges footage is interlaced with random and unconnected imagery. A great interview, but I felt the "filler" clips were unnecessary and distracted from what Borges had to say.

"Arrabel, Panik Cineast" ("Arrabel Cineaste Panique") - The final sixty-minute documentary on the set covers Arrabel as an artist. Interviews with Jodorowsky take us deep into the Panic Movement and Arrabel himself.

Fernando Arrabal may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who enjoy truly avant garde filmmaking and need a little chaos in their life, this box set is going to go down nicely.