The Movie Orgy

A compilation film put together in America in the 1960s. It is not a film in the usual sense. Everything in it comes from other sources: old science fiction films, episodes of television series, advertisements, newsreels, cartoons and promotional material. These are cut one after another. A scene is broken off and another image takes over as though continuing it; the result is deliberate chaos. Most of the material comes from American television of the 1950s and 1960s. The advertising language of the period, its picture of the family and its promise of consumption keep cutting in, and the editing mocks them. The film was shown on university campuses. A drinks company supported the distribution and the screenings were free; the aim was to reach a young audience. Its length is not fixed. It was played at different lengths at different screenings and the longest version runs over seven hours. It was never released commercially; the rights to the material used do not allow it. Today it can be seen only at special screenings. Joe Dante put the compilation together; he was not yet a director at the time and made his own films later. A production that stands alone for anyone interested in experimental editing and the archive of popular culture. For a viewer expecting a narrative, the film tells no story and never tries to.