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Wednesday, June 17, 2020

ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE (1973)

Director/producer/ composer James William Guerico’s epic-shaped indie, a monumental little film, quirky, stylish, ravishingly shot (by Conrad Hall), desperate to hit that EASY RIDER/’69 cultural/commercial sweet spot, but from a reverse angle. Earning buzz with a push toward serious cineastes (note the ad copy: An American Movie By A New Director), only to quickly disappear, taking Guerico along with it. He never directed or scored a movie again. (According to star Robert Blake, barely directing this one, leaving decisions to Blake & cinematographer Hall while giving separate credits to the Second-Unit for the main action set piece.) All told, it’s like a parody of ‘70s personal cinema (and quite entertaining on those terms), a modern day Western morality play with Robert Blake’s height-challenged chopper-cop uncovering drug-related murder and police corruption. He’s the last honest cop, Zen Master of his trade; so you know where this one’s going. But so glossy, so iconographic, so vehicularly fetishistic, the One Sheets, fold-out newspaper ad spreads and trailer created a buzz even a film this pretentious couldn’t hope to match.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: At one point, the corrupt homicide dick says a suspect has a rap sheet as long as the Gettysburg’s Address. Does he know what a famously short speech it is? Does Guerico?

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The film’s a lot like an over-extended, self-indulgent drum solo in a second-tier rock band. So naturally, when Blake works a rock concert, that’s exactly what we get! Helps push the running time near the 2 hour mark, along with a run-on end shot.

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