UNITED STATES: RADICAL DIRECTOR JOHN WATERS ATTENDS WORLD PREMIER OF HIS LATEST FILM "CECIL B. DEMENTED" IN BALTIMORE

Record ID: 390004

  • Title: UNITED STATES: RADICAL DIRECTOR JOHN WATERS ATTENDS WORLD PREMIER OF HIS LATEST FILM "CECIL B. DEMENTED" IN BALTIMORE
  • Date: 2nd August 2000
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 27) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN WATERS SAYING OF MELANIE GRIFFITH, "Melanie has taken risks in her life. She's worked with strange directors. She's done a lot of edgy stuff and she's the best, I think, when she does comedy. I think she's a real good comedian and her films that have been the most successful to me, are c
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, AND BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACGI6W2G094QWYHFN1BO6JLHLQ
  • Story Text: The king of radical US underground filmmaking, John Waters, recently attended the World Premiere of his newest dark comedy "Cecil B. Demented" in his hometown of Baltimore.
    The film is about - of all things - a radical underground filmmaker played by actor Stephen Dorff.
    For those who first jumped on the Waters bandwagon with mid-seventies gross out films like "Polyester" and "Pink Flamingos ''DeMented'' is something of a departure.
    "I'm making underground Hollywood movies," said the Baltimore born and bred Waters.
    "Maybe that's a new concept, a new genre, basically, of using stars that worked with me in the very past," says the director, who named the film after himself,''Cecil B.
    DeMented'' is a nickname given to Waters by a journalist.
    Dorff stars as Cecil, who leads a band of ''cinema terrorists'' in kidnapping a big-time Tinseltown starlet (Griffith) at her latest premiere and forcing her to star in their own underground film.
    While some will worry that Waters has gone too mainstream, Water's has reportedly called ''DeMented'' 'the craziest film he's done in years.
    Indeed, in the estimated $10 million production, the terrorists envision punishing the public for their poor attendance at a Pasolini film festival, the usual Waters suspects (like Lake and Hearst) make their appearances, and Alicia Witt, playing an ex-porn star, has an intimate scene with, as Waters puts it, ''a little furry creature.'' The on-screen mayhem, says Dorff, is very much in-line with what people have come to expect from a Water's film and appeared to the film's star to be more than a little autobiographical.
    "It's his voice, you know, everything he writes comes out of him. He writes it longhand and he creates these wild stories and these incredible characters and you've got to trust that," said Dorff.
    "You know, I think a lot of what he chooses to depict and make fun of, and a lot of the story is probably what he feels. And, at the same time, I would agree with him, in a lot of ways, you know? But, at the same time, he embraces Hollywood cause Hollywood let's him make these movies."
    And, in recruiting one of Hollywood's biggest starlets to take part in "Demented", Water's acknowledges there was a lot at stake for his heroin.
    "Melanie has taken risks in her life. She's worked with strange directors. She's done a lot of edgy stuff and she's the best, I think, when she does comedy. I think she's a real good comedian and her films that have been the most successful to me, are comedies. So, Melanie made fun of herself. I made fun of myself. We all did."
    "I think it did take a big risk for her," said Dorff of Griffith's involvement.
    "I think it's like life imitating art a little bit.
    She's a movie star. She's older. She's been in the business for years. It did take a risk and I think she went for it and, you know what? I think she'll come out smelling great from going for it."
    The film was shot and premiered in Waters' hometown of Baltimore, where the director showed-off a bit of his Hollywood side.
    And what would the title character think of the event? According to his creator, "Oh, Cecil B. Demented would be living in a cardboard box down the street with an eight- millimetre camera and a stun gun and cherry bombs," said Waters.
    "He'd be against this! He'd like to disrupt it!"
    Cecil B. Demented is currently in limited release across North America.
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