Down and Dirty: Hollywood's Exploitation Filmmakers and Their Movies

From Booklist
Exploitation films--genre movies shot quickly and cheaply to make a fast buck--hold a special place in the affections of many film buffs. Information on the most notable (or notorious) exploitation practitioners is hard to come by, scattered in fanzines and small-press publications, so Quarles performs a service by providing a wealth of information on 14 of them. His subjects range from the well known (Russ Meyer, John Waters in his pre-Hollywood days) to the obscure (Ted V. Mikels and Larry Buchanan, directors of The Corpse Grinders and Mars Needs Women, respectively). Quarles apparently cobbled together his essays from various (undocumented) sources, he frequently comes off as too fannish, and there are some glaring omissions in the text (such as failing to cite year of release for many of the films discussed; indeed, a lack of filmographies is the volume's most serious flaw). However, he writes with verve and offers a spirited case for taking these films seriously: they broke ground in subject matter that later became mainstream. A wealth of production stills and posters helps Quarles evoke the seedy atmosphere of the ultra-low-budget objects of his passion. Gordon Flagg

From Book News, Inc.
Low-budget sex and violence on the screen, examined not only for the thrill, especially in revealing the humble beginnings of some later famous filmmakers and stars, but also to explore how renegade films have broken ground that proved fertile for more serious works. No bibliography. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

-Booklist/RBB
"Provides a wealth of information...[the author] writes with verve and offers a spirited case for taking these films seriously"

-Classic Images
"A useful introduction to the subject"

Book Description
Taboo breakers and trendsetters, shameless hucksters and famous directors. Exploitation filmmaking has seen it all. Fred Olen Ray made his first movie for $298. In 1936 Marijuana-Weed with Roots in Hell showed drug use and nudity on screen in an effort to "educate the public." Kroger Babb, the man behind Mom and Dad, spliced color medical footage of a baby's birth into his black and white "classic." Russ Meyer, John Waters, Andy Milligan, Doris Wishman, and many others are covered. "Classic" films such as The Immoral Mr. Teas, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Nude on the Moon are examined. Production techniques and innovations are also discussed.

About the Author
Mike Quarles is a resident of Ellijay, Georgia.


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Low-budget sex and violence on the screen, examined not only for the thrill, especially in revealing the humble beginnings of some later famous filmmakers and stars, but also to explore how renegade films have broken ground that proved fertile for more serious works. No bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)


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