Murder à la Mod (1968)

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Blistering performances.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Naive young lady Karen wants to help her struggling amateur filmmaker boyfriend Christopher raise enough money so he can divorce his wife. Meanwhile, jolly psycho prankster Otto stalks the building where Christopher is shooting a low-grade adult movie in order to keep himself afloat.What we have here is the world of exploitation, underground film presented by a young auteur working in the experimental art scene. I think it works. Granted, this is not a fully developed film, as it had no budget and little cast. But not unlike the early work of Polanski or Cronenberg, there is plenty of potential here.The film was released in one cinema in New York City, quickly disappeared not long after, and was thought lost. Lucky for us, this was not the case. Although on its own it may be nothing special, it is a crucial piece in understanding De Palma's talent and vision.We also get some music and screen time from William Finley (1940-2012), who would go on to work with De Palma many more times (and also with Tobe Hooper). His character alone makes this worth a peek.

Isn't it strangely fascinating how a talented and visionary filmmaker will always distinguish him/herself from the others, regardless of how ridiculously little financial means he/she has to work with? "Murder à la Mod" got released on the Something Weird label in America and on similar Grindhouse-type of DVD label here in the Dutch speaking countries, but it's almost too good to get associated with the usual stuff these labels throw on the market. Numerous of the Something Weird films were made by young and aspiring directors with lots of ambition and occasionally even some good ideas, but without any money or professional cast and crew members, and that is why they usually look poor and sleazy instead of good. But with his debut Brian De Palma proves that blaming the lack of budget is all too easy. With an intriguing narrative structure, eccentric character drawings and ingenious visual gimmicks, De Palma neatly camouflages the lack of funds and even the complete absence of story! Also, the director's later obsession with the work of Alfred Hitchcock is already noticeable here, through a variation of subtle references and downright open homages. The plot, revolving on a young girl falling for an amateur filmmaker with dubious and questionable intentions, is actually of minor importance. The slightly psychedelic atmosphere, the irresistible title song and the crazed characters (William Finley is superb as Otto) keep the film entertaining even if the screenplay ceases to make sense. Particularly the extended sub plot where one event is shown from three different perspectives is very accurately done and undeniably far ahead of its time. Obviously, De Palma's first born also suffers from copious defects, like dreadfully boring padding scenes (the conversation between Tracey and her bank manager…oh my God!) and a confusingly abrupt ending.

"To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; the act turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed. Just as a camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a subliminal murder - a soft murder, appropriate to a sad, frightened time." ― Susan SontagBrian De Palma's first thriller, "Murder a la Mod" opens with screen tests, the familiar hash marks of a camera viewfinder imprinted over two nervous young women. We then watch as the duo are coerced into removing their clothes by an unseen speaker, a scene which recalls the voyeuristic violence of similar sequences in subsequent De Palma films (and Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom").A fairly simple plot then unfolds: Karen, a naive young woman, desperately wants to help Christopher, an "artist" who is working the porno beat in an attempt to raise enough money to divorce his wife. When Karen sees her best friend Tracy pull some jewels out of a bank, she hatches a plan to finance Christopher's freedom. All too grateful, Christopher beds Karen on his porn set. Moments later the girl is killed with an ice pick. In the eye, naturally.The rest of the film replays the events surrounding this murder from each character's perspective. De Palma handles the story with customary flair (split screens, slow motion, lots of dazzling camera work etc), but at times he's hampered by inexperience and the film's low budget.7/10 - Worth one viewing.

I bought this expecting nothing because I knew nothing of it, I had always thought Greetings was De Palma's first feature but I was wrong I guess. I thought this movie would have the feel of a student produced documentary or something small like that, but this film is somewhat wide in scope and pleases for a movie of it's age. I can't believe this unseen gem has aged so well while mainstream crap from the 60's just chatters on. This movie is the wave of the future that was to come. If you've ever seen Quentin Taretino's Jackie Brown and remember the sequence where all the characters go to the mall and it's told from three different points of view and you liked that then you'll love this movie. It's 80 minutes of that and I can't believe for this to have been so early in De Palma's career that he was able to pull it off so well. William Finnely does another great turn at acting in this movie as Otto a somewhat retarded stage hand and actor who goes beyond his means in this movie. It is from this where I can see why Brian De Palma would later hire him for 1974's The Phantom of the Paridise. He plays a character a little like that. Watch this movie, especially if you love De Palma and Finnley.