Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
Director: William Greaves
Year Released: 1968
Rating: 1.0
Greaves concocts an oh-so-clever experiment that covers all facets of the moviemaking process: aside from the actual footage of the actors themselves, the crew themselves will be filmed, not to mention everything taking place around the crew, including onlookers, derelicts, police officers wandering into the frame and countless other distractions. It's a smart idea, making this kind of meta-film, but in general I'm distrustful of any film that tries to desperately to evade criticism of any kind, constantly pulling the rug out of you when you think you're sure what's going on, and who's "in on" the joke (or if it even is a joke). Since it's impossible to tell who knows what Greaves is going for - and whether the chat sessions with the crew were actually 'set up' in the first place and carefully scripted - that can only mean that it's the audience that's being played for a fool.
