Lies My Father Told Me (Jan Kadar, 1975)
"Rags, Clothes, Bottles!"
Wonderful, life-affirming tale about a boy growing up in a Jewish household in Ottawa, Canada, circa 1930. Jan Kadar, who made the hauntingly-beautiful Czech film
The Shop on Main Street, feels right at home translating Author Ted Allan's tale to the screen. The "no-name" cast is tremendous led by dignified Grandpa Zaida (Yossi Yadin) and the lead character, his inquisitive grandson David (Jeffrey Lynas in his first film). The simple story revolves around these two's trips throughout the area on Sundays with their ancient, but magic horse, collecting junk to raise money to support the family. David's father (Len Birman) is a struggling inventor and his mother (Marilyn Lightstone) is pregnant, and the entire family lives in town (next to their stable) in the midst of several other colorful characters.
The terrific thing about this film is that it's never really nostalgic. It all seems to take place in the here and now, and young David really begins to mistrust the older generation because he says they tell lies. For example, his dad tells him that his Grandpa is a crazy old man and makes up stories about how the Earth, Nature and Man interact. Grandpa's stories are wonderful, and although he's only read One Book in his life, he's not what you would call an Orthodox Jew. David says that is all a lie, but then when his younger brother is born, and David watches him breastfeed, he tells his mom, "I want that!", pointing at her breast. She says that babies do it and that David did it when he was young, but that he's too old now. Then he asks Zaida and he agrees, saying it's only done with babies and their mothers. However, as David sees through a neighbor's window along with other local children, grown-up men and women do it too, even if they're not married (at least to each other!) David now thinks his mom and granpa are liars. The film is always surprising and especially frank about sex, which is one of its great charms. There's this cute girl who talks to David about where babies come from since her dog is pregnant. David doesn't understand how they can come out of a Doggie or Human mother. The little girl explains to him calmly that they come from the vagina, and when he says he doesn't know where that is, she shows him by pointing it out on the pregnant dog.
It goes without saying that Kadar uses terrific visuals and is a master at nightmare imagery when the film calls for it, but he's also great at mise-en-scene. I just wish that I could see more of his films. I still haven't even seen
The Angel Levine in its entirety. I am so happy that TCM showed this on Groundhog Day as a sorta birthday present to me because I hadn't seen it for 25-30 years. It's definitely worthy of my Top 100.
). Sadly, Price is not the fly in this one! Some other guy is. And there's a nice redhead, too, who seems to take away most screen time. It's pretty hard on the sci-fi element, which means it's quite fantastical even when compared to the 80's movie of the same title (this one didn't have a fly with human's head!!!) and it may seem way more childish, too, but in the end I prefer it to the 80's version. This is a real classic I haven't seen until now. I'm not sure if it appears in the countdown, but in case it does, I've already seen it.
It includes such awesome scenes as hottie Claudia Barrett marrying George Nader (who's shirtless at the time). Then, even though billions of people have just been killed, they decide to leave a relatively safe place and have a quickie honeymoon in Ro-Man Territory. Ro-Man has taken quite a fancy with the Earth woman, so he finds it difficult to kill her. It also includes, and I kid you not, an original score by Elmer Bernstein! Although the film eventually grossed a million dollars at the drive-in circuit, director Phil Tucker was so distraught at the critical thrashing this film received, he attempted suicide. I just picked this baby up in a two-pack, along with Plan 9 From Outer Space, for $9. Sarah showed Plan 9 along with Frankenweenie, at her high school as 2008's free Halloween movie.
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