M.I.A. on DVD Programming Alert

This Friday, January 15th at 11:30 pm Pacific Time (2:30 am Eastern), Turner Classic Movie is airing the film I named my favorite film watched for the first time ever in 2008, Jerzy Skolimowski's 1971 dark comedy cum sexual obsession exploration, Deep End, which despite a growing cult, has never been given a proper DVD release. The quickest way to summarize the film is to imagine Harold and Maude (both feature Cat Stevens on the soundtrack) if it were directed by Roman Polanski, with whom Skolimowski co-wrote Knife in the Water.

The film features one of the most insanely funny and bravado pieces of filmmaking in cinema history, a near ten minute sequence scored to Can's "Mother Sky" (one of my all-time favorite songs) set in London's Red Light district where our protagonist, a virgin teenage boy finds himself weaving through a bizarre cyclical tapestry whilst spying on, or more accurately, stalking the object of his affection which includes mass consumption of hot dogs, a one legged prostitute and the pilfering of the cut-out standee of a model; you really need to see it for yourself.

Here's a great review from TCM's Movie Morlocks blog that also touches on the wildly divisive reviews the film received during its theatrical release: http://moviemorlocks.com/2007/08/25/deep-end-1971-ripe-for-rediscovery/

Directly following Deep End, TCM will be airing The Shout, a 1978 horror film written and directed by Jerzy Skolimowski starring Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt and Tim Curry that has also never been released on a Region 1 DVD.

Set your DVRs.