THE
WEIRD WORLD OF LSD (1967)
Directed by Robert Ground
Something Weird VHS
THE FILM
Now here’s a film that we
can all relate to. Admit it -- at
one time or another, you’ve
fallen in love with a tree, right?
Right! Although I’ve never
indulged in the title-drug itself,
if I had, I’m sure all of
my adventures whilst under the influence
would occur in black and white,
complete with free jazz score and
regular speed actors trying to fake
slow motion. Realism, my friends,
it’s all in the realism.
Ok, this is unbelievable. Not so
much a feature film, but an hour
long series of unrelated dramatizations
illustrating the purported effects
of LSD on its users, The Weird
World Of LSD has to be one
of the most left-of-center films
I’ve ever seen. What in the
world were the filmmakers trying
to achieve? As a documentary, it
boggles the mind. As an educational
film, it’s hilarious. Was
the intent to warn against the evils
of LSD or simply exploit it? The
derangement displayed here veers
this film far away from anything
resembling normal or linear. Dire
ineptitude morphs into total artsy-ness,
and the world is better off for
it.
I’m going to try and offer
up a description of what you can
look forward to during the duration
of this movie. There’s no
plot or continuity, so bear with
me. After a shot of the cosmos,
a pre-credit sequence unfolds. An
LSD indulged young man is flapping
his arms on a couch. A deadpan narrator
informs us that this guy believes
he’s flying on the wings of
a large bird. Superimposed over
the man’s face is a cheap
cartoon drawing of a chicken. Attention:
the bar has been set. From here
on out you can expect several variations
on people’s reactions to LSD,
usually based on their innermost
anxieties and fears. Sometimes a
couple of strange drawings and transitions
appear between vignettes. Highlights
here include a woman frolicking
with kittens, another woman fantasizing
in a mannequin factory, a large
middle-aged man gorging himself
on a gigantic spread of food (really
just a ham sandwich, but you know
how that sneaky LSD works), a restaurant
table strip tease with scissors,
a woman performing steamy, tiger-themed
interpretive dance on a jungle set,
and some drag racing stock footage.
I also forgot the chocolate syrup
gore, rubber monster mask spooks,
and the guy who eats dirt. Soon
enough, “The End” shows
up onscreen for a second, before
we’re left with an abrupt
cut to black.
Despite a couple of slow spots (trust
me, you can only take so much of
a couple rolling in the grass),
I’d have to say that The
Weird World Of LSD is one of
the most curious and ludicrous films
I’ve seen from the Something
Weird library. It’s hilarious,
impressive in its naivety, and not
of this earth. I mean, it’s
a black and white film about the
dangers of LSD...
AUDIO AND VIDEO
This print is pretty much a mess.
Tons of jump cuts, scratches, and
lines just refuse to take a break.
It’s also dark and fuzzy at
times. Strangely, these imperfections
seem to improve on the arty charm
of the film. The narrator is often
cut off mid-sentence and it works...at
least for me. The mono sound was
easy to hear, as the only elements
appearing on the soundtrack are
sparse sound effects, narration,
and the free jazz-conga score.
EXTRAS
Nope. I was expecting a few trailers,
but no such luck.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Something Weird must release this
masterpiece on DVD, warts and all,
pronto. Until then, see it all costs.
Insane!
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 04.08.04 |
No cluckin' around
Mannequin love
Dirt connoisseur
Gots a light?
|
