The Brown Bunny

[ono]

Spoilers possible, duh.

I saw this tonight.  Gallo's cock is real, and it's spectacular.  That out of the way, the movie was real, but it wasn't spectacular.  Still, it was incredibly admirable.  The journey Gallo and the viewer go on is worth it for the final fifteen minutes or so in that lonely hotel room.

I was really taken by the structure of the film, the symbolism therein.  These women he meets on his journey are flowers: Violet, Lilly, and Rose.  He's missing Daisy, and this is is search to find her.  Brown bunny: the bunny left behind, the bunny bought, and the bunny vomited up from ingesting too much of a good thing.  And Bud did take in too much of a good thing and now can't seem to get it out of his system.  Things always tend to happen in threes, and this film is no exception.  The rhythm people come to expect, the symmetry of films, is often expressed in threes.

Ultimately this film comes down to a sort of swan song, a sort of way of coping with loss that is universal.  It loses some of its impact because of the immense build up for this "oh, I see" revelation, but I was legitimately moved by it, which speaks at least a little bit for its power.  This is one of those films like Gerry or Songs from the Second Floor, or maybe to a lesser extent Gummo, julien-donkey boy, or Morvern Callar.  It's important because it strives to be more than a conventional film, but it succeeds in doing so, ironically enough, in doing so little.  This minimalist approach is the most admirable thing of all.

[Sal]

well, contrary to wantopia, I thought this movie was horrible.  And I came in with positive expectations despite what is almost unanimous agreement that the movie blows.  I based that on my viewing of Buffalo '66, which this movie has some stylistic resemblance to, and for that I was grateful.  I think B'66 is one of the best independent films made out of the 90's.  

That said, this film is Gallo as if he just got out of film school.  Wantopia thought the "symbolism" was powerful.  I found it trite.  Gallo isn't fooling me with naming the girls after flowers.  It feels like the sort of thing you'd find in a student film.  So does the driving.  It's like Gallo was too afraid to actually make a film here, and took dramatic opportunities and flushed them out to favor some kind of consistent tone he was going for.  An example is the prostitute sequence, where he finally picks one up and then doesn't fuck her!  Already done before, Gallo.  And done better.  Which is a shame, too, because I find Gallo a constantly engaging onscreen presence.  He's interesting to follow, and this movie didn't take the initiative to give us anything.  

The final blowjob scene...it's like the movie, conceptually, began there.  And then Gallo had to figure out a way to legitimize it for audiences.  And he fails totally.  I don't buy his grief, because it just comes too late in the picture.  Seeing his cock certainly didn't add anything, and in some respects its own significance was undermined by what we discover at the end.  Which makes the cock a gimmick, which makes seeing the movie a gimmick.  And he uses music horribly.  They're included when we need to feel something because nothing's happening.  I guess the idea is, the songs all have a nostalgiac, pastoral quality to them that are expressive of memory and remembrance.  Since there's no context assigned to what's on the road, it's just driving, and it's boring.  It just doesn't work the way Gallo thought it might.  

Awful film.  One of the worst I've ever seen.

[Alethia]

okay, i don't care what any of you say, i don't think sal liked it very much.

[Finn]

Any word yet on the DVD release? Videoeta has it marked for March.

[SiliasRuby]

Any word yet on the DVD release?

I went to DVDaficionado.com and the region 2 release of The Brown Bunny is coming out December 3rd, 2004. It is a japanese studio called kinetique that is releasing it.

[Sal]

Any word yet on the DVD release?

I went to DVDaficionado.com and the region 2 release of The Brown Bunny is coming out December 3rd, 2004. It is a japanese studio called kinetique that is releasing it.

I think they fronted the money for it too.

[Finn]

Alright...I finally saw this movie. It took me a really long time but I had to get the dvd off ebay (since Gallo has refused so far to have a proper dvd release for the USA). It was really terrific. It was beautifully done and certainly interesting all the way through. The ending really did take me by surprise and it gave me new insight into the main character and what the movie was really about. I loved the look, the music and Gallo's performance (which might have been over-looked). The sex scene itself has made too many headlines and didn't need to be made into such a huge deal. Of course if the movie didn't have that scene, it probably would've been rated PG, as opposed to X. I highly suggest every moviegoer on here sees it as soon as they can.

[modage]

I highly suggest every moviegoer on here sees it as soon as they can.

will you loan me your copy?  i'll pay the shipping.

[ono]

Wow, this'll be a good review to read.  I'm betting to you it'll make Gerry look like a masterpiece of cinema.  Still, check it out, maybe you'll actually enjoy it.

[soixante]

The Brown Bunny:  Special Edition DVD includes an hour long discussion between director Vince Gallo and critic Roger Ebert about the film's artistic significance.  Also, Michael Medved joins Gallo on the commentary track.  My favorite line is when Medved says, "Vincent, is that your real cock?  I'm impressed."

[Cecil]

The Brown Bunny:  Special Edition DVD

this has been released?

[bonanzataz]

yeah, in japan. you can get them on ebay.

when did you come back?

[Cecil]

when did you come back?

i didnt. the old cecil is dead. im a new version (actually, more accurately, the old cecil was more of a beta)

[MacGuffin]

Sony has announced the release of The Brown Bunny: Superbit. It will street on 8/16.

[lamas]

how long does it normally take before we know what extras the dvd will have?  i want a commentary!!!