#6 - 200 Motels (1971)
So, if you know me, you probably know how big a Frank Zappa fan I am. As the first movie I've actually seen before in the 365, 200 Motels is a particular favorite, although I've gotten less enamored of it as time has gone on. (This is actually the case for Baby Snakes as well, and I'll explain a bit of why below.) This time, the source is a rip from the MGM HD channel, though truth be told, it looks only slightly better than either my VHS copy or the VHS>DVD copy I bought from Super Happy Fun. This owes more to the fact that it was shot on tape to begin with, and shot on tape in 1971, so it's not exactly the highest quality anyway, but the HD version's at least a little clearer.
For those who don't know, 200 Motels is a film about how touring makes you crazy. Zappa concieved of the film during one of the endless Mothers of Invention tours of the late sixties and wrote a loose screenplay around a series of songs about the travails of the road, and how the band sees each other and how they relate to Frank. (This was at least partially inspired by Zappa's apparent constant taping of the band, some of which appears on the Playground Psychotics double disc set.) The film was shot in a few days at Pinewood Studios, but only about a third of the script actually ended up being shot, and one important Mother (Jeff Simmons, who much of the movie revolves around) quit the band just before filming started. All the performances and dialogue were recorded directly to tape, rather than being lipsynched and then dubbed afterwards.
The plot, such as it is, concerns The Mothers on the road and their adventures in a small town called Centerville. Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, the Mothers' lead singers at the time, are horny and want groupies. Jimmy Carl Black wants to get paid. Jeff Simmons (played by Martin Lickert, Ringo Starr's chauffeur) wants to score some dope, and also wants to quit the group and stop playing "comedy music". Motorhead Sherwood has a dalliance with a vacuum cleaner. Keith Moon dresses in a nun's costume and pretends to be a groupie. Ringo Starr dresses as Zappa and tries to blend in with the band. And Theodore Bikel might be Satan. All this occurs while Zappa orchestrates it all and occasionally plays music (but never speaks or sings in the whole movie.)
It's weird. And it's very, very dated. But if nothing else, the amazing musical performances are worth sitting through some of the more puerile nonsense. The Mothers blast through awesome versions of "Mystery Roach", "Magic Fingers" (which features an awesome, awesome solo), and the finale, and there are some interesting musical tracks involving the Royal Philharmonic as well. But again, much like Baby Snakes, the musical performances are really what you should be here for, otherwise it's a pretty long 90 minute slog. (At least it's not 2:45, like Baby Snakes.)
Overall, if you like Frank Zappa, then this is for you.
For those who don't know, 200 Motels is a film about how touring makes you crazy. Zappa concieved of the film during one of the endless Mothers of Invention tours of the late sixties and wrote a loose screenplay around a series of songs about the travails of the road, and how the band sees each other and how they relate to Frank. (This was at least partially inspired by Zappa's apparent constant taping of the band, some of which appears on the Playground Psychotics double disc set.) The film was shot in a few days at Pinewood Studios, but only about a third of the script actually ended up being shot, and one important Mother (Jeff Simmons, who much of the movie revolves around) quit the band just before filming started. All the performances and dialogue were recorded directly to tape, rather than being lipsynched and then dubbed afterwards.
The plot, such as it is, concerns The Mothers on the road and their adventures in a small town called Centerville. Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, the Mothers' lead singers at the time, are horny and want groupies. Jimmy Carl Black wants to get paid. Jeff Simmons (played by Martin Lickert, Ringo Starr's chauffeur) wants to score some dope, and also wants to quit the group and stop playing "comedy music". Motorhead Sherwood has a dalliance with a vacuum cleaner. Keith Moon dresses in a nun's costume and pretends to be a groupie. Ringo Starr dresses as Zappa and tries to blend in with the band. And Theodore Bikel might be Satan. All this occurs while Zappa orchestrates it all and occasionally plays music (but never speaks or sings in the whole movie.)
It's weird. And it's very, very dated. But if nothing else, the amazing musical performances are worth sitting through some of the more puerile nonsense. The Mothers blast through awesome versions of "Mystery Roach", "Magic Fingers" (which features an awesome, awesome solo), and the finale, and there are some interesting musical tracks involving the Royal Philharmonic as well. But again, much like Baby Snakes, the musical performances are really what you should be here for, otherwise it's a pretty long 90 minute slog. (At least it's not 2:45, like Baby Snakes.)
Overall, if you like Frank Zappa, then this is for you.