Boom! (1968) ***
Boom! (1968) is notorious for being a box office flop and a film that not many have seen. Tennessee Williams wrote it and it's one of John Waters' favorite films—there is a poster for the film in Pink Flamingos (1972) and the poster for Polyester (1981) (my review here) is an homage to this film's (not to mention Divine idolized Elizabeth Taylor). So when Shout Select released it on Blu-ray almost a year ago to the day, I knew I needed to pick it up. I finally did that recently and just got around to watching the film.
All of Williams' work is melodramatic, but Boom! is one of the few that spills over into camp territory, much like Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) (my review here), which I liked a bit more (after a single viewing of each film). I always enjoy interviews with John Waters so I think that I am going to do something that I very rarely do and rewatch the film with his commentary.
Elizabeth Taylor was no stranger to the films of Tennessee—she previously starred in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) and the aforementioned Suddenly, Last Summer. Her costar—and husband (for the first go-around) at the time—Richard Burton was also in another excellent Williams adaptation, John Huston's 1964 film The Night Of The Iguana. Taylor and Burton seem to be taking themselves seriously but rumor is that they were both toasted for the majority of the filming.
Boom! is occasionally very funny (choice lines like "Shit on your mother!" and "Dictation?" "No, reflection." spring to mind), but I actually found the film kind of boring at times. There's certainly grand production design on display and spectacle to behold in both the performances and the location and John Barry provides a diverse score. The movie's reputation precedes it but upon a first viewing I never found the camp factor in Boom! to approach the level of Valley Of The Dolls (1967)—or the insanity of Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) (another Waters favorite), for that matter. It's definitely not as bad as its rep but it also didn't blow my mind. I'm hoping that rewatching the film tonight with the Waters commentary will increase my appreciation of the film. It should be fun either way.
You can find my Tennessee Williams Feature Film Adaptations Ranked list here.
All of Williams' work is melodramatic, but Boom! is one of the few that spills over into camp territory, much like Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) (my review here), which I liked a bit more (after a single viewing of each film). I always enjoy interviews with John Waters so I think that I am going to do something that I very rarely do and rewatch the film with his commentary.
Elizabeth Taylor was no stranger to the films of Tennessee—she previously starred in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) and the aforementioned Suddenly, Last Summer. Her costar—and husband (for the first go-around) at the time—Richard Burton was also in another excellent Williams adaptation, John Huston's 1964 film The Night Of The Iguana. Taylor and Burton seem to be taking themselves seriously but rumor is that they were both toasted for the majority of the filming.
Boom! is occasionally very funny (choice lines like "Shit on your mother!" and "Dictation?" "No, reflection." spring to mind), but I actually found the film kind of boring at times. There's certainly grand production design on display and spectacle to behold in both the performances and the location and John Barry provides a diverse score. The movie's reputation precedes it but upon a first viewing I never found the camp factor in Boom! to approach the level of Valley Of The Dolls (1967)—or the insanity of Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) (another Waters favorite), for that matter. It's definitely not as bad as its rep but it also didn't blow my mind. I'm hoping that rewatching the film tonight with the Waters commentary will increase my appreciation of the film. It should be fun either way.
You can find my Tennessee Williams Feature Film Adaptations Ranked list here.
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