Smithereens

One of the most significant American independent films of the early 80s, Smithereens was the first low budget, American independent film to ever play in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival. Its minimalist narrative deals with a young woman trying to make a name for herself in the New York music scene (although, as far as I can tell, she's not a musician). In line with its reputation, this is a colorful and energetic film that vividly portrays the New York punk and new wave scene of the early 80s. There's plenty of good music (by The Feelies and others) and some appealing rough edges but what's really surprising is the darkness of the film.

With hookers and homeless people at every turn, Smithereens deals with an extremely dark, dirty, and sleazy mileu. Most of the characters are deeply unappealing: these down-and-out, going-nowhere-fast protagonists abuse one another, commit petty crimes, and exhibit no loyalty whatsoever. They're self-absorbed low-lives struggling just to survive and, at the end of the day, that's what really distinguishes the film.

Smithereens covers unfamiliar cinematic ground in an observant, compassionate, and unsentimental way. Most impressively, director Susan Seidelman (who subsequently directed Desperately Seeking Susan) manages to avoid the conventional rhythms of narrative filmmaking, instead creating a mood and atmosphere that's utterly unique.

Blue Underground's impressive DVD release features a solid transfer with a few minor defects that are probably attributable to its low budget. The most thorough feature is a commentary by Seidelman, in which she discusses the evolution of the film, its unusual production methods -- it was financed primarily with inheritance money; production was shut down for 6 months when lead actress Susan Berman was severely injured -- and the vital influence of Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria.

Seidelman credits Jonathan Demme with making key musical suggestions after viewing an early cut of the film and even draws parallels between Smithereens and her later work on "Sex and the City": both works share a costume designer, as well as Chris Noth who briefly appears in Smithereens as a transvestite.

The other noteworthy extra is "Desperately Seeking Susan and Richard," a 12 minute featurette including current interviews with actors Susan Berman and Richard Hell (a founding member of the band Television). Berman describes the film's unusual shift from Breakfast at Tiffany's territory to something much darker. She also describes the improv-gone-wrong incident that lead to her broken ankle and the aforementioned 6 month delay in production.

Richard Hell reveals that he was on the decline while making the movie, burnt out and exhausted from 8 or 9 years of constant musical activity. In spite of his overall approval of the film, Hell explains that he felt betrayed when it was first released. He believed that Smithereens portrayed his subculture in an unfairly negative light, ignoring the idealism that motivated many of the people involved. He also expresses tremendous respect for actors ("actors earn every penny") and directors ("the hardest job there is"), in spite of the fact that his film career ultimately went nowhere.

With substantial contributions from three of the major creative forces behind Smithereens, this DVD features everything a fan could hope for. Highly recommended. -- Jonathan Doyle