Currently reading a biography on Jim Morrison it sparked my interest on Tom Baker, his drinking buddy and one of the more interesting cult figures in American cinema. Actor, writer, director and producer, Baker cut quite an interesting path in the film underground. With "I, a Man", perhaps his best known film, Baker is at his peak in all his becoming and wasted glory.
Inspired to make their own version and response to the influential Scandinavian flick, "I, a Woman", Pop artist Andy Warhol and underground filmmaker Paul Morrissey fleshed out "I, a Man", a slice of life depiction on a male prostitute and his experiences on the job. Baker plays himself as the hustler for hire and the film is all about him blabbing and romancing a number of women. What makes the film fascinating is the mundane discussions that mirror any discussion that goes on around the world between men and women in the confines of the bedroom. The fly on the wall, voyeuristic gaze on these real life intimacies is art as life and the documentary approach Warhol and Morrissey are known for created some of the more watchable amateur flicks in cinema history. A number of the "Warhol Superstars" appear and it's good to see the likes of Ingrid Superstar and Ultra Violet in their prime. Seeing Valerie Solanas is intriguing and quite unsettling. The highlight of the film may be seeing Nico and Tom Baker in their memorable scene, their striking good looks adorning the film as one of the most aesthetic couples to grace the silver screen. The very definition of an acquired taste, this crude and talky lo-fi exercise on erotic amateurism will be risible or trying or both to most but to those who want their art to show life as it is then this is one to view.
An interesting look at a fascinating time and vibrant artistic scene, "I, a Man" is an enduring artifact of an age of innovation and change that profoundly altered and shaped the modern era. One of the notable culties, this is one for those who appreciate something different.
