Lot in Sodom

"Lot in Sodom" is a sensual depiction of the Sodom and Gomorrah story filled with sinewy and semi-clad bodies, delirious bacchanales devoted to physical pleasure, and a searing, cataclysmic visage depicting the fall of a city devoted to sins of the flesh.

Director James Sibley Watson was an heir to the Western Union telegraph fortune created by his grandfathers, Don Alonzo Watson and Hiram Sibley. He was many things throughout his life, including a medical doctor, but at this point in his life he was an experimenter in film.

This movie uses experimental techniques, avant-garde imagery and strong allusions to sexuality, especially homosexuality. While some of it is truly "avant-garde" and hard to decipher, much of it is very traditional. lot, in particular, looks exactly how you would expect a biblical figure to look.

Okay, I'll admit that it is the ONLY gay Avant Garde Biblical film I have ever seen,...but by default it is definitely the best. It's a pretty strange little film, though compared to the rest of the short films from the Kino Video Avant Garde collection, it's pretty "normal" and approachable for the average viewer. However, I am really not sure exactly who the audience is for this strange art film. After all, gay audiences probably won't enjoy all the religious content and Bible verses--especially when the people of Sodom are damned. And, due to the homo-erotic imagery, most deeply religious people will be at least super-duper hesitant to watch the film! So, unless you really want something very different and pretty oddly creative, this film probably won't be one that will change your life or get to to watch it more than once. I gotta say, though, that the inventive camera-work is pretty cool and the film is in many ways like a piece of Pop Art.

If you ARE looking for an "artsy" film but find this type of film I described sounds too unusual or esoteric, maybe you should try the films of the great French artist/director Jean Cocteau. Other than his BLOOD OF A POET, his other films combine artistry and Avant Garde imagery with well-constructed plots and familiar movie elements. My favorites of his films are Orphée (Orpheus) and La Belle et la bête (Beauty and the Beast).

A highly stylized spin on the Biblical story of Lot--and I mean highly stylized, with a generous amount of avant garde tossed in. Lots of beautiful guys, but very sparse on gals. Supple and ethereal editing, yet put the entire thing together, and it doesn't make much sense at all. "Lot in Sodom" makes an Andy Warhol flick seem like a Doris Day feature. Unless you're wired radically different than most of us, I'd give this one a wide pass.

I saw Lot in Sodom at a film festival about eight years ago and was dazzled by its visuals. The film was shot in the early sound era and, like other films of that period by Dryer, Murnau, and others, the soundtrack is used for music, sound effects and occasional unintelligible words. This film is a must see for anyone interested in the virtuosic film work of the German and Soviet filmmakers of the late silent era as it is a rare example of similar work being done in America. The work's creators used the medium of film to its full potential rather than being content to use the camera to record visuals that could just as easily be seen on a stage.

I tried for years to get a copy of this film and wrote to companies to see if someone might release it on DVD. I am happy to now own a copy, review it repeatedly and share it with friends.

This surreal short film is based on the text from the bible concerning the fall of sodom and gomorrah.

But the film does not tell this story in traditional manner, instead opting for a more esoteric, surreal tone and style.

There are graphic depictions of sexual behaviour, homosexuality, that must have been very controversial at the time when this film was made. And I suppose, still is in certain countries.

There are some strikingly beautiful visuals in this shortfilm and the use of experimenting film techniques makes it film way ahead of its time.

Should be seen by anyone interested in early avantgarde cinema.