public-349-442187
Joined Apr 2012
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public-349-442187's rating
From the end credits this appears to be a student film that got distribution, which speaks volumes-it's a rare student feature that sees distribution. Released during that rarefied moment between the death rattle of the studio system and the American cinema renaissance of the seventies, The Ski Bum gives a voice to the disaffected youth who are alienated from the straight world they want little to do with.
With Zalman King's ski instructor as a stand-in for the hippie culture, he sees the establishment culture as disorienting as a bad LSD trip, which seems to be the point of the optical and audio distortions. Yes, he can make good money working for The Man, but that world is as surreal to him as a hippie commune would be to a button-down executive. Following the movie age to "show, don't tell," the drug-like sequences speak volumes.
There were some good films that depicted the clash between hippie/youth and the establishment, like "Joe," some well-intentioned failures ("Zabriske Point"), and some horrible flops ("Skidoo"). "The Ski Bum" is a quietly brilliant success.
With Zalman King's ski instructor as a stand-in for the hippie culture, he sees the establishment culture as disorienting as a bad LSD trip, which seems to be the point of the optical and audio distortions. Yes, he can make good money working for The Man, but that world is as surreal to him as a hippie commune would be to a button-down executive. Following the movie age to "show, don't tell," the drug-like sequences speak volumes.
There were some good films that depicted the clash between hippie/youth and the establishment, like "Joe," some well-intentioned failures ("Zabriske Point"), and some horrible flops ("Skidoo"). "The Ski Bum" is a quietly brilliant success.
Clearly somebody sought to cash in on Erica Gavin's celebrity after Vixen! and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. It was a crappy 16mm shoot shot, save for one scene, without sync sound. There's a lot of VO posing as dubbing, yet as some of this inane and vapid "dialog" occurs when mouths are otherwise busy with body parts, it borders of ridiculous.
As softcore it barely measures up because, save for Erica's scenes, you don't see anything new after the first 20 minutes. What's worse, though she has star billing, Ms. Gavin only appears in 1/3 of the movie and has no dialog. It sound like someone else did her "dubbing" (voiceover). If you want nude Erica, watch Vixen! or BVD, because the poor quality of the photography makes this film 65 minutes of wasted time.
As softcore it barely measures up because, save for Erica's scenes, you don't see anything new after the first 20 minutes. What's worse, though she has star billing, Ms. Gavin only appears in 1/3 of the movie and has no dialog. It sound like someone else did her "dubbing" (voiceover). If you want nude Erica, watch Vixen! or BVD, because the poor quality of the photography makes this film 65 minutes of wasted time.
