Flesh ** (1968, Joe Dallesandro, Geraldine Smith, Patti D’Arbanville, Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis) – Classic Movie Review 3135

Joe the Hustler: ‘I can’t hustle 25 hours a day.’

Writer-cinematographer-director Paul Morrissey’s 1968 directorial debut stars Joe Dallesandro as a dumb but sexy hustler called Joe pounding New York’s mean streets and getting involved with transvestites (Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis), clients and druggies. Geraldine Smith plays Geri, Joe’s wife, and Patti D’Arbanville plays Patti, Geri’s lover. They spark off the plot when Geri ejects Joe from bed to make him go on the streets to make money for Patti’s abortion.

Produced by Andy Warhol, and also known as Andy Warhol’s Flesh, it is hardly much more than a home movie. It may be amateurish, hastily improvised and tattily made but it has a vitality and a certain sleazy 60s charm, from a time when life seemed a lot simpler.

Dallesandro is a sight for sore eyes. Also in the cast are John Christian as Joe’s customer, Maurice Braddell, an artist who wants to draw Joe, Geri Miller as Terry, Barry Brown as a new hustler boy on the street, and Louis Waldon as David the Gymnast.

It was a controversial movie and hit censorship problems and was shown only in clubs in its day.

Follow-ups: Trash (1970) and Heat (1972).

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3135

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