Mario Banana (1964)
This is an easy one because the films
are so short and so typical. Drag Queen Mario Montez
(often credited as Maria Montez) lounges lazily. We
she her from shoulder up including a stunning fur
wig. She peels a banana and nibbles it seductively,
often emulating oral copulation. The film lasts less
than three minutes and Mario never finishes the banana.
In 1964 this may have been nearly pornographic and
obscene but by today's standards it is tame and seems
fairly unimaginative.
I saw two versions of this short
(called #1 and #2). Both were silent and probably
shot in 8mm. The first was color and looked very much
like a home movie. The second was more like a black
and white film and seemed a bit washed out. The two
films looked very similar as if they could have been
shot on the same day. The combined effect was much
like a Warhol portrait with the repetition of images,
one different from the other yet seemingly the same.
Notes:
In his book about Warhol films,
"Stargazer," Stephen Koch relates that Jonas Mekas,
who ran many of Warhol's films at the Filmmaker'S
Co-operative in NYC in the early 60', said there were
several version of this film. He also relates that
Paul Morrissey claimed that the film had been incorporated
into other works.
Viewed at a retrospective of Warhol
films, provided by the Warhol Museum to the Alamo
Drafthouse, in October
of 2003. Other films on the program that evening
included "Poor Little Rich Girl," "Blowjob," and "Inner
and Outer Space."
