William Folchi

I watched this film on its opening weekend in New York City at the Fine Arts theatre on 58th St in July 1971. The reviews were scathing. The critics described it as lurid, violent, gross, depraved etc. They were correct, but neglected to mention the film is tremendous. Seeing it now on the Criterion Channel, it has not congealed into a “classic.” It plays as if it were filmed last week and released yesterday. Russell’s direction is fearless. And unlike the bloated running times of current films, it tells an epic tale in about 100 minutes. Has there been another movie in the last decade or two as daring?