WR: Mysteries of the Organism (DVD)

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"WR" is a profoundly weird film by any standard, but it was also a product of its times. The most similar film (as discussed by Jonathan Rosenbaum) is Jean-Luc Godard´s "1+1" (also known as "Sympathy for the Devil" with a slightly different ending) which intercuts between a Rolling Stones´ rehearsal and a fictional narrative. I would also offer Brian De Palma´s late 60s films "Greetings" (1968) and especially "Hi, Mom!" (1969) as films with a vaguely similar use of radical juxtaposition. Even more recent efforts like Harmony Korine´s "Gummo" (1997) or Damon Packard´s utterly bizarre "Reflections of Evil" (2002) carry at least faint echoes of this style.

"WR" is certainly the sort of film that cannot be fully digested on one viewing, though I find myself having to write a review under just such a circumstance. I enjoyed it immensely, and I can understand why critics such as Jonathan Rosenbaum have labeled it a masterpiece. I reserve judgment on that matter until I see it again, but I am certainly interested enough to watch it again… and then probably again. So I guess I know which way I´m leaning

Video

The film is presented in its original 1.33: 1 aspect ratio. The image, like most recent Criterion full-screen releases, is picture boxed. The digitally restored transfer is very sharp, though perhaps not at the highest end of Criterion´s usual range.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the audio which is in Serbo-Croatian and English.

Extras

This single-disc release is pretty well stocked with engaging extra features.

The commentary track is an interesting, if not entirely successful experiment. The commentary is assembled from film critic Ray Durgnat´s 1999 book on "WR" and is read by Daniel Stewart. Durgnat (who passed away in 2002) was a great critic and writer, but when writing a book about a movie, a critic often has to spend a lot of time describing shot-by-shot what occurs on screen. When this is read as an audio commentary track, it is simply redundant since, after all, we are watching those same shots. However, Durgnat´s text includes plenty of substantive analysis as well which makes the project more than worthwhile, but I think the DVD producers could have made better choices regarding which excerpts from the text were used on the audio track.

"Hole in the Soul" (1994, 52 min.) is a comic autobiographical film which Makavejev shot for the BBC. I have only had a chance to watch the beginning, but it appears to have the same anarchic spirit of "WR."

Two interviews with the director are also included: a 1972 interview filmed for Danish television (28 min.) and one from 2006 conducted by Peter Cowie (29 min.) The latter is particularly good, much more substantive than the usual set of reminiscences that often make up such features.

A real oddity is the clips from the "improved" version of the film. This was a 1992 "re-edit" done for Channel Four. Makavejev was asked to edit out the pornographic elements (i.e. most of the movie) to make it acceptable for broadcast; instead of throwing a fit, he took the opportunity to have some fun with the process, using some funky computer effects to cover-up the naughty bits. I wonder if Todd Solondz has this in mind when he used a giant black box to cover up a censored sex scene in "Storytelling."

The liner notes include a new essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum, who has long been a champion of the film.

Film Value

I suppose I should toss out the obligatory warning that the idiosyncratic "WR: Mysteries of the Organism" is not a film that will suit everyone´s taste, but that´s true of every worthwhile movie. It also implies that it is somehow a "difficult" film that many people will want to shy away from. I don´t want to create that impression. Call it weird, sure, but this isn´t some hermetic theory-bound exercise intended only for academics and aesthetes. It´s fun and funny, and well worth your time.

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