Pop art and cinema

July 2, 2011 6:57 PM

Looking for obscure gems of pop-art cinema: in the vein of DANGER DIABOLIK, MISTER FREEDOM, and THE FRIGHTENED WOMAN (links somewhat NSFW).

I've discovered I have a tremendous affinity for cinema influenced by 60s pop art -- colorful films with quick editing and tight, geometric framing. While most of the films I'm interested in come from France or Italy during that era, I also tend to enjoy newer films strongly influenced by pop art, such as SOUTHLAND TALES.

While the three films in the question are the primary examples of what I'm looking for, films like:

* Modesty Blaise
* Barbarella

come close. Or a bit more on the new wave tip...

* Most early Godard
* The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Or films that playfully satirize the design of the era...

* Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?
* Playtime

While there are any number of films with wonderful pop-art influenced titles, I'm looking more for films where the pop-art influence overtakes the film as a whole rather than just the opening.

Thanks!

posted by eschatfische to media & arts (11 answers total)

Blow Up
posted by cazoo at 7:03 PM on July 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

Have you seen the original Prisoner?
posted by cmoj at 8:01 PM on July 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

House.
posted by Sticherbeast at 8:20 PM on July 2, 2011

I have seen the original Prisoner, and enjoy it... especially the final episode. I've also seen Blow Up and Hausu, both of which are in the right realm.
posted by eschatfische at 9:14 PM on July 2, 2011

Slightly different perhaps but very influential on the era, Arthur Lipsett, an experimental film maker, who used collage to great effect employing found scraps of film.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 10:18 PM on July 2, 2011

John Boorman's Point Blank
posted by Trurl at 12:01 AM on July 3, 2011

99 and 44/100% Dead
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:47 AM on July 3, 2011

Sette uomini d'oro (Seven Golden Men).

I'd recommend watching Something Weird Video's Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama, which is a 9- or 10-volume series of trailers for sleazy, exploitative, b-grade and generally odd movies from the 60s and 70s. There's bound to be several if not dozens of movies that meet your criteria in there. Someone took the list from the first volume, located online versions of the trailers and posted them here. Have fun.
posted by cog_nate at 6:45 AM on July 3, 2011

Take a look for some of the 60's movies that have been riffed-on by the MST3k crew. Many are now on DVD, and some are even available through Netflix. I know for certain that Danger Diabolik has been covered. Most of the time, the DVDs will let you play the movie without the comments from the crew.
posted by Wild_Eep at 9:38 AM on July 3, 2011

Michael Powell's Peeping Tom.

And if you like Barbarella, you might enjoy Zardoz.
posted by hot soup girl at 12:18 PM on July 3, 2011

Try looking on Teleport City andDie Danger, Kill Kill!

Speed Racer is the best recent example of the form.

Starcrash is an amazingly fun Star Wars ripoff with David Hassolof and mile a minute cheesy SFX.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:34 PM on July 3, 2011