Lions Love

A film bedevilled by its intellectualism. It attempts to analyse the media-Unwelt of fringe Hollywood in June '68, the material being: avant-garde theatre (Michael McLure's The Beard), experimental art film (Shirley Clarke), the hip-hype pop musical (Rado and Ragni of Hair), underground superstardom (Viva), and the TV news. Varda's presentation is a peculiarly confused mix of ancient Godard, cliché'd surrealism, '50s pop, and a half-arsed imitation of Warholian stylistics, with some rancid cream - an unconvincing triangular love trip à la Le Bonheur - thrown in for good measure. Set off against the love triangle garbage is a neat doom package of assassination (Robert Kennedy), attempted murder (Andy Warhol) and attempted suicide (Shirley Clarke). A nakedly bad film, a melange of incompatibles that induces embarrassment or irritation, but hardly humour or interest. JDuC.