Pearls Before Swine is a cinematic mixed bag directed by Australian Richard Wolstencroft. I had an interest in watching the film as iconoclast Boyd Rice stars in the lead as a subversive “intellectual” hit man. Like Boyd Rice, director Richard Wolstencroft has flirted with fascism which can get a person blacklisted instantly in any field they may be interested in working in. For the controversial dialogue featured in Pearls Before Swine, I salute (or Roman salute) Richard Wolstencroft as a director that has balls in a contemporary degenerate society where the average filmmaker is truly scared to take any chances.
My main problem with Pearls Before Swine, aside from the films blatant low-budget, is how it attempts to be “cool” with it’s immature “life of crime” angle. I have never been too fond of how Quentin Tarantino attempts to make films that radiate “cool.” With Pearls Before Swine, director Richard Wolstencroft’s form of cool involves snorting coke and silly stylized sex scenes. What do these things have to do with rants about the beauty of Nazi film director Leni Liefenstahl’s films? I perfectly understand the S&M scenes as even that putrid kosher dyke Susan Sontag, who once stated so arrogantly “the white race is the cancer of human history,” admitted that sadomasochism is fascism in sex form. Sorry, but I just can’t see Joseph Goebbels and Otto Skorzeny snorting lines of coke while sporting gay ass pleather pants.
My favorite parts of Pearls Before Swine involve the speeches and tangents Boyd Rice goes on throughout the film. Sorry, but I really cannot imagine Mr. Rice as a badass hit man but more of an underground professor. In fact, maybe Boyd should start his own one of a kind school that studies both fascism and the occult. Anyone that has read Standing in Two Circles: The Collected Works of Boyd Rice knows that the man has done his fair share of studying and speculating. Some of the dialogues in Pearls Before Swine, however, are almost borderline self-parodies. When Boyd Rice starts talking about how Friedrich Nietzsche went insane, it kind of had me staring at the floor. I mean come on, I am sure most people that have an interest in Boyd Rice also know a little bit about ubermensch Nietzsche.
Pearls Before Swine also features an interesting soundtrack with music by Boyd Rice and the wonderful neo-folk tunes of Death in June. In fact, Death in June front man Douglas P. plays a character in the film that sells Boyd Rice some dirty vintage magazines. Pearls Before Swine also features Douglas P. (or at least one can only assume) in one of his awesome masks that he wears for Death in June. Douglas P.’s acting seems to also be a little more “professional” than Boyd Rice's. I just wish that the two collaborators will one day find a film project that better suits them.
I watched Pearls Before Swine twice and must say that the film was better in the second viewing. The reason for this is probably because I was more prepared for the film's very low production values and mediocre acting. Pearls Before Swine is a film that is more of a small treat for those individuals that already know of the lead actors in it. Otherwise, I would not recommend the film to many other people. Even for those that are fans of Boyd Rice, I am not sure that they would enjoy Mr. Rice getting paddled in the butt by an old man. Although I respect Pearls Before Swine director Richard Wolstencroft’s bold, anti-politically correct filmmaking, I hope he is better prepared for future film productions.
My main problem with Pearls Before Swine, aside from the films blatant low-budget, is how it attempts to be “cool” with it’s immature “life of crime” angle. I have never been too fond of how Quentin Tarantino attempts to make films that radiate “cool.” With Pearls Before Swine, director Richard Wolstencroft’s form of cool involves snorting coke and silly stylized sex scenes. What do these things have to do with rants about the beauty of Nazi film director Leni Liefenstahl’s films? I perfectly understand the S&M scenes as even that putrid kosher dyke Susan Sontag, who once stated so arrogantly “the white race is the cancer of human history,” admitted that sadomasochism is fascism in sex form. Sorry, but I just can’t see Joseph Goebbels and Otto Skorzeny snorting lines of coke while sporting gay ass pleather pants.
My favorite parts of Pearls Before Swine involve the speeches and tangents Boyd Rice goes on throughout the film. Sorry, but I really cannot imagine Mr. Rice as a badass hit man but more of an underground professor. In fact, maybe Boyd should start his own one of a kind school that studies both fascism and the occult. Anyone that has read Standing in Two Circles: The Collected Works of Boyd Rice knows that the man has done his fair share of studying and speculating. Some of the dialogues in Pearls Before Swine, however, are almost borderline self-parodies. When Boyd Rice starts talking about how Friedrich Nietzsche went insane, it kind of had me staring at the floor. I mean come on, I am sure most people that have an interest in Boyd Rice also know a little bit about ubermensch Nietzsche.
Pearls Before Swine also features an interesting soundtrack with music by Boyd Rice and the wonderful neo-folk tunes of Death in June. In fact, Death in June front man Douglas P. plays a character in the film that sells Boyd Rice some dirty vintage magazines. Pearls Before Swine also features Douglas P. (or at least one can only assume) in one of his awesome masks that he wears for Death in June. Douglas P.’s acting seems to also be a little more “professional” than Boyd Rice's. I just wish that the two collaborators will one day find a film project that better suits them.
I watched Pearls Before Swine twice and must say that the film was better in the second viewing. The reason for this is probably because I was more prepared for the film's very low production values and mediocre acting. Pearls Before Swine is a film that is more of a small treat for those individuals that already know of the lead actors in it. Otherwise, I would not recommend the film to many other people. Even for those that are fans of Boyd Rice, I am not sure that they would enjoy Mr. Rice getting paddled in the butt by an old man. Although I respect Pearls Before Swine director Richard Wolstencroft’s bold, anti-politically correct filmmaking, I hope he is better prepared for future film productions.
-Ty E
I'm giving Salo a go tomorrow! Wish me luck!
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