Capital Celluloid 2018 - Day 315: Wed Nov 21

City of Lost Souls (Von Praunheim, 1983): Castle Cinema, 6.45pm


Castle Cinema introduction:
City of Lost Souls is an explosively fun musical set in West Germany's only trans-owned burger bar, presided over by the incredible Leila, played by Jayne County. With the celebratory approach to deviance you find in John Waters' work, the wonky cabaret of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the inclusive, permeable underground of Derek Jarman's work, this is hilarious, raunchy, low budget delightful filmmaking. All topped off with some amazing songs.

Come and see this rare screening of a hidden classic of queer cinema, introduced by Juliet Jacques (Trans). All profits for this event for Trans Day of Remembrance, supporting the amazing work of Gendered Intelligence, helping trans youth.

This event is programmed by Nobody Ordered Wolves.

Time Out review:
Rosa von Praunheim's fictionalised account of the lives of his expatriate American acquaintances in Berlin. On the surface, a deranged comedy caper; sympathetically observed TVs and TSs, bizarre cabaret artistes, prostitutes, gays, straights, blacks and whites thriving in adversity in a Berlin of hallucinogenic fast-food outlets, lunatic self-improvement cults, cartooned nightclub life and immigration-squad raids. But behind the laughter there are numerous pointed comments on modern-day Germany, on fascism and on sexual, social, political and geographical statelessness. Heavy stuff - but von Praunheim ends up celebrating his friends' lives in a funny, startling and mocking 'punk' musical that even finds time for a Broadway-style happy ending. Jayne County's rise to Iron Curtain pop stardom is debilitatingly funny, and the whole might be described as a Rocky Horror Gastarbeiter Problem.
John Gill

Here (and above) is an extract.

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