Much of the film takes place in
a small town run by Mr. Greaser. Citizens are forced to be tribute to him, and
he seems to hold the power of life and death over them (though no power over
his own bowels). He keeps a band in a jail cell on his roof, and even holds his own
mother in a cell. Yet he doesn’t seem evil. He doesn’t appear to be the
devil character in the story. When we first see the town, a woman is singing a
song about adultery to an audience of appreciative men. The song is hilarious,
but among the crowd is the Holy Ghost – a man in a sheet and hat, smoking a
cigar. After he puts his cigar out on the chest of Lamy Greaser, there is some
mayhem, until Lamy is gunned down by his father. Yes, the movie is full of
strange surprises like that.
Meanwhile, a family makes its
way across the land in a covered wagon, hoping to meet Mr. Greaser so that the
woman can sing for him. The young boy is played by Robert Downey, Jr., by the
way, in an uncredited role. Behind the carriage, Jessy parachutes down to
Earth. He wears a zoot suit, a wide yellow tie, a pink hat and white gloves.
And there is a certain spring to his step as he walks along. When the Holy
Ghost delivers to him the body of Lamy, Jessy brings him back to life, saying
he needs his help to pursue a career as an actor and singer. (And there is a
running joke about the William Morris Agency.) What is interesting is that both
Jessy and the woman are seeking basically the same thing – a career as an
entertainer. We see Jessy’s journey, and we see the family’s journey, and we
hope they will meet up soon, especially after the woman wakes to find that both
her man and her boy have been killed during the night.
There is quite a bit of death
in this film, though much of it is directed at poor Lamy, whom his father
dispatches a few more times. People begin to follow Jessy after seeing him
bring Lamy back from the dead. And there is a wonderful scene where Jessy walks
on water, even performing a somersault, in order to entertain his followers.
Interestingly, his followers include Mr. Greaser. As I mentioned, Mr. Greaser
doesn’t come across as evil. At one point, Mr. Greaser tells Coo Coo, “I wish I could put my arms around each and
every one of them and let them know that everything is going to be okay.”
After Coo Coo asks him why he doesn’t do just that, Mr. Greaser responds, “I’m not bizarre enough.” A surprising
response.
There are a lot of funny lines
and moments and situations in this film. When Jessy is stopped by a group of afflicted
individuals who wish to be healed, one of them ends up repeating joyously, “I can crawl again!” Another tells him to
get his hands off him. The religious characters in the story – a nun and a monk
– are disappointed in this messiah. What is interesting is that Jessy questions
his own identity, which the monk calls blasphemy. And if you’re wondering if God plays
a role in this story, since Jesus and the Holy Ghost are present, the answer is
yes. And one of my favorite moments is when Jessy tells his father, “I really don’t trust you.” The sound is
also kind of intriguing in this film. There are moments when the film is nearly
silent, as when the woman wakes to find her husband and son with their throats
cut. Certainly not something you’d expect from a comedy. But this film strange
and glorious film takes us on its own peculiar ride, and meets us on its own
terms, and proves once again that the best decade for film was the 1970s.
Special Features
The Blu-ray includes an
interview with director Robert Downey, in which he talks about the film. He
says there is no spiritual message. “I
just wanted to have fun.” He talks about casting Allan Arbus, and tells some
funny and odd anecdotes, including one about his son.
The special features also
include trailers for Seizure, Doctor Death, Hollywood Boulevard, Conduct
Unbecoming (I need to see this one), Saint Jack (I love that movie), and Aloha, Bobby And
Rose.
Greaser’s Palace was released on Blu-ray on June 5, 2018 through Scorpion Releasing and Music Box Films.
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