MODEL SHOP

Several people have reviewed this film from an "artsy" standpoint. It wasn't widely released when it first came out, and it was eventually considered as an "art house" movie in more recent years, enjoying a limited release in west coast movie houses that tended to cater to foreign and limited release films.If you want a more technical review, which justifiably compliments the director, actors, story line, etc., then please read some of the other reviews that have been posted. In my opinion, it was a good and rather unique movie, and that is how I will review it.I grew up in the 1960s, and I watched young men get drafted and then disappear into the abyss of the Vietnam war. As high school graduation approached, I watched the males in the classes ahead of me become increasingly concerned as their time for being drafted rapidly approached. Many of them knew that Vietnam would be a one-way ticket, where they would stand a good chance of returning either broken in body or mind, if they returned at all. Even for the most patriotic, the rapidly approaching reality of the draft began to consume them, whether they were in high school or graduating from college, and they knew that they were going to experience a life-changing event which they probably didn't want, leaving all their friends, family, and their entire life, behind.The movie captures this sense of desolation in the face of inevitability. The main character has been drafted and only has few days before he will leave everything he knows, behind. He clings to his beloved car (which gets reposessed) as the only constant in his life. Meanwhile, everyone around him acts as if nothing is going to happen to him. His girlfriend pressures him to get married, his friends lend him money expecting that he'll be around to pay him back.And then he meets a woman who works in a "Model Shop," where men pay to take picture of them in various states of undress (lewd for the time). In a sense, she's already in her own version of Vietnam - stuck in a country (the USA) where she doesn't quite belong, doing things she doesn't want to do, constantly trying to get back home to her beloved France. The two of them connect for a short period of time and talk about running away together, but neither belongs in the other's world. In the end, the main character finally loses his beloved car (which he would never have physically fit in if the covertible top had been up) and leaves for Vietnam, but he also leaves money for the woman so she can get out of her own "vietnam" and return to her beloved France.The photography (particularly now that it has been restored to its original brightness) is reminiscent of the 1960s, when color film use became widespread. The colors are sharp - sharper and more intense, in some ways, than they are today, since color was a selling point back in those days, and film makers made it a point to stick with bright, sharp primary sorts of colors (no pastels or plaid, here). It is more of a psychological film - there are no car chases, fights, or explosions, just the endless monotony of an oil pump which is almost another character - churning in the background, and the most action occurs when the main character speeds up and down and around the curving city roads seeming to not care if he does crash, because that would end it all before the real horror started.But I always liked the movie because it was different. It showed a side of the 1960s that many men went through due to the draft. And the movie itself was excellently photographed and a work of art in itself. I highly recommend it.

Good Music in this movie

I only bought this for Spirit. That's it. I've gotten the Model Shop mono soundtrack and like it a lot. I liked seeing the music where it was intended to be used. I'll agree that some of the long cinematography is great. The 60's scene is history on film. $3 to fill your MG? Guys give you fake records? Cheeseburger and coffee 65 cents.The fun part for Spirit fans was the small part they got in the film. Randy never stops smiling. He was 18 maybe when this film was made? I'd be smiling too if I was in a "major motion picture with an acclaimed director." Jay Ferguson has the extended acting part here, and does a good job for a non-actor. Was this worth the price of the entire film? No. Was it key to the plot? Musician friend "doing well" gives $100 to lead actor. Thin device at best.The meat of this film is driving. Lots of driving. Driving driving driving. The car is the star. Gary Lockwood plays an underemployed, post college underachiever. The film gets going after he learns he's drafted and going to Nam. Oh yeah, this was the late 60's, so add in that plot device. It's hard to be critical of the main character after this point as the film then becomes about, well, that. I'd imagine that feeling must be the worst, forced to do something you don't agree with, no choice, no way out.That said, the "love" story between him and Anouk seems lightweight. At 1 hour and ten minutes in, it still was slow moving. "Art House" indeed. A very well shot art house film that is generally a drag to watch and acting that varies from pretty decent to "wet paper bag". I gave it three stars for what it is. A slice of 60's life for the non-rich and famous living under the hopeless feeling that the end is tomorrow. If you're a Spirit fanatic like me, gotta get this for Randy's "look ma, I'm in a movie" smile.

Quality of the DVD transfer was surprisingly good; beautifully saturated colors, clean transfer, lots of detail. Soundtrack fidelity was good considering we are looking at the pre Dolby-Digital era.The movie itself was quite interesting and well acted. While not quite a classic, Jaques Levy gives us an interesting character study of two protagonists; one who does whatever it takes to survive, keeping the end-goal in mind, and the other who refuses to compromise. I'll leave it to you to decide which is which and who's got the better instincts!Cool soundtrack by the jazzy 60's group, Spirit.

This movie had been hard to find for years, but when I saw it available on Amazon I bought it. The quality is great, it shipped quickly, and is a blast to watch.

Service and delivery from vendor was top notch .... I ordered this video because it was brought up as the inspiration for the documentary "Echos of the Canyon" .... If you like old MGs, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Blvd. and the band "Spirit", you will love this video. Also if you like mopey actors who can't find the right words so they remain mute and moody or people who instantly fall in love with women passing them in traffic at 40 mph, you will also love this video.I found it unwatchable. You should buy it just to see if you can make it through.

LA is one of the main characters here. Many films try to disguise their locales to be more "universal," yet, here, 1960s LA is the star. Also, for those of us who love the band Spirit, we get to see the musicians in their milieu, and at their prime. Randy Wolfe (California) died way before his time, and we get to see him while still quite young here (18?).The film doesn't have a plot beyond that of a simple love story. The main character, played by Gary Lockwood, expects happiness and love out of life despite the impending threat of the draft to the Viet Nam War. His love interest, a French sex worker who has loved and lost, is less romantic.One word which describes Lockwood's character completely, is ENUI.I loved the film for its historic look at LA, the appearance of Gary Lockwood, and the band Spirit.

I am a Jacques Demy fan even more than a Jean Luc Goddard fan. If you want to get the feel of California and the 1960’s sensibility, then this is a better movie than Beach Party Bingo (even though I watch The Frankie and Annette movies religiously for the world of me when I was 20). Driving around LA was always a joy and in an MG I get around with the Beach Boys. Some will say this is just a nostalgia movie. We all need nostalgia. It filters the bad and the crassness of the real world.

Adorei esta edição é de excelente qualidade. A obra em si em tudo diferente das habituais de Jacques Demmy vem no entanto no seguimento de lolla. Filme protesto anti Vietname deixa um nó na garganta pela verosímil semelhança com as vidas de muitos. Relação preço qualidade recomendo vivamente

At the outset, it must be said that this astonishing quality Region B Blu-ray transfer from Arrow Academy of Jacques Demy’s ‘Model Shop’ (1969) is an absolute revelation to see. Here in all its glory is late 1960’s Los Angeles in the raw, a boiling city-scape of dusty streets hosting a gentle mesmerising tale of hope, dreams and lost love. From the very first frame, ‘Model Shop’ exudes a strange palpable atmosphere of calm before the storm which penetrates the film throughout. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we are actually witnessing the city at the very moment when a certain Charles Manson was about to change the perception of LA forever. No other crime would scar the spirit of a town more than that which occurred on that hot August night in 1969, the memory of which would permeate into the soul of America to this day.Furthermore, we can now see how ‘Model Shop’ inspired Quentin Tarrantino in recreating the look of LA for his movie ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2020), a masterclass of art direction that so skillfully harnesses the tacky beauty of how the city looked and felt during the late sixties.I saw first saw ‘Model Shop’ in Paris on its European release. This was a time when the auditoriums of Parisian cinemas were generally pitch black save for the light reflected off the screen, and this created an extraordinary total immersion in the cinema experience. I remember marveling at Demy’s POV shots from the interior of Gary Lockwood’s very English MG TF sports car. A rare cinematic technique then, and no coincidence that Film Noir enthusiast Demy must have been influenced by Robert Aldrich’s ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ (1955), which also features similar point of view shots of LA as seen from inside the same model of MG car!That said, my rediscovery of the film, having happened upon due to its contribution to the wonderful music documentary ‘Echo in the Canyon’ (2018), is an absolute delight. So much so, this reviewer is looking forward to regular re-screenings.A further pleasure is the inclusion of copious Blu-ray extras in which film historian and reviewer Philip Kemp delivers a superb in-depth talk on the film. However, I have to respectfully disagree with Kemp’s disappointment with Gary Lockwood’s lead performance, rather favouring Demy’s original choice of the then unknown Harrison Ford – pulled by a risk averse Columbia Pictures. For me, Lockwood was pitch perfect in the part, playing the role with intense precision, exuding the painful emptiness of his character’s lot. The quiet magnetic quality of the film is entirely due to Lockwood, whose recognition as a legendary American actor is way overdue. His powerful performances are such that we always see the character rather than the movie star – a true Hollywood rarity. On this occasion, the suits at Columbia made absolutely the right choice.For deep dish admirers of ‘Model Shop’, Thom Andersen’s ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ from Cinema Guild, is a must-have Aladdin’s Cave of a companion. Andersen’s fabulous Region A event documentary about the city’s myriad of movie locations, features classic clips from many of the films that would have inspired Jacques Demy’s brilliant Los Angeles adventure.Roger Hopkins

Good quality bit pricey

Encontrar esta película tan antigua en DVD y versión española y a este precio es como encontrar una perla negra. Muchas gracias Amazon!