Paul Bartel was a walking incongruity. His public demeanor was almost painfully conservative. His bow ties, the mock-indignant piousness. These characteristics belied a truly perverse nature. Yet Bartel could make perversion seem sweet and almost wholesome.
If Bartel is remembered by the world at large, it is probably for the cult comedy, Eating Raoul, which he co-wrote, directed, and starred in. Others will remember his droll performances in films, particularly from the Roger Corman/New World Pictures years. A few treasure his efforts to bring forth the avant-garde to movies in the seventies and eighties.
I might love his acting roles the most. Paul Bartel was deliciously funny in Piranha, Rock 'n' Roll High School, Amazon Women on the Moon, and especially Hollywood Boulevard.
My own favorite Paul Bartel movie is the uproarious comedy of manners, Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. I liked a lot of his work. Eating Raoul, Private Parts, and his two acclaimed episodes of Amazing Stories. Not For Publication, Lust in the Dust, and The Longshot, not so much. Those final three productions were jobs for hire and suffered for the compromises forced upon Bartel.
Sadly, the final feature film directed by Paul Bartel, Shelf Life, never found a distributor.
Despite his recognizable visage from the screen, there has been relatively little written about Bartel. Twenty-seventeen saw the welcome publication of Paul Bartel: The Life and Films, by Stephen B. Armstrong. It's an informative and interesting book, if perhaps a tad dry. Especially considering the colorful subject matter. I was glad to buy the book, and I enjoyed reading it, but I would love to see a more intimate look at the man. Perhaps written by someone close to his personal life. Can you imagine if Mary Woronov were to write it?
Perhaps there isn't a market for a big, personal Paul Bartel biography. The thought makes me sad.
Written by Mark Sieber
If Bartel is remembered by the world at large, it is probably for the cult comedy, Eating Raoul, which he co-wrote, directed, and starred in. Others will remember his droll performances in films, particularly from the Roger Corman/New World Pictures years. A few treasure his efforts to bring forth the avant-garde to movies in the seventies and eighties.
I might love his acting roles the most. Paul Bartel was deliciously funny in Piranha, Rock 'n' Roll High School, Amazon Women on the Moon, and especially Hollywood Boulevard.
My own favorite Paul Bartel movie is the uproarious comedy of manners, Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. I liked a lot of his work. Eating Raoul, Private Parts, and his two acclaimed episodes of Amazing Stories. Not For Publication, Lust in the Dust, and The Longshot, not so much. Those final three productions were jobs for hire and suffered for the compromises forced upon Bartel.Sadly, the final feature film directed by Paul Bartel, Shelf Life, never found a distributor.
Despite his recognizable visage from the screen, there has been relatively little written about Bartel. Twenty-seventeen saw the welcome publication of Paul Bartel: The Life and Films, by Stephen B. Armstrong. It's an informative and interesting book, if perhaps a tad dry. Especially considering the colorful subject matter. I was glad to buy the book, and I enjoyed reading it, but I would love to see a more intimate look at the man. Perhaps written by someone close to his personal life. Can you imagine if Mary Woronov were to write it?
Perhaps there isn't a market for a big, personal Paul Bartel biography. The thought makes me sad.
Written by Mark Sieber
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