Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! - Cultographies

Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) is an enigma. A box-office failure when initially released on the grindhouse circuit, it has since been embraced by art-house audiences, and referenced in countless films, television series, and songs. A riot of styles and story cliches lifted from biker, juvenile delinquency, and beach party movies, it has the coherence of a dream, and the improvisatory daring of a jazz solo. John Waters has called it the greatest movie ever made, and Quentin Tarantino has long promised to remake it. But what draws them, and so many other cult fans to Pussycat? To help answer that question, this book looks at the production and critical reception of the film, its place within the cultural history of the 1960s, its representations of gender and sexuality, and the specific ways it meets the criteria of a cult film.

List of contents

AcknowledgementsIntroduction: Russ Meyer and Me1. The Pussycats Gear Up2. The Pussycats Find Their Audience3. Seeing America First4. Pussycats and Satyrs5. A Velvet Glove Cast in IronNotesBibliographyIndex

About the author

Dean DeFino is Associate Professor of English and Director of Film Studies at Iona College, New York. His publications include The HBO Effect (2013) and essays on a wide range of topics, from detective cinema to mock-documentary.

Product details

• Authors: Defino, Dean DeFino, Dean J. Defino
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 22.02.2014
• EAN: 9780231167390
• ISBN: 978-0-231-16739-0
• No. of pages: 144
• Dimensions: 115 mm x 178 mm x 10 mm
• Series: Cultographies; Cultographies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Film, TV & radio, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / History & Criticism, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Direction & Production, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Guides & Reviews, Film guides and reviews, Film; Popular Culture