Reading any work by gore vidal, i am always amazed at how well it stands the test of time. Sprung from a novel by gore vidal, myra tells the tender tale of a man damply played by film critic rex reed who has a sexchange operation and goes to hollywood as a womanplayed by raquel welch. My oh myra gore vidals myra breckinridge the movie. Popism the warhol 60s by andy warhol and pat hackett hutchinson, 1980 is an essential read in its own right, especially if you enjoy campy gossip about the 60s new york scene. Myra breckenridge, the wild, tasteless, legendary disaster. An attractive young woman, myra breckinridge is a film buff with a special interest in the golden age of hollywoodin particular the 1940sand the. Fussy film buff myron breckinridge rex reed goes to europe and gets a sexchange operation from a slovenly chainsmoking doctor john carradine and returns to the united states as the glamorous and willful myra breckinridge raquel welch. Gore vidal novel, michael sarne screenplay 1 more credit. This uneven film is taken from the novel by gore vidal. This book is an amusing story about sexual transformation, but despite an allstar cast, the film is a dismal failure. Described by the critic dennis altman as part of a major cultural assault on the assumed norms of gender and sexuality which swept the western world in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the books major themes are feminism, transsexuality, american expressions of machismo. Tribute to gore vidals myra breckinridge raquel welch, mae west, john huston. Compared to the rest of his oeuvre, gore vidal s 1968 novel seems misbegotten, like racing stripes on a limousine. Sexual politics, gender roles, the nature of celebrity all of these.
Young gore spent much of his childhood with his blind grandfather, senator t. Gore vidal was born eugene louis vidal in 1925 in west point, new york, to nina gore and west point aeronautics instructor and aviation pioneer eugene luther vidal. S can the internet movie database for michael sarnes myra breckinridge, based on the infamous book by gore vidal, and youll find among the plot keywords non statutory female on male anal rape. Complete summary of gore vidal s myra breckinridge. Myra is dedicated to vidals friend christopher isherwood, author of the autobiographical berlin stories, which inspired the musical and movie. Many of the references in myra breckinridge are dated and certainly would have been at the time of its publication as well, and yet the themes of the story still ring eerily true today. The future, if it has one, of the netflix biopic gore, starring kevin spacey as the author gore vidal, lies in an odd suspension. And gore vidal does it with great panache in myra breckinridgemyron.
Myra breckinridge 1970, mae west, john huston, raquel. Dive deep into gore vidal s myra breckinridge with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. I was never clear on what her plan was, and why she took the teaching job, but this movie wasnt all. It also starred john huston as buck loner, mae west as leticia van. Gore vidal acknowledged myra breckinridge was possibly the worst movie ever made literary giant gore vidal, who passed away two years ago at age 86, was usually the smartest person in. Posters of welch colorfully costumed and archly posed like the statue are still widely marketed. I got on a gore vidal kick my junior year of college. Inside the sex secrets of kevin spaceys gore vidal movie. Hot, however, like an unevenly microwaved potash might be.
Myra breckinridge audiobook by gore vidal, camille. Sprung from a novel by gore vidal, myra tells the tender tale of a man damply played by film critic rex reed who. Myra breckinridge 1970 the best man 1964 visit to a small planet 1960. The film had had a difficult gestation, and its birth and early life were painful for. Written by gore vidal, camille paglia introduction, audiobook narrated by michelle hendley, camille paglia. This book is an amusing story about sexual transformation, but despite an allstar cast, the film is a dismal. After the operation, myron arrives in hollywood as myra breckinridge raquel welch while in the rest of this movie, myron pops up from time to time as myras alter ego. Instead she starts teaching classes in acting for some reason. Myra goes to an acting academy owned by her uncle, buck loner john huston, a former cowboy star. Gore vidal acknowledged myra breckinridge was possibly. Adapted from the gore vidal novel of the same name, in which a gay man, myron breckinridge rex reed, undergoes a sexchange operation before setting of as myra breckinridge on a mission to hollywood to destroy the american male in all its particulars. Every myron needs a myra, so do yourself a favour and meet the original girl power warrior. Myra breckinridge is a 1970 american comedy film based on gore vidals 1968 novel of the same name.
Myra breckinridge is a 1970 american comedy film based on gore vidal s 1968 novel of the same name. Insisting that she is myrons widow, myra enrolls in an acting school run by her uncle, buck loner john huston, where she meets manhungry talent. Myron breckenridge rex reed goes to europe for a sex change operation and returns to the u. The united states of amnesia movie clip myra breckenridge 2014 documentary hd the political coup has already happened. Its tempting to leave myra breckinridge well enough alone. The film was directed by michael sarne, and featured. Five decades later, director michael sarnes 1970 film of gore vidal s witty comic novel about hollywood seems nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests. This 1970 american comedy is based on gore vidal s satirical novel, myra breckinridge. His novel myra breckinridge, written in the form of a diary, became the bizarre 1970 film comedy that starred raquel welsh, john huston and mae west in her penultimate movie. Gore vidal s myra breckinridge by vidal, gore, 1925publication date 1968 publisher new york. On myra breckinridge and the life of gore vidal literary hub. Adapted from the gore vidal novel of the same name, in which a gay man, myron breckinridge rex reed, undergoes a sexchange operation before setting of as myra breckinridge on a mission to hollywood to. Mousy, neurotic myron breckinridge reed secretly receives genderreassignment surgery in copenhagen and returns to hollywood as.
Gore vidal acknowledged myra breckinridge was possibly the worst movie ever made literary giantgore vidal, who passed away two years ago at age 86, was usually the smartest person in anyroom he. The vidals endured a rocky marriage divorcing ten years after gore s birth. All pictures taken from films and filming issues dated october 1970, february 1971 and march 1971. The movie itself is something i remember watching in college and being stupefied that it had been made. The man in the pencilthin mustache, auteur of the transgressive movie classics pink flamingos, polyester, and many more, serves it up raw.
I am myra breckinridge, whom no man will ever possess. Upcoming, new, and past gore vidal movies, tv shows, tv movies, appearances, specials, and more plus, a biography, news, awards, and nominations. I started with the city and the pillar and moved on to myra breckinridge, which i liked even better than city and then directly on to myron. If i was going to read one gore vidal book why, id decided, it was going to be the. There are few issues that remained untouched anything from linguistic deterioration the californian drowning in the ocean yelling. I mean, somehow, over 40 years ago, mike sarne, a former pop singer and confirmed heterosexual, adapted gore vidal s highconcept literary sensation about a malicious, movie obsessed transsexual into a film that mixes scenes such as a young stud being assraped by thenreigning sex queen. Gore vidal was a prolific writer and witty political critic who authored 24 novels before his death in 2012. The hollywood adaption of gore vidals controversial 1968 novel with a. Myra breckinridge is a surreal comedy about a man who transitions into. Myra breckinridge was an agent of doom for the american male. Written as a diary, myra breckinridge, someone determined not to be possessed. The movie has been filmed, and was in postproduction when netflix. Author, playwright, screenwriter, acerbic storyteller, and political commentator gore vidal died on july 31 at his home in the hollywood hills. In its day, it was a spectacular car wreck of a movie, a big budget adaptation of a touted novel by gore vidal, called at the time a novel that could never be filmed.
Gore vidal full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. In fact, it contains much creative genius and is a ton of fun. Which makes one wonder if that category was coined solely for the groundbreaking miss myra herself, exquisitely brought to life by the underrated raquel welch. Id also kindof conflated the notoriously bad film of myra with the novel. Published in 1968, gore vidals myra breckinridge was part political. The 1970 twentieth centuryfox film production is unfairly derided as one of the worst movies ever made. She comes to the academy for aspiring young actors and actresses, owned by her deceased husband myrons uncle, buck loner. Eerily impressive glimpses of the statue still smoothly revolving are featured in the disastrous 1970 movie of myra breckinridge, among whose few other positives are the dynamic performance and steely armored look of raquel welch as myra. It also starred john huston as buck loner, mae west as leticia van allen, farrah fawcett, rex reed, roger herren, and roger c. My notes from my journal at that time only say, vidal is an interesting fellow, isnt he. Myra breckinridge is a hot mess, maybe the original hot mess. A 1970 film based on the novel of the same name by gore vidal, it stars raquel welch and rex reed, along with mae west and john huston.
Myra breckinridge is a 1968 satirical novel by gore vidal written in the form of a diary. Movie myra breckinridge was released in year and the movie is 94 minutes long since its available here so you can watch the myra breckinridge movie free online. Michael sarnes film of gore vidal s myra breckinridge was released in late june of 1970. The film was directed by michael sarne, and featured raquel welch in the title role. High resolution official theatrical movie poster for myra breckinridge image dimensions. An attractive young woman, myra breckinridge is a film buff with a special interest in the golden age of hollywoodin particular the 1940sand the writings of film critic parker tyler. The movie is nothing like what book author gore vidal envisioned, but it has turned into a camp classic worthy of seeing.
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