Canada,
1992, 78 min
Shown in 1993
CREDITS
- dir
-
Ron Mann
- prod
-
Ron Mann
- cam
-
Bob Fresco
- editor
-
Robert Kennedy
- source
-
Alliance International
-
COMMENTS
Ron Mann in person.
OTHER
It was the dance that changed a generation and provoked moral outrage from coast to coast. It made Chubby Checker a household name, but the song's original composer, Hank Ballard, got left out of the spotlight. Ron Mann, who dazzled 1989 SFIFF audiences with Comic Book Confidential, sets the crazy, swingin' story straight in Twist, a superb combination of interviews and outrageous rare footage guaranteed to send you into a time warp. In the same colorful, witty style of his previous documentary, Mann explores the Twist's genesis and its various incarnations, from Harlem to American Bandstand to the Peppermint Lounge and the hilarious scramble for the "next Twist." Surely you remember the Frug, the Fly, the Monkey and the Jerk. Bandstand dancers from the early ’60s are on hand to explain their contributions, as are Checker, Joey Dee ("The Peppermint Twist"), and Dee Dee Sharp (who taught us how to do the Mashed Potato). Beyond the nostalgia, Twist also looks at the era's whitebreadization of African-American culture, as rhythm and blues great Hank Ballard talks of how he came to write "The Twist" and how crossover status was denied him in favor of Checker's safer, Dick Clark-promoted version. Whether you're taking a trip back to more innocent days or experiencing these scenes for the first time, Twist is great fun and invaluable history. Plan to twist the night away without reservation.
—Brian Gordon
FACTOID #347
The world premiere of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert took place at the 1994 San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre.
