Customer Reviews

Mondo New York [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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This video is hard to find! If you can get your hands on a copy, get it! It is based on the underground world of New York City's experimental artists. Some scenes are shocking and may be too disturbing for those faint of heart. The opening number performed by the phenomenal Phoebe Legere is worth the cost of the entire video alone. Legere is said to have over four octaves and is able to play seven instruments. She has the body of a Playboy centerfold and has a brain too. She is a graduate of Vassar University in music composition. In this video she does a very provocative homage to Marilyn Monroe. The video also includes a lot of controversial acts including a man who bites off the heads of rats, cockfights, an authentic voodoo ritual with an animal sacrifice, and an assortment of other freakish performers including Lydia Lunch, Annie Sprinkle, and Joey Aria (all legends in the underground entertainment world). It runs about 83 minutes but feels like it is less than an hour.

A shocking documentary with rare footage. Features Real artists in their enivornments during the late 80's New York / Lower East Side Art Scene.

The main premise of a young naive girl walking the city and stumbling upon various NYC underground art theaters and hang outs is a bit silly. The film-making isn't brilliant to say the least. However, the rare footage is amazing. Features real artists like Joe Coleman and other painters, performers, and shocking theater.


Lower East Side East Village and Alphabet City Performances, Artists, Poets, Performers Stand-Up Comics, Musicians, and much more wild weird and bizarre entertainers! - The bittersweet core of the Big Apple... The New York that pulsates at night. - Mondo NY is a perversely compelling tribute to the unsung antistars of the city... a circa 80's berlin cabaret. More than an eye-opening celebration of what makes the Naked City a one-of-a-kind metropolis. Many performers including: Karen Finely, Dean Johnson and Ann Magnuson lament the endangered status of their creative bastiona. - - It doesn't get much more subversive, outlandish and, sometimes, disgusting than the live acts displayed in this wacked-out New York City documentary from filmmaker Harvey Keith. Keith travels New York chronicling some of the cities more depraved souls, as well as an outrageous collection of performance artists, ranging from poetry readers to punk rockers to some acts that defy definition. Mondo New York is a raw, sexually and verbally shocking film that shows some of the Big Apple's greater--and, at times, more artistic--oddities.

This video is not available on DVD yet. There were two versions released. The one pictured here is an MPI home video release. There was a another release in the late 90's by POLYGRAM home video. Since Polygram video is no longer in business. This video is no longer available as well. It is well worth watching even if its a bit harder to find.

Mondo New York is a rare documentation of New York's East Village performance art scene when it was just about to boil over into the mainstream. Many of the performers went on to become stars while others unfortunately died way too young (Charlie Barnett, John Sex), shortly after the movie was produced. This film is a must-see for anyone who is interested in the New York underground art scene. It may be the only chance for one to witness the energy of a lost decade. The vitality of the performers is palpable. I highly recommend this film to anyone interest in either performance art or New York subcultures. Definitely a great snap shot of The City as it was in the 1980's.

Mondo New York is a rare documentation of New York's East Village performance art scene when it was just about to boil over into the mainstream. Many of the performers went on to become stars while others unfortunately died way too young (Charlie Barnett, John Sex), shortly after the movie was produced. This film is a must-see for anyone who is interested in the New York underground art scene. It may be the only chance for one to witness the energy of a lost decade. The vitality of the performers is palpable. I highly recommend this film to anyone interest in either performance art or New York subcultures. Definitely a great snap shot of The City as it was in the 1980's.

This is one of those obscure videos about a particular time and place. In this case, it is the East Village underground art scene in the early 80's. If you like outrageous, this is for you. Dean and the Weenies singing "F*** You" in artsy cool, the guy who bites the head off the rat then sets fireworks off on himself, Karen Finley's psychotic rant-as-art, Phoebe Legere singing about "Marilyn", truly capture an era that is, for the most part, gone. It is both documentary and art entertainment. You might like or not like what you see, but you won't be bored.

I saw this at the theater and have a copy at home (I ran my beta copy to DVD years ago.) This is a great performance piece, notable standouts are Joe Coleman who bit the heads off rats and was threatened with legal action by Bob Barker in a great bit (he has fireworks strapped all over his body and he lights the fuse.....) Dean Wareham (Dean and The Weenies) a noted NYC transvestite performer performs one of the coolest songs you'll ever hear. Oh yeah, you don't want to miss Karen Finley beating a dead horse either.....
This was NYC pre 9-11 and pre Gulliani. Mondo New York is a slice of NYC that we'll likely never see the likes of again....
Mitch

I found this movie in a very small down in the middle of no where. I was not able to secure the original copy of the movie, I did manage to get the original cover and a traditional dubbed copy. I must say that this movie makes a great addition to my growing rare movie collection. See this movie at least once if you can.