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{{Short description|1988 film by Frank Zappa}}
{{Short description|1987 film by Frank Zappa}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Uncle Meat
| name = Uncle Meat
| image = Uncle Meat (film).jpg
| image = Uncle Meat (film).jpg

| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| director = [[Frank Zappa]]
| director = [[Frank Zappa]]
Line 14: Line 14:
| editing =
| editing =
| distributor =
| distributor =
| released = 1988<ref name=Corcelli/>
| released = {{Film date|1987}}
| runtime = 100 minutes
| runtime = 100 minutes
| country = United States
| country = United States
Line 20: Line 20:
| budget =
| budget =
}}
}}
'''''Uncle Meat''''' is a 1988 film written and directed by [[Frank Zappa]].<ref name=Lowe/> It was conceived in 1968 as a vehicle for [[the Mothers of Invention]],<ref name=Corcelli/> but remained unfinished until 20 years after the production began.<ref name=delafuentes>{{cite book |last=de la Fuentes |first=Manuel |author-link= |date=April 15, 2016 |title=Frank Zappa and the And |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xnsGDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT63&dq=uncle+meat+movie&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY76KCob-CAxUbHTQIHVO_A0IQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=uncle%20meat%20movie&f=false |chapter=Zappa and his Cultural Legacy: Authorship, Influences and Expressive Features in Frank Zappa's Movies |publisher=Taylor & Francis |page=63 |isbn=9781317133148}}</ref>
'''''Uncle Meat''''' is a 1987 film written and directed by [[Frank Zappa]]. It was conceived in 1968 as a vehicle for [[the Mothers of Invention]],<ref name=Corcelli/> but remained unfinished until 20 years after the production began.<ref name=delafuentes>{{cite book |last=de la Fuentes |first=Manuel |author-link= |date=April 15, 2016 |title=Frank Zappa and the And |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xnsGDAAAQBAJ&dq=uncle+meat+movie&pg=PT63 |chapter=Zappa and his Cultural Legacy: Authorship, Influences and Expressive Features in Frank Zappa's Movies |publisher=Taylor & Francis |page=63 |isbn=9781317133148}}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==
The film has been described as an unfinished "non-movie",<ref name=delafuentes/> consisting of three distinct plots, the first of which has been described as "Zappa filming Zappa filming".<ref name=delafuentes/> In the second plotline, a musician named Biff Debris ([[Don Preston]]) becomes obsessed with trying to produce a hit single, ultimately failing to achieve his objective before he gets old (and is now played by Stumuk, replacing Preston).<ref name=delafuentes/> The third plot is a love story between Phyllis Altenhaus and Debris as Phyllis works as an operator who falls in love with Debris while watching a video of a 1968 music performance by Debris. Years after, they meet and live happily ever after.<ref name=delafuentes/>
The film has been described as an unfinished "non-movie",<ref name=delafuentes/> consisting of three distinct plots, the first of which has been described as "Zappa filming Zappa filming".<ref name=delafuentes/> In the second plotline, a musician named Biff Debris ([[Don Preston]]) becomes obsessed with trying to produce a hit single, ultimately failing to achieve his objective before he gets old (and is now played by Stumuk, replacing Preston).<ref name=delafuentes/> The third plot is a love story between Phyllis Altenhaus and Debris as Phyllis works as an operator who falls in love with Debris while watching a video of a 1968 music performance by Debris. Years after, they meet and live happily ever after.<ref name=delafuentes/>


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
{{castlist|
*Phyllis Smith Altenhaus as herself/Sheba Flieschman (as Phyllis Altenhaus)
*Phyllis Smith Altenhaus as herself and also sometimes as Sheba Flieschman (as Phyllis Altenhaus)
⚫
*[[Dick Barber]] as himself
⚫
*[[Don Preston]] as himself (a.k.a. Dom DeWilde) and also sometimes as Biff Debris but most frequently as Uncle Meat
⚫
*[[Frank Zappa]] as himself/The Imaginary Director
⚫
*Carl Zappa as Young Minnesota Tishman
⚫
*[[Aynsley Dunbar]] as himself/Biff Junior
⚫
*[[Ray Collins (rock musician)|Ray Collins]] as himself/Bill Yards
⚫
*[[Meredith Monk]] as Red Face Girl
*Massimo Bassoli as Adult Minnesota Tishman
*Massimo Bassoli as Adult Minnesota Tishman
⚫
*C. Mercedes Lewis as Girl Who Was A Sofa
⚫
*Francesca Fisher as The Countess
⚫
*[[Billy Mundi]] as Rollo
⚫
*Stumuk as Elderly Biff Debris
⚫
*Dick Barber as himself
*[[Rodney Bingenheimer]] as himself
*[[Rodney Bingenheimer]] as himself
*[[Jimmy Carl Black]] as himself
*[[Jimmy Carl Black]] as himself
⚫
*[[Ray Collins (rock musician)|Ray Collins]] as himself/Bill Yards
⚫
*[[Aynsley Dunbar]] as himself/Biff Junior
*[[Roy Estrada]] as himself
*[[Roy Estrada]] as himself
⚫
*Francesca Fisher as The Countess
*[[Bunk Gardner]] as himself
*[[Bunk Gardner]] as himself
*[[Buzz Gardner]] as himself
*[[Buzz Gardner]] as himself
Line 40: Line 48:
*Dick Kunc as himself
*Dick Kunc as himself
*Manfred Lerch as himself
*Manfred Lerch as himself
⚫
*C. Mercedes Lewis as Girl Who Was A Sofa
*Sal Lombardo as himself
*Sal Lombardo as himself
⚫
*[[Meredith Monk]] as Red Face Girl
⚫
*[[Billy Mundi]] as Rollo
*Janet Neville-Ferguson as herself
*Janet Neville-Ferguson as herself
⚫
*[[Don Preston]] as himself/Biff Debris/Uncle Meat
*[[Fritz Rau]] as himself
*[[Fritz Rau]] as himself
*[[Linda Ronstadt]] as herself
*[[Linda Ronstadt]] as herself
*[[Cal Schenkel]] as himself
*[[Cal Schenkel]] as himself
*[[Euclid James Sherwood|Euclid James 'Motorhead' Sherwood]] as himself
*[[Euclid James Sherwood|Euclid James 'Motorhead' Sherwood]] as himself
⚫
*Stumuk as Elderly Biff Debris
*[[Art Tripp|Arthur Dyer Tripp III]] as himself
*[[Art Tripp|Arthur Dyer Tripp III]] as himself
*[[Ian Underwood]] as himself
*[[Ian Underwood]] as himself
Line 56: Line 59:
*[[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]] as himself
*[[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]] as himself
*Annie Zannas as herself
*Annie Zannas as herself
}}
⚫
*Carl Zappa as Young Minnesota Tishman
⚫
*[[Frank Zappa]] as himself/The Imaginary Director


==Production==
==Production==
In 1968, [[Frank Zappa]] decided to make a film featuring the original incarnation of [[the Mothers of Invention]]. [[Haskell Wexler]], who had used two of Zappa's songs in his film ''[[Medium Cool]]'', offered five days of his services as a cinematographer for free to Zappa.<ref name=Corcelli>{{cite book |last=Corcelli |first=John |date=August 2016 |title=Frank Zappa FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Father of Invention|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DtGGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT241&dq=Uncle+Meat+video&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8oeK10MOCAxUHMDQIHeUFDY4Q6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=Uncle%20Meat%20video&f=false |publisher=Backbeat |page=241|isbn=9781617136740}}</ref> Financial issues led to the production stopping as Zappa moved on to other projects, but the film was finally completed and released in 1988.<ref name=Corcelli/>
In 1968 Zappa decided to make a film featuring the original incarnation of [[the Mothers of Invention]]. [[Haskell Wexler]], who had used two of Zappa's songs in his film ''[[Medium Cool]]'', offered five days of his services as a cinematographer for free to Zappa.<ref name=Corcelli>{{cite book |last=Corcelli |first=John |date=August 2016 |title=Frank Zappa FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Father of Invention|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DtGGDwAAQBAJ&dq=Uncle+Meat+video&pg=PT241 |publisher=Backbeat |page=241|isbn=9781617136740}}</ref> Financial issues led to the production stopping as Zappa moved on to other projects, but a different form of the film was finally completed and released in 1987.<ref name=Corcelli/>


===Style===
===Style===
''Uncle Meat'' juxtaposes concert footage from the Festival Hall in London with a fictional narrative<ref name=Corcelli/> that combines elements of [[science fiction]] and road stories inspired by the band's sexual escapades.<ref name=Lowe>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAYfqgGf4yYC&pg=PA64 |title=The Words and Music of Frank Zappa |first=Kelly Fisher |last=Lowe |date=October 2007 |access-date=November 12, 2023 |isbn=978-0803260054 }}</ref> The second plotline serves as a criticism of the music industry, portraying the efforts of a musician to gain commercial success; this plotline is a [[political thriller]].<ref name=delafuentes/> The film utilizes footage from 1968, 1970 and 1982, as well as studio and live recordings from different concerts and years, which allowed Zappa to complete the film, which reflects on the existence and validity of his music over the course of time.<ref name=delafuentes/>
''Uncle Meat'' juxtaposes concert footage from the Festival Hall in London with a fictional narrative<ref name=Corcelli/> that combines elements of [[science fiction]] and road stories inspired by the band's sexual escapades.<ref name=Lowe>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAYfqgGf4yYC&pg=PA64 |title=The Words and Music of Frank Zappa |first=Kelly Fisher |last=Lowe |date=October 2007 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |access-date=November 12, 2023 |isbn=978-0803260054 }}</ref> The second plotline serves as a criticism of the music industry, portraying the efforts of a musician to gain commercial success; this plotline is a [[political thriller]].<ref name=delafuentes/> The film utilizes footage from 1968, 1970 and 1982, as well as studio and live recordings from different concerts and years, which allowed Zappa to complete the film, which reflects on the existence and validity of his music over the course of time.<ref name=delafuentes/>


As in Zappa's previous film, ''[[200 Motels]]'', ''Uncle Meat'' explores the separation between documentary and fiction, encouraging the viewer to question whether they are watching real or recreated events.<ref name=delafuentes/> Zappa explores the difficulty of maintaining a career in film as an independent artist outside of the studio system. Having taken 20 years to complete the film, the screenplay had changed from what Zappa had initially planned, due to him adding footage to the project throughout the 20 year production.<ref name=delafuentes/> The character of Biff Debris serves as an allegory for the tensions faced by an artist trying to have his work released.<ref name=delafuentes/> While the dialogue of ''200 Motels'' emphasizes that the film is Zappa's, ''Uncle Meat'' is more distinctively the Mothers of Invention's film.<ref name=delafuentes/>
As in Zappa's previous film, ''[[200 Motels]]'', ''Uncle Meat'' explores the separation between documentary and fiction, encouraging the viewer to question whether they are watching real or recreated events.<ref name=delafuentes/> Zappa explores the difficulty of maintaining a career in film as an independent artist outside of the studio system. Having taken 20 years to complete the film, the screenplay had changed from what Zappa had initially planned, due to him adding footage to the project throughout the 20 year production.<ref name=delafuentes/> The character of Biff Debris serves as an allegory for the tensions faced by an artist trying to have his work released.<ref name=delafuentes/> While the dialogue of ''200 Motels'' emphasizes that the film is Zappa's, ''Uncle Meat'' is more distinctively the Mothers of Invention's film.<ref name=delafuentes/>


==Media==
==Media==
The April 26, 1969 ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' review of the ''[[Uncle Meat]]'' album described it as a soundtrack to a film.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 26, 1969 |title=Album Reviews |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72&dq=uncle+meat+movie&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjz3YzKur-CAxVQOTQIHVeuCV8Q6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=uncle%20meat%20movie&f=false |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> The double vinyl was expanded on compact disc to include half an hour of the film's audio, programmed before "King Kong" on the second CD. Author Ben Watson said that the additional tracks were a detraction from the album's original structure.<ref>{{cite book |last=Watson |first=Ben |date=January 19, 2012 |title=Frank Zappa: The Complete Guide to his Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XT4DAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22&dq=uncle+meat+movie&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS89jYu7-CAxW0LzQIHbQbCko4ChDoAXoECAgQAw#v=onepage&q=uncle%20meat%20movie&f=false |publisher=Omnibus Press |page=22 |isbn=9780857127389}}</ref>
The April 26, 1969 ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' review of the ''[[Uncle Meat]]'' album described it as a soundtrack to a film.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 26, 1969 |title=Album Reviews |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=uncle+meat+movie&pg=PA72 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> The double vinyl was expanded on compact disc to include 41 minutes of audio from the film and the song "Tengo na minchia tanta", programmed before side 4 on the second CD (sides 1-3 are on the first CD). Author Ben Watson said that the additional tracks were a detraction from the album's original structure.<ref>{{cite book |last=Watson |first=Ben |date=January 19, 2012 |title=Frank Zappa: The Complete Guide to his Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XT4DAwAAQBAJ&dq=uncle+meat+movie&pg=PT22 |publisher=Omnibus Press |page=22 |isbn=9780857127389}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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{{Frank Zappa}}
{{Frank Zappa}}


[[Category:1988 direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:1987 direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Frank Zappa]]
[[Category:Films directed by Frank Zappa]]
[[Category:Films scored by Frank Zappa]]
[[Category:Films scored by Frank Zappa]]

Latest revision as of 00:12, 2 August 2024

Uncle Meat
Directed byFrank Zappa
Written byFrank Zappa
CinematographyEd Seeman
Haskell Wexler
Music byFrank Zappa
Release date
  • 1987 (1987)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Uncle Meat is a 1987 film written and directed by Frank Zappa. It was conceived in 1968 as a vehicle for the Mothers of Invention,[1] but remained unfinished until 20 years after the production began.[2]

Plot

[edit]

The film has been described as an unfinished "non-movie",[2] consisting of three distinct plots, the first of which has been described as "Zappa filming Zappa filming".[2] In the second plotline, a musician named Biff Debris (Don Preston) becomes obsessed with trying to produce a hit single, ultimately failing to achieve his objective before he gets old (and is now played by Stumuk, replacing Preston).[2] The third plot is a love story between Phyllis Altenhaus and Debris as Phyllis works as an operator who falls in love with Debris while watching a video of a 1968 music performance by Debris. Years after, they meet and live happily ever after.[2]

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

In 1968 Zappa decided to make a film featuring the original incarnation of the Mothers of Invention. Haskell Wexler, who had used two of Zappa's songs in his film Medium Cool, offered five days of his services as a cinematographer for free to Zappa.[1] Financial issues led to the production stopping as Zappa moved on to other projects, but a different form of the film was finally completed and released in 1987.[1]

Style

[edit]

Uncle Meat juxtaposes concert footage from the Festival Hall in London with a fictional narrative[1] that combines elements of science fiction and road stories inspired by the band's sexual escapades.[3] The second plotline serves as a criticism of the music industry, portraying the efforts of a musician to gain commercial success; this plotline is a political thriller.[2] The film utilizes footage from 1968, 1970 and 1982, as well as studio and live recordings from different concerts and years, which allowed Zappa to complete the film, which reflects on the existence and validity of his music over the course of time.[2]

As in Zappa's previous film, 200 Motels, Uncle Meat explores the separation between documentary and fiction, encouraging the viewer to question whether they are watching real or recreated events.[2] Zappa explores the difficulty of maintaining a career in film as an independent artist outside of the studio system. Having taken 20 years to complete the film, the screenplay had changed from what Zappa had initially planned, due to him adding footage to the project throughout the 20 year production.[2] The character of Biff Debris serves as an allegory for the tensions faced by an artist trying to have his work released.[2] While the dialogue of 200 Motels emphasizes that the film is Zappa's, Uncle Meat is more distinctively the Mothers of Invention's film.[2]

Media

[edit]

The April 26, 1969 Billboard review of the Uncle Meat album described it as a soundtrack to a film.[4] The double vinyl was expanded on compact disc to include 41 minutes of audio from the film and the song "Tengo na minchia tanta", programmed before side 4 on the second CD (sides 1-3 are on the first CD). Author Ben Watson said that the additional tracks were a detraction from the album's original structure.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Corcelli, John (August 2016). Frank Zappa FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Father of Invention. Backbeat. p. 241. ISBN 9781617136740.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k de la Fuentes, Manuel (April 15, 2016). "Zappa and his Cultural Legacy: Authorship, Influences and Expressive Features in Frank Zappa's Movies". Frank Zappa and the And. Taylor & Francis. p. 63. ISBN 9781317133148.
  3. ^ Lowe, Kelly Fisher (October 2007). The Words and Music of Frank Zappa. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803260054. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "Album Reviews". Billboard. April 26, 1969. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Watson, Ben (January 19, 2012). Frank Zappa: The Complete Guide to his Music. Omnibus Press. p. 22. ISBN 9780857127389.
[edit]
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