Dandy
Peter Sempel:
Dandy (West Germany, 1988)
93 min - 35mm - English / Germany.
Director present at the screening.
Peter Sempel's Dandy is an intellectually pretentious, though never boring, meditation on decadence and anomie in the post-industrial world. Dandy is an experimental underground film full of symbolism and reduced metaphor. The film is not easy in any respect. Dandy has been described as being too powerful for the normal, brilliant and most important as well as worst ever. By combining visual and musical collage the film wonderfully documents the Berlin underground culture in the 1980's. A very special German sensitivity is displayed, one which cannot be found in North American avant-garde films.
Dandy stars Blixa Bargeld, Nick Cave and Nina Hagen, all of whose music is also heard in the movie. Sempel examines the world of the film with the eyes of an outsider. The trip takes you to Berlin, London, Kairo and Himalaya as well as to the core of art and human grotesqueness. There is decadence, nihilism, anomie as well as unique musical performances from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Einstürzende Neubauten and Birthday Party among others.
Peter Sempel: on his own words
Born in Hamburg, grown up in the Australian outback, no electricity, no running water out of wall, but a radio. Had own horse but no bicycle and a kangaroo in the garden. Often teased as little german nazipig - therefore tore off an ear of a schoolmate and burnt down the wooden schoolhouse (half of it). Back to Hamburg 1968. School-leaving exam Abitur. Studied american literature (E.A. Poe, Malamud) and physical education at Hamburg-University, 56 different jobs. Started making films because of the music, especially Einstürzende Neubauten, Nick Cave and classical music (favourite record "Berlin" by Lou Reed). Often visiting opera, ballet and punk concerts in same evening, mainly in Hamburg and Berlin. He carries his films around the world and presents at festivals, special events, in off-cinemas, discos and all kinds of places. Peter Sempel be present in the showings.
