Movies / Dementia (1955)
Runtime: 56 min
Languages: English
Countries: USA
John J. Parker's wonderfully unsettling first film has been unavailable in its original form since its release. Until the release of this video, it had been seen only in a heavily edited version titled DAUGHTER OF HORROR, which is also included in this release, with narration by Ed McMahon. The original version of the film is completely silent, excepting the eerie George Antheil score, and follows a dreamlike twisted logic as it details the existence of a tormented young woman, Gamin, who is clearly insane. Waking from a night in a cheap hotel, Gamin goes on a hellish journey through skid row, where she experiences many nightmarish encounters with pimps, winos, molesters, and other unsavory characters. Increasingly haunted by remembrances of her tormented childhood, Gamin moves deeper into her dementia as the night wears on, transforming into a knife wielding bohemian who despises men.
Keywords (78) |
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hopelessness beatnik delusion killing pimp killer detective limousine dwarf censorship More Keywords » |
Directors (1) | Credit |
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John Parker | ... |
Writers (1) | Credit |
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John Parker | (original screenplay) |
Composers (1) | Credit |
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George Antheil | ... |
Editors (1) | Credit |
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Joseph Gluck | ... |
Cinematographers (1) | Credit |
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William C. Thompson | ... |
Actors (14) | Credit |
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Adrienne Barrett | The Gamine |
Angelo Rossitto | Newsboy (uncredited) |
Ben Roseman | Gamine's Father / Plainclothes Cop |
Bruno VeSota | Rich Man |
Ed Hinkle | Butler |
Ed McMahon | Narrator (voice) |
Faith Parker | Nightclub Dancer |
Gayne Sullivan | Wino |
Jebbie VeSota | Flower Girl |
Jonathan Haze | Character (uncredited) |
Lucille Rowland | Gamine's Mother |
Richard Barron | Evil One |
Shelley Berman | Stoned Beatnik (uncredited) |
Shorty Rogers | Jazz Musician |