Myra Breckinridge
1970 Directed by Michael Sarne
Synopsis
Everything you heard about Myra Breckinridge is true.
Myron Breckinridge is waiting for his sex-change operation while a stoned surgeon stumbles into the operating room. Before the drugged doctor begins Myron's operation, he counsels him. Myron persists and the doctor goes through with it. An enthusiastic audience observing the operation applauds the medical achievement and rises in a standing ovation. After the operation, Myron arrives in Hollywood as Myra while in the rest of the film Myron pops up from time to time as Myra's alter ego. Myra goes to an acting academy owned by her uncle, Buck Loner, a former cowboy star. The real reason for Myra's arrival is to claim her half of Uncle Buck's estate, which she says she's entitled to. Buck Loner stalls by giving her a job teaching the history of motion pictures. Buck Loner has several friends. One of them is Letitia Van Allen, an ancient Hollywood talent scout. The sex-starved septuagenarian runs an acting agency "for leading men only."
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"Myra Breckinridge is about as funny as a child molester. It is an insult to intelligence, an affront to sensibility and an abomination to the eye."
-Time Magazine, July 6th 1970.Myra Breckinridge is a campy car crash of a movie. But I can't agree with Time's final criticism, because it is a beautiful looking film with Welch in particular looking absolutely stunning in a seemingly never ending wardrobe of various costumes. But there's plenty of grit in this pearl.
Chief amongst the problems of Breckinridge is it's a film and a subject matter (though I can't comment on Gore Vidal's book as I haven't read it) that clearly thinks it's far funnier than it actually is. I believe it…
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it's 7 inches trash
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"Myra Breckinridge is about as funny as a child molester. It is an insult to intelligence, an affront to sensibility and an abomination to the eye."
-Time Magazine, July 6th 1970.Myra Breckinridge is a campy car crash of a movie. But I can't agree with Time's final criticism, because it is a beautiful looking film with Welch in particular looking absolutely stunning in a seemingly never ending wardrobe of various costumes. But there's plenty of grit in this pearl.
Chief amongst the problems of Breckinridge is it's a film and a subject matter (though I can't comment on Gore Vidal's book as I haven't read it) that clearly thinks it's far funnier than it actually is. I believe it…
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One of the greatest pieces of cinematic trash ever made.
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What a train wreck of a film. But it's fun. Not as campy as I would have liked but Raquel Welch is amazing!
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Regrettably uneven overall (even for a camp classic), but it has its pleasures, chief among them Raquel Welch, who *astounds* in the title role for which she is note perfect, completely committed, and absolutely incredible.
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The camp value is as thick as it gets in this misbegotten attempt at hip outrageousness. West's performance is painful and hard to watch (especially during her "musical" numbers), while Welch's overly mannered performance is easily ignored when compared to how good she looks in her outfits.