On November 2nd, the ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL presents the exclusive premiere of The El Duce Tapes, the astounding new X-rated music documentary about a controversial, legendary underground figure who was trolling the US before anyone knew what the term meant, and pushed the limits of free speech to breaking point!
Directed by Rodney Ascher and David Lawrence, with interviews directed by Ryan Sexton, The El Duce Tapes is a unique, outrageous portrait of the self-styled “King of Sleaze”, described on American national television as a ‘disgusting pervert’, a hugely divisive, troubled figure who was a skilled musician and prescient provocateur, with a very interesting background, who also claimed he was asked to kill Kurt Cobain for $50,000.
Synopsis: In the early 90s, aspiring filmmaker (and General Hospital co-star) Ryan Sexton lugged a giant camcorder into some of the seediest clubs and filthiest apartments in Hollywood. There he filmed hour upon hour of VHS footage of the jaw-droppingly offensive Shock Rock band The Mentors, focusing on their infamous lead singer, “El Duce.” Almost 30 years later, the team behind The Nightmare and Room 237 uncover this dusty stockpile of long forgotten – and much unseen – footage. They begin to search for clues to piece together a picture of the man under the black executioner’s hood and what his wilfully offensive act and controversial views might tell us about 21st Century America. An incendiary, tragicomic documentary (midway between The Decline of Western Civilization and Crumb) which has been hailed as “Essential Viewing” by CineVue and called “Dark and irresistible” by director John Carpenter. The El Duce Tapes will chew you up, spit you out and leave you floored.
From the opening scene, The El Duce Tapes is uncomfortable, but utterly riveting viewing, an extraordinary glimpse into a very curious and disturbing corner of music history that, as Sight & Sound says, “leads right to the present day.” Strange, savage and unsettling, the film that John Carpenter calls “dark and irresistible” stands alongside American documentary classics like Dig!, American Movie, Hated and The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
You can see The El Duce Tapes first, November 2nd, on Digital HD and the Arrow Video Channel, the passion-driven film platform giving film fans the opportunity to watch a curated selection of movies that the Arrow Video brand is famous for. It’s the home for weird and wild cult classics, newly-restored gems, and genre favourites, available on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and www.ARROW-Player.com in the US and Canada.
Irish fans can see The El Duce Tape as part of Horrorthon 2020 with IFI @ Home October 24-26.
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