A Revival of Warhol’s Timeless ‘Hustler’

FilmForum is presenting at 8 tonight at Hollywood Moguls, 1650 N. Hudson St., what is sure to be one of its most entertaining programs in its “Dirty Movies: A Peek at the Underground from the ‘60s to the ‘90s.”

It’s an evening dedicated to Andy Warhol, and it commences with one of Warhol’s most accessible yet rarely revived films, “My Hustler” (1965). Truly timeless, it’s a coolly amusing observation of a bitchy afternoon on Fire Island.

In the first part, a handsome, blond young hustler (Paul America) sunbathes on the beach as he’s observed--ogled is more like it--from a nearby sun deck by his john (Ed Wein), Wein’s next-door neighbor (Genevieve) and, later on, by an older hustler (Joe). Eventually a bet is struck as to whether Genevieve or Joe can seduce Paul away from Ed, even though Ed has already contracted for Paul’s services through Dial-A-Hustler agency.

Throughout this part Warhol contrasts the natural beauty of Paul lying on the beach--the image is like a David Hockney painting--with the nasty, knowing backbiting indulged by the onlookers.

The second part is devoted mostly to Joe putting a very practiced make on the surprisingly naive Paul, hinting that he will want something in return for lining up the younger man with clients. “My Hustler” is essential Warhol in its casual detachment combined with often outrageous dark humor.

In his kinetic, highly disciplined “Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable With the Velvet Underground” (1967), Ronald Nameth employs a step-print technique, resulting in a series of quick freeze frames, which he superimposes on live-action footage for a stroboscopic effect to distill the brutal, frenetic essence of Warhol’s rock group better than any straightforward documentary ever could. It’s highlighted by the vacuous vocals of Nico and the ritualistic dances of Gerard Malanaga and Ingrid Superstar.

Completing the program is the late Andrew Meyer’s prescient “Match Girl” (1966), which takes as its point of departure Hans Christian Andersen’s “Poor Little Match Girl”--snitches of which are read by Warhol--to comment on the type of young woman, beautiful but lost, who yearned to be a Warhol superstar. A film for the time capsule, it is an invaluable record of the atmosphere and the denizens of Warhol’s legendary Factory.

Information: (213) 653-9568.

First Screenings The American Cinematheque’s “Mystic Eyes: The Films of Sergei Paradjanov,” which runs Friday through Sunday at the Directors Guild, 7920 Sunset Blvd., includes a number of never-before-seen early films of the late Soviet Georgian director, along with his dazzling, surreal fables that are among the most breathtaking films ever made.

The 1954 “Andriesch” (Friday at 9:15 p.m.) is a simple (though gorgeous) fairy tale about a shepherd boy confronting an evil wizard that will appeal mainly to those under age 10, but the 1960-61 “Ukrainian Rhapsody” (Saturday at 7 p.m.) points to the lush, complex style of Paradjanov’s later masterpieces. It’s essentially a familiar tale of love and war in which a peasant girl (O. Petrenko), an aspiring singer of great promise, is separated from her true love (E. Raiman) when he goes off to World War II.

Paradjanov, however, turns it into an epic-scale fresco loaded with the pageantry and ritual that were to characterize the more elliptical and stylized period tableaux films to come, such as “The Color of Pomegranates” (Saturday at 9), “The Legend of Surami Fortress” (Sunday at 3 p.m.) and “Ashik Kerab” (Sunday at 5:15 p.m.).

For full schedule: (213) 466-FILM.