[Commlist] CFP: ReFocus: The Films of Paul Morrissey

Paul Morrissey is a key figure of American underground filmmaking. Early 
in his career he joined Andy Warhol’s Factory and worked on numerous 
projects, notably the ambitious Chelsea Girls (1966), a 210 minute-long 
split-screen experiment which became an unexpected crossover hit and 
raised the profile of New York underground filmmaking.
After Warhol was shot in 1968, Morrissey took a more central role in the 
Factory’s filmmaking activities: he produced, directed and shot the 
loose trilogy Flesh (1968) Trash (1970) and Heat (1972). These further 
develop the hands-off filmmaking style that made him famous; straddling 
the porno chic era and underground filmmaking, and anticipating later 
movements such as Dogme95 and slow cinema.

His subsequent films, including parodic reimaginings of Dracula, 
Frankenstein, and Sherlock Holmes, plus several films in the 1980s that 
took an often grim look at street life in New York, reveal a complex 
filmography that defies easy categorization. Lurching from experimental 
to horror to music hall comedy, his filmography proves thorny for 
auteurists. His vehement distancing of himself from Warhol’s influence 
is a point of controversy for film and art historians, while his 
staunchly conservative views contrast with the seemingly inclusive 
representations in his films, particularly his recurring use of the 
transgender performers Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, and Jackie Curtis.
This proposed collection of critical essays, to be published in the 
ReFocus series on American directors, aims to revitalize interest in 
Morrissey’s work and to showcase the variety and significance of his 
controversial and unique films. Essays may focus on:

-	The contested authorship of Morrissey’s filmography
-	Morrissey’s portrayal of New York -	Morrissey’s place within the New 
York Underground
-	Parody, genre, and intertextuality -	LGBT+ representation
-	Morrissey’s stars, such as Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn, Sylvia 
Miles, Udo Kier etc
-	Performance and performativity
-	Morrissey and technology: 16mm, split-screen, 3D etc
-	Particular theoretical readings of Morrissey’s films; psychoanalytic, 
Foucauldian etc -	Morrissey’s influences, especially studio-era 
Hollywood -	Morrissey’s legacy and influence on contemporary film
-	Your suggested topic

Please send an abstract of 200-250 words, along with a short bio, to 
John A. Riley at (techsavoury /at/ gmail.com) by 9 December 2022.

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