Kier in “Swan song”
Welcome to the weekend frenzy. Each week, we’ll bring you a compelling title designed to keep you from going too crazy. Check back throughout the weekend for even more gloriously queer entertainment.
The Film Festival: The Unmissable Udo Kier
With gay actor Udo Kier receiving rave reviews for his performance in Swan Song, hitting theaters this weekend, we think it’s high time to give him his due. Kier has a long and eclectic career as one of the world’s greatest character actors, and quite a talent for it. His filmography includes work with some of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including gay directors Andy Warhol, Rainer Fassbinder, Gus Van Sant and Lars von Trier, as well as film staples David Lynch, Dario Argento, Peter Hyams, Michael Bay and Paul Morrissey. He’s even appeared in music videos for Madonna (Deeper and Deeper) and Eve (Let Me Blow Ya Mind).
Kier’s keen eyes and German accent have often relegated him to supernatural and horror films, and like any actor, not all of his films are even good. Even some of his most notorious films (the softcore The Story of O comes to mind… watch at your own risk) are downright impossible to watch.
With that in mind, we’ve picked out some of Kier’s most interesting titles that show his gifts as an actor and as an asset to film writers. Take a look, grab the popcorn, and get ready to meet one of the most interesting gay actors working today.
Chair for Frankenstein (aka Frankenstein by Andy Warhol)
Andy Warhol oversaw this erotic horror film for director Paul Morrissey, which features Kier in one of his first and best performances as a man. Kier plays the title of mad scientist, here reimagined as a eugenic necrophile (seriously). With a plot full of male sex on reanimated corpse, evisceration, and other graphic violence, we recommend you watch it on an empty stomach. At the very least, the film shows Kier’s natural charisma and foreshadows his long career in horror.
Feed on YouTube.
My own private Idaho
Director Gus Van Sant made one of the first queer masterpieces with this story of rentiers on the road. Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix each give two of their best performances as Scott and Mike, two street kids trading sex for cash with various men and women along the way. This includes Hans, played by Kier, who gives a memorable turn in a supporting role. Released in 1991 at the height of AIDS and with homophobia rampant, it’s hard to underestimate the courage of the cast in tackling this material. This extends to Kier, who plays his role as a somewhat predatory, very sad older man unable to find love… unless of course he pays for it.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, and VUDU.
A dancer in the night
Kier only has a small role in this Lars von Trier masterpiece, but we’re adding it here because it’s considered one of his absolute best films. Dancer in the Dark follows a woman named Selma (Bjork) who struggles to earn money to pay for her son’s surgery. She and her son both suffer from a degenerative eye disease that will make them blind without medical intervention. To face the pain of life, Selma imagines the world as a musical fantasy. Bjork gives a sensational performance in the lead role and also composed the Oscar nominated music for the film. Kier comes forward as a kind doctor helping Selma in her spell, a member of an incredible supporting cast that includes Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Joel Gray, Peter Stormare and Stellan Skarsgård.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, and VUDU.
My son, my son, what have you done?
Cinema genius Werner Herzog continues his obsession with men gone mad in this very strange film which also stars Michael Shannon, Grace Zabriskie, Chloë Sevigny, Michael Peña and Willem Dafoe. The story follows Brad (Shannon), a drama student accused of murdering his mother in the style of a Greek tragedy. Kier plays Brad’s interim coach who offers insight into his fractured psyche. Like so many works of Herzog, My son, my son, what have you done? examines the nature of insanity, trying to uncover the cause and logic (if any) in the broken mind. David Lynch also produced the film, which might explain the film’s quirky tone.
Available on DVD.
Swan song
Kier finally lands a leading male role, diving into the role of an elderly gay barber with utter abandon. Alternately deep and hilarious, his portrayal of Pat, a man obsessed with getting his favorite client’s hair done one last time for her funeral, manages to strike a chord. Kier plays Pat as a man rejected and forgotten by the world, but who will not slowly drift through the night. We should all be lucky enough to meet such a man … not to mention a few of his beauty tips to get you started.
In theaters August 6. Available on VOD August 13.
