INTERVIEW WITH ESCALPO DON BALDÉ
- The Myth and The Man -
by Kevin J. Lindenmuth
Frank is a well-meaning but poorly groomed former homeless man, now living in
the offices of a trucking company, who, in his search for the good things in
life--large breasts--comes across an array of social misfits and sexual
sociopaths, killing many of them along the way. THE BRIDE OF FRANK, in its
sheer outrageousness, is one of the most hilarious and repulsive movies I've
ever seen, making such fare as PINK FLAMINGOS and even the infamous
NEKROMANTIK pale in comparision. It is the cult movie of the decade.
Although legendary in Europe, Latin America and some third world countries,
Escalpo Don Balde has remained virtually unknown in America. Escalpo's
distaste for what he terms "the concept of celebrity" makes it impossible to
come up with anything more than a sketchy bio--he did eventually tell me that
he was born to a prostitute who died giving birth to him. His father, a Latin
American Mercenary, couldn't bring himself to abandon his only son despite the
fact that the child's mother was just one of the many whores whose services he
utilized. His childhood was spent being dragged from bars to brothels to
battlefields. At age ten he ran away from his father to spend the rest of his
life roaming the globe. Fluent in over twenty languages he has lived on every
continent, never stayed in one place for more than a few months, and has no
one country that he calls his home.
After weeks of trying to get an appointment I was finally able to arrange an
interview with this auteur (THE MYTH), as well as candidly speak with the
film's creator (THE MAN). Here is/are his/their answers...
Q: As an independent filmmaker you have to be very motivated to make an
independent production, to basically do everything yourself and finish the
thing. Why did you do this with THE BRIDE OF FRANK?
THE MYTH: I made THE BRIDE OF FRANK because there's an underbelly of American
Society that I wanted to capture. Millions of people walk into skyscrapers or
ornate lobbies and never see the subterranean sub-culture beneath our feet
which is dominated by the dregs of society. THE BRIDE OF FRANK takes the
elevator down.
THE MAN: I always wanted to do something creative and could never put my
finger on what that was. I went ito my family's business, which is that
warehouse and trucking company you see in the film. I just took the elements
around me and made it into something. It isn't like I wrote a script that
starts at the gambling tables of Monte Carlo or takes place in Outer Space.
This is my life, this is my fucking world, the Industrial section of Newark.
Everytime
Johnny Horizon is on camera he says something about his dick--everytime this
guy came back from a run he said something about his dick! So my life was
basically a nightmare and I wanted to capture it on film for everyone to
enjoy.
Q: How did you cast THE BRIDE OF FRANK?
MYTH: Until now, no film has ever captured the underbelly of American culture.
I spent years searching for the perfect location and people, from Detroit to
Chicago to Los Angeles and finally I found a warehouse and trucking company in
the bowels of Newark New Jersey that embodied the seamy underbelly of your
society.
MAN: I used most of the people I used to work with. If you've seen HEARTS OF
DARKNESS, that documentary on Coppola making APOCALYPSE NOW, you see that
Coppola tries to break down people's emotions to get the most out of them--so
he tears these actors apart. He wants the actors to meld a part of themselves
with the characters, a mix of reality and fiction.
I worked in Bayonne, which is four miles on the other side of the Holland
Tunnel. People in Manhattan don't really know what's going on in Bayonne and
as a rule people in Bayonne say "Don't go into Manhattan, it sucks." It's like
turning back the clock forty years, a whole different way of living. I wanted
to show these people. Basically, all the "actors" in THE BRIDE OF FRANK play
exaggerated versions of themselves.
Q: Why didn't you use professional actors?
MYTH: Professional actors are a joke. The "Method" is horseshit from the
mule's asss. You tell me what is real. Actors making believe that they are
someone else or non actors being themselves?
MAN: Why use them?
Q: The first five minutes of the movie, in addition to being far over the top,
doesn't quite seem to fit the tone of the rest of the movie. It may be the
most disturbing scene in the entire picture. Why start it this way?
MYTH: If I portray in my film that which exists in real life it simply
displays that my film reflects life. If you watch my film and youdo not want
to see that which some might call violent or mysogynistic then close your
eyes.
MAN: I wanted to grab the audience by the balls. I wanted to start
with a bang and I figured I'd start with a taboo. That was my neice and that
was Frank. It kind of backfired because so many people are turned off by that.
I'm so immune to the stuff...if I'm watching a really good drama I can be
moved to tears, even, but if I'm watching anykind of horror movie or effect I
wish it could scare me or get to me--but the stuff doesn't phaze me. I kind of
underestimated the power of this stuff.
Also, in terms of that scene, we discover that Frank was drawn to this
type of sociopathic behavior by his mother. He was tormented by the other kids
and his mother told him to kill them. Frank's ultimate nightmare, as shown in
that first scene, is to take it too far and hurt an innocent.
Q: That scene makes more sense now...
MYTH: Of course it does!
MAN: It's too intellectual...
Q: Why make a movie so over the top, that would offend nearly 99% of the human
population?
MYTH: Consenting adults behind closed doors do that which others might
consider perverse, yet to them it is not. Do you know that in many of your
states sodomy is illegal. By following the laws of your country married
couples could be placed under arrest? I myself do not like the smell but I
dare not judge or label these peole as perverse. What they do behind their
doors is their business. When you come to my film what happens behind the
closed doors of the movie theatre is my business. Dare not judge or label me!
MAN: I set out to make the most offensive, vile, sickening and repulsive movie
ever made. Because I was shooting on video if I tried to do a real "honest"
relationship movie I never thought it would go anywhere shot on video. I was
much inspired by PINK FLAMINGOS. I wanted to do something that was so
shocking, that contained things never seen before that it would be my one shot
of getting attention.
Q: What about your cameo in the movie?
MYTH: I must show my greatness.
MAN: It's not a cameo, it's a part. I would've been pleased as shit to find
anyone else, that's basically me. I'm in this warehouse and trucking company.
What about it?
Q: That answered my question....During the making of low-budget movies strange
stuff tends to happen--the cops interrupting a scene, actors
disappearing...What's the weirdest thing that happened when making THE BRIDE
OF FRANK?
MYTH: That is a stupid question. Ask me another.
MAN: The weirdest thing that happened? Well, years ago I used to live in
Brighton Beach and walking on the boardwalk I ran into this guy, this classic
Brooklyn character, talking and talking a mile a minute. I said to him "I'm
going to make a movie one day and I want you to be in it." And he said "Sure,
I'll be better than Joe Pesci" and he gave me his phone number. Two years
later I call him up and say "I'm making a movie, it's time for you to be in
it". He didn't remember me or that conversation but he said "Okay". So I gave
him directions and he shwos up at the warehouse for Frank's Birthday party
scene. He comes with two guys--one is this eighteen year old and the other is
this old world Italian guy in his 60's who happened to be visiting. So I say
this kid is young "Vito" and you're "Uncle Vicenzo" and told them what the
scene was about. I took great steps to tell everyone I'm making something
disgusting and vile and that I didn't want to mislead them. Well, after the
movie was shot this old guy comes over and goes to watch it and the "Edna
Scene" comes on, with the homosexual transvestite, and he's knows this is
something that he's in. And he has a big smile on his face. When that scene
came up with Edna pulling down Frank's fly and sucking his cock--the guy's jaw
hit the floor. There's a dent in my carpet where his chin hit the floor. He
was mortified. Later, I sent him a copy of the movie and never heard a word
from him...
Q: What do you think of the low budget independent world?
MYTH: The history of cinema in the 20th century egan with BIRTH OF A NATION
and will end with THE BRIDE OF FRANK. It makes PINK FLAMINGOS look like a
Doris Day movie and it makes the gritty realism of Quentin Tarantino look like
a fairytale created by a blabbermouth wimp. When people wee it they will go
out of their minds.
MAN: I realized there's a big distinction between the "Independent" and the
"Underground" film scene and they never cross. It's like the world of Angelika
(Art film house) and teenage angst pictures and the Chiller Theatre
convention. When I found out about the world of the underground I picked up
some magazines like FILM THREAT. It was a revelation to me. I didn't realize
hundreds of other people were doing things like this. But it really sucks that
a film like CLERKS will generate millions of dollars when far more
entertaining films are out there...
Q: How has the response been to "getting the movie out there"?
MYTH: I'm waiting for the right moment and place. I'd like to rebuild the
colosseum of ancient Rome and place it in Times Square to premiere THE BRIDE
OF FRANK. I'm working on it.
MAN: I spent a thousand times more money on the promotion than what I spent on
the movie and I had 0 repsonse from the press and industry. It's who you know,
contacts, and I know jack shit. If you're a nobody it's really difficult to
get anyone to look at your film.
I paid an independent consultant to watch my movie--this guy saw CLERKS, he
contacted John Pierson, and Kevin Smith became what he is. This guy watches
your movie and helps you develop a game strategy. So what the fuck, I threw
out enough money on this, a couple hundred bucks more wouldn't matter. He had
nothing good to say. "Everything you did has been done before but better", was
one of the things. The one thing he said that hurt me the most--and I hate
Kevin Smith, I'm envious of him and I think he's a jerk--was tht "Dick jokes
were done in CLERKS but done with a lot more style". No, not these dick jokes,
with warehouse workers talking about boning each other up the ass. I never saw
THAT in a movie. Go to any loading platform in the city and these are the
jokes you'd hear...
Q: The Soundtrack for the movie is mixed in BUTTERSOUND (TM). What is that?
MYTH: It's a four channel surround sound encoding system that was invented by
a brilliant audio engineer expressly for THE BRIDE OF FRANK. Butter is soft
and it makes you fat. This sound is soft and fat. It surrounds you. It is not
like margarine--a substitute. It is real. Buttersound melts in your ears.
MAN: This is the only movie made at this level that's made in surround sound.
If you have a Dolby pro-logic receiver you'll hear four distinct tracks of
audio. Brent Butterworth, the former editor of VIDEO MAGAZINE and HOME THEATRE
MAGAZINE invented it. It fucking works!
Q: Are you going to be making another movie soon?
MYTH: How could I not make another movie?
MAN: I would do another one tomorrow if you gave me a budget. But without
that, no, not in the immediate future.
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