Liquid Sky
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Liquid Sky is a 1982 comedy / science fiction film produced and directed by Slava Tsukerman. It was written by Slava himself, his wife Nina Kerova, and Anne Carlisle. The director of photography, Yuri Neyman was one of the most talented special-effects experts in the Soviet Union. The storyline is absurd and the film has become a cult classic. Said Tsukerman in a 1984 interview, "I didn't plan to make a comedy. We were writing the script and laughing, but I didn't expect the audience to laugh in the same places. It just happened."
Unfortunately Liquid Sky had a $500,000 budget and no other expert talent. Director Tsukerman and his wife moved to a loft in Greenwich Village, New York, six months before shooting began. They renovated the loft, equipping it with electricity and water, and built a sound stage for Liquid Sky as well as all the props.
The music to the film was performed on the Fairlight CMI, the first digital sampler/synthesiser. Much of it was original, while some songs were interpretations of music by Marin Marais.
The film is out of print. Only a limited number of VHS tape re-issues and DVDs were produced, so the film is chronically difficult to find.
The story follows the early 1980s New York dance/art scene in which space aliens land to feed off of endorphins released during sex or heroin use by various fashion models and homosexuals. The two lead characters (one male [named Jimmy], one female [named Margaret]) were played by the same woman, Anne Carlisle. Another lead character was played by Paula Sheppard who is quite outstanding in the film, especially in the restaurant scene and her performance art piece Me and My Rhythm Box.
External links
References
- Russian producer flies high with crazy, dirty Liquid Sky, Dick Saunders, Chicago Sun-Times, 1984.