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The Dark Backward (1991) DVD Review
The Dark Backward (1991) DVD Credits:
The Dark Backward (1991) Directed by:
Adam Rifkin
The Dark Backward (1991) Written by:
Not available at this time
The Dark Backward (1991) Cast:
Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, Lara Flynn Boyle, James Caan
The Dark Backward (1991) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
The Dark Backward (1991) DVD Release Date:
20th August 2007
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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The Dark Backward (1991) Synopsis:

A man pursues stand-up comedy encouraged by his fellow garbage man. Though his friend, who accompanies him on accordion, continues to tell him how great he is, he actually stinks. When the "comedian" grows a third arm out of his back, the friend uses this twist to get him signed up with a sleazy talent agent, and it begins to look like his career is on the move, even though his girlfriend has left him.

The Dark Backward (1991) DVD Review:

John Waters, David Cronenberg and several others should be very proud of Adam Rifkin’s early cult film, The Dark Backward. Much of it seems influenced by these other directors and their films while still remaining unique enough to assure cult status. Bizarre, seedy and fun, The Dark Backward doesn’t entirely make sense and that is entirely acceptable. In this world anything can happen and anyone not pulling this film from a shelf clearly stating it as a cult film should be warned that the entire film relies on the main character suddenly growing an arm out of his back. The doctor, played by a perfectly cast James Caan, seems to think it will go away on its own. At first just seeming to be as horribly inept as the facilities he works in. This is as close as the film ever gets to any real explanation about the arm, a strange anomaly the audience is forced to accept.

Marty (Judd Nelson) is a meek and pathetic garbage man living in the slums with the dreams of being a stand-up comedian. Marty is so quiet and soft-spoken that he is never a success as a comedian, not that it seems likely anyone in the seedy neighborhood is willing to laugh at anything much less his weak jokes. He continues with the encouragement of his accordion playing co-worker, Gus (Bill Paxton), who leaves Marty’s performance one night and meets an agent at another bar. This seems to be the beginning for Marty, but he has no future in show business until the agent discovers that Marty is growing a third arm out of the middle of his back. This is a perfect money scheme and Marty is quickly whored out as a freak show, with comedy interspersed to the routine.

Even as Marty seems to become more successful with the addition of a third arm they never can seem to get out of the slums. They play seedy clubs and bad cable access shows, always remaining in the cockroach infested neighborhood. The arm even loses him his attractive girlfriend (Lara Flynn Boyle) but Marty passively does whatever he is told and continues to exploit himself.

The special edition DVD includes a cast and crew commentary as well an introduction video by Rifkin, and he uses the platform often to offer his complaints about the studios and the delay getting the DVD out. There is also a Q&A from the 15th Anniversary of the film and an assortment of great footage. There is such a wide array of deleted scenes, footage from Cannes and even outtakes, it was almost as if they had anticipated DVD special features in 1991.

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The Dark Backward (1991) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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