Swimming to Cambodia (1987)
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Genres - Drama, Music |
Sub-Genres - Standup Comedy |
Release Date - Mar 13, 1987 (USA) |
Run Time - 87 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - R
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
By rights, an 87-minute filmed monologue should be as stimulating as watching paint dry. Ah, but when the monologist is the brilliant Spalding Gray, then the audience is in for a cerebral feast. Based on his one-man Broadway presentation, Swimming to Cambodia is a mesmerizing account of Gray's experiences while playing a small role in the 1984 film The Killing Fields. Gray's ramblings encompass such subject as Southeast Asian politics, the availability of sex and drugs in the Third World, and even a few choice observations about New York City. The monologist sits at a desk throughout, while director Jonathan Demme makes no effort to "cinematize" the material. Still, the film is a fascinating hour and a half, and few viewers will feel the impulse to walk out of the theatre or fast-forward the VCR. Swimming to Cambodia was followed by another Spalding Gray "talking theatre" piece, Monster in a Box.
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Keywords
monologue, observations, one-man-show, writer