Themes: All Washed Up, Down on Their Luck, Prostitutes
Main Cast: Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn, Jane Forth, Michael Sklar, Geri Miller
Release Year: 1970
Country: US
Run Time: 110 minutes
Plot
This Andy Warhol production finds Joe Dallesandro as Joe, a lice-ridden impotent junkie who lives with Holly (Holly Woodlawn) in a Lower East Side slum in New York. Holly is a transvestite who spends time collecting trash, going to the Fillmore East, and cruising for sex. Joe is only interested in his next fix, and graphic displays of needles piercing flesh and degrading human situations deglamorize drug use better than any board of education film or public service messages. Jane (Jane Forth) is the acid casualty housewife who listens to Pink Floyd. Male and female nudity and masturbation are featured. The color process is not credited, but technical aspects are better overall than most previous Warhol productions. Woodlawn was the inspiration for the Lou Reed song "Take a Walk on the Wild Side." ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Trash, which follows Flesh in the Paul Morrissey-Andy Warhol-Joe Dallesandro trilogy, is every bit as off-putting as its predecessor. Again, those who have an aversion to extensive nudity and frank sex should leave the premises before the first frame, and should be joined by those who cannot stomach graphic depictions of drug use. Trash, however, is a step up from Flesh in terms of its technical side; while still far from "professional," its camerawork and sound are more controlled and purposeful. It also gives the impression of featuring a more coherent plot, but in truth it is still a series of vignettes loosely tied to a motivating factor. However, there is considerably more action in Trash. There is also a magnificent chemistry between Dallesandro and Holly Woodlawn, who gives a love-it-or-hate-it performance that is full of bizarre life. Dallesandro is once again a low-key performer, at times irritating, but the guilelessness of his performance is perfect in the context of the film. The general level of acting is also appreciably higher than in Flesh, with memorable turns from Michael Sklar and Andrea Feldman. Many will be turned off by the film, but those cultists who embrace it do so honestly -- there's a raw fascination to the film, a method to Morrissey's madness. He's not interested in creating a "good" film; he's interested in creating a personal film that bears an indelible stamp, and in that he succeeds brilliantly. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Holly Woodlawn makes her screen debut in this film for which she received many accolades; director George Cukor famously instigated a write-in campaign to have her nominated for an Academy Award which didn't materialize.
Jane Forth, a 17-year-old model, also makes her debut in this film. She would shortly afterwards appear on the cover of Look magazine. The film also features other Warhol superstars such as Andrea Feldman and Geri Miller.
The movie follows Joe (Dallesandro), a heroin addict, throughout his quest to score more drugs. The episodic plot occurs over a single day and centers around Joe's problematic relationship with his on-off, sexually frustrated girlfriend (Woodlawn).
During the course of the day, Joe overdoses in front of an upper-class couple, attempts to fool Welfare into approving his methadone treatment by having Holly fake a pregnancy, and frustrates the women in his life with his drug-induced impotence.
