Blow Job (film)
Encyclopedia
Blow Job is a silent film
, directed by Andy Warhol
, that was filmed in January 1964. The 35-minute film is an innovative film, considering the time period. It depicts the face of an uncredited DeVeren Bookwalter
as he receives fellatio
from an unseen homosexual partner. While shot at 24 frame/s, Warhol specified that it should be projected at 16 frame/s, slowing it down by a third.
Despite the salacious title, the film shows only the expression on the young man's face; the implied sexual act itself is not seen. It is not stated whether it is a male or a female performing the act, and the viewer must assume that fellatio is occurring. It has also been speculated that the salaciousness is entirely in the title, and that no fellatio was actually being performed.
The identity of the person performing the act is disputed, though it is widely reported, by actor Gerard Malanga
and others, to be avant-garde filmmaker Willard Maas
. Warhol states in his book Popism: The Warhol Sixties
(1980) that five different boys performed the fellatio. In this book, Warhol writes that he originally asked Charles Rydell, the boyfriend of filmmaker Jerome Hill
, to star in the film, promising that there would be "five beautiful boys" to perform the act.
However, when Warhol set up the film shoot at The Factory
on a Sunday, Rydell failed to show up. Warhol phoned Rydell at Hill's suite at the Algonquin Hotel
and asked where Rydell was. Rydell replied that he thought Warhol was kidding, and had no intention of appearing in such a film. When he declined Andy used "a good looking kid that happened to be hanging around the Factory that day", who was later identified as Bookwalter. By that time, the five boys had departed, and Maas was pressed into service (Warhol's notoriously poor memory kept the five boys in place for the version given in the much later book POPism).
In 1966, Warhol filmed a sequel, Eating Too Fast
(originally titled Blow Job #2) which runs 67 minutes with sound. It features art critic and writer Gregory Battcock as the recipient.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, directed by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, that was filmed in January 1964. The 35-minute film is an innovative film, considering the time period. It depicts the face of an uncredited DeVeren Bookwalter
DeVeren Bookwalter
DeVeren Bookwalter was a theatre actor and director who became the first person to win three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for his production, direction and performance in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Globe Playhouse in 1975.Bookwalter served as a member of the board of trustees of the...
as he receives fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
from an unseen homosexual partner. While shot at 24 frame/s, Warhol specified that it should be projected at 16 frame/s, slowing it down by a third.
Despite the salacious title, the film shows only the expression on the young man's face; the implied sexual act itself is not seen. It is not stated whether it is a male or a female performing the act, and the viewer must assume that fellatio is occurring. It has also been speculated that the salaciousness is entirely in the title, and that no fellatio was actually being performed.
The identity of the person performing the act is disputed, though it is widely reported, by actor Gerard Malanga
Gerard Malanga
Gerard Joseph Malanga is an American poet, photographer, filmmaker, curator and archivist.-Early life:Born in the Bronx, New York, Malanga graduated from the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan and attended Wagner College on Staten Island...
and others, to be avant-garde filmmaker Willard Maas
Willard Maas
Willard Maas was an American experimental filmmaker and poet.-Personal life and career:He was the husband of filmmaker Marie Menken...
. Warhol states in his book Popism: The Warhol Sixties
Popism: The Warhol Sixties
Popism: The Warhol Sixties is a 1980 memoir by the American artist Andy Warhol . It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich....
(1980) that five different boys performed the fellatio. In this book, Warhol writes that he originally asked Charles Rydell, the boyfriend of filmmaker Jerome Hill
Jerome Hill
Jerome Hill was an American filmmaker and artist. He was born into the family of Louis W. and Maud Van Corlandt Hill, one of the prominent families of Saint Paul and heirs to the railroad fortune of James J. Hill, the famed “Empire Builder.”He attended St...
, to star in the film, promising that there would be "five beautiful boys" to perform the act.
However, when Warhol set up the film shoot at The Factory
The Factory
The Factory was Andy Warhol's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well. The Factory was located on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan. The rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year"...
on a Sunday, Rydell failed to show up. Warhol phoned Rydell at Hill's suite at the Algonquin Hotel
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan . The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark....
and asked where Rydell was. Rydell replied that he thought Warhol was kidding, and had no intention of appearing in such a film. When he declined Andy used "a good looking kid that happened to be hanging around the Factory that day", who was later identified as Bookwalter. By that time, the five boys had departed, and Maas was pressed into service (Warhol's notoriously poor memory kept the five boys in place for the version given in the much later book POPism).
In 1966, Warhol filmed a sequel, Eating Too Fast
Eating Too Fast
Eating Too Fast is an Andy Warhol film made at the Factory. It was originally titled Blow Job #2 and features art critic and writer Gregory Battcock . The film is 67 minutes long and is, in effect, a sound film remake of Warhol's Blow Job...
(originally titled Blow Job #2) which runs 67 minutes with sound. It features art critic and writer Gregory Battcock as the recipient.