Hurling Their Bodies into the Void
Make way for Raquel Welch. She brings disco from the future.
From the 1970 TV special, Raquel!, in which Ms Welch displayed her various talents, including duets with Tom Jones and Bob Hope and a recitation of Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott. Via Coudal.
And here’s Miss Brigitte Bardot performing Serge Gainsbourg’s Contact, circa 1968. The dress is by Paco Rabanne, who designed the costumes for Roger Vadim’s Barbarella, released the same year, and the sculptures are the handiwork of the late Nicolas Schöffer. Note this was filmed before Miss Bardot’s more recent excursions into space.
Do I drop my acid now?
How very 70s – women as sex objects, pretentious modern art, and pop-culture, all in the one bizarre package.
I have to say, that Raquel Welch clip *totally* works for me.
Mr E,
Towels and deodorant are available at the bar.
I didn’t realize Raquel Welch was a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger.
“and a recitation of Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott.”
Wow. I’ve got to see this.
Oh, “Raquel!” is still available:
http://www.amazon.com/Raquel-Welch-Jones-John-Wayne/dp/B0009VXMOG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251194354&sr=8-2
Though from what I can make out, it sounds like a conceptual nightmare…
http://www.jabootu.com/vcaprilohsix.htm
“She sings, she dances, she skis.”
And note that the costume she’s writhing around in is still carefully navel-covering.
I’m pretty sure I saw that outfit repurposed in a post-Star Wars Penthouse photoshoot.
“Ms. Welch… can barely handle tunes clearly chosen for their easy singability. This is emphasized by the fact that the tempo of even “California Dreaming” has been slowed way down. This was apparently intended to allow Ms. Welch ample time to timidly shift from one note to another, in the manner of a quivering senior citizen gripping the safely rail as she timidly works her way down a flight of stairs.”
Here’s Raquel socialising with some GIs in Vietnam. Spot the bloke on the right:
http://www.vietnampix.com/hippie2.htm
I think we should also acknowledge here Ms Welch’s landmark role in cinema history, as she featured in the first inter-racial sex scene between a Caucasian woman(*) and an African-American man (Jim Brown in ‘100 Rifles’, 1969). It beats ‘Shaft’ by two years.
(*) And yes, I know her father was from Bolivia.
I can’t help but think of the dress rehersal moment when the choreographer jumps up yelling “NO, NO, NO, YOU’VE GOT IT ALL WRONG…Here let me show you!”
Brigit’s singing might have made more of an impact if she had moved…even ONCE