With sonny bono, john waters, norm niver, petre melvin. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 release info. Feb 04, 2014 renowned cult film director john waters narrates this quirky exploration of the salton sea, the massive southern california lake that was created by accident a century ago, became a popular desert. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea lisa derrick 20120109. Watch plagues and pleasures on the salton sea movie online. The film delivers information about the manmade sea s past, present, and a. Narrated by john waters, plagues and pleasures on the salton sea is an odd bird wacky and poignant, funny and sobering, but this portrait of a forgotten paradise is a mustsee. Release dates 22 also known as aka 4 release dates usa 2004 oxford film festival usa 12 january 2004.
Nov 29, 2007 but it wasnt always like this, as chris metzler and jeff springers thoroughly engrossing documentary, plagues and pleasures on the salton sea reveals, mostly through a voiceover supplied, oddly. The movie in my opinion is a study in the mechanisms of hope, hubris, folly, and illusion. In fact, upon watching this film i recognized some of the dilapidated architecture from werner herzogs sciencefictiondocudrama the wild blue yonder, in which the ruins doubled as an abandoned town built by an alien civilization. Docuramas dvd of plagues and pleasures on the salton sea is presented in a colorful flat encoding. Folly and intervention in the southern california landscape. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 release. There was a time when the salton sea, tucked into the southeast corner of california, was known was the riviera of the west a premier vacation destination for the rich and famous. The salton sea is a saline and shallow rift lake that is situated on the san andreas fault, in the coachella and imperial valleys. The actual sea, which is 35 miles long and 15 miles wide and was created by accident in californias imperial valley by a diversion of the colorado river, briefly flourished as a resort area from the 50s to the 70s until massive flooding and the seas. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea acteurs et actrices john watersnarrator sonny bonohimself norm niverhimself petre melvinhimself leonard. Since a large number of people bought land in the region solely as an investment, the small towns surrounding the salton sea have become an. Once known as the california riviera, the salton sea is now called one of americas worst ecological disasters.
This awardwinning film from directors chris metzler and jeff springer details the rise and fall of the salton sea, from its heyday as the california. Renowned cult film director john waters narrates this quirky exploration of the salton sea, the massive southern california lake that was created by accident a century ago, became a popular desert resort and has since developed into a refuge for a community of oddballs. The salton sea 2002 official trailer val kilmer, bd. Rent the salton sea 2002 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. The film delivers information about the manmade seas past, present, and a glimpse at what may lie in the future.
Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea popmatters. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea display artist. Renowned cult film director john waters narrates this quirky exploration of the salton sea, the massive southern california lake that was created by accident a century ago, became a popular desert resort and has since. Focus world is proud to bring you bombay beach, winner of the best documentary prize at the 2011 tribeca film festival. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 critic. This documentary reveals the troubled history of salton sea, which was once the site of a wonderful resort in the california desert, but soon turned into a fetid, largely abandoned area. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea penetrates the sadness and inertia of the local residents who still try to make their livelihood in and around this monumental manmade blemish, which was once a gem. Come meet the friendly residents of californias newest environmental disaster.
You cant miss the whiff as you drive along the 10 freeway in california heading to or from arizona, a strange and. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 stream and. While the film touches on these issues and the various efforts to protect the sea. Renowned cult film director john waters narrates this quirky exploration of the salton sea, the massive southern california lake that was created by accident a century ago, became a popular desert. Today its considered one of americas worst ecological disasters. Released september 19th, 2004, plagues and pleasures on the salton sea stars john waters the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 26 min, and received a score of 72 out of 100 on metacritic. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea by chris metzler. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea lisa derrick 20120109 you cant miss the whiff as you drive along the 10 freeway in california heading to or from arizona, a strange and. The actual sea, which is 35 miles long and 15 miles wide and was created by accident in californias imperial valley by a diversion of the colorado river, briefly flourished as a resort area from the 50s to the 70s until massive flooding and the sea s. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. The salton sea is a lowlife black comedy drawing inspiration from memento, pulp fiction and those trendy british thrillers about drug lads. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 plot summary.
I recently watched plagues and pleasures on the salton sea at the 1st annual ellensburg film festival and i thought that the documentary was made with great success. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 plagues. Argentina festival title plagas y placeres en salton sea. The salton sea 2002 official trailer val kilmer, bd wong movie hd after his wife is murdered, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see lists of open tasks and regional and. As narrated by legendary counterculture filmmaker john waters, there was time when the salton sea, tucked into the southeast corner of california was. But the pleasures portion of the title is an equally important factor in the film s tone, which has room for both scientific inquiry and. Once known as the california riviera, the salton sea is now considered one of americas worst ecological disasters.
At first plagues and pleasures on the salton sea had me feeling a little hesitant. The filmmakers have a good eye for the salton sea s grotesque ruins and bizarre denizens. Renowned cult film director john waters narrates this quirky exploration of the salton sea, the. However, amongst the ruins of this manmade mistake, a few remaining eccentrics a roadside nudist, a religious folk artist, a hungarian revolutionary, and real. The viewer learns that the salton sea is not a natural body of water, but was created by out of an accident with river diversion channels. Renowned cult film director john waters narrates this quirky exploration of the salton sea, the massive southern california lake that was created by accident a. One audio commentary offers the filmmakers selfevaluation and a second track pairs two of the salton sea locals, norm niver and steve horvitz.
The film s playful spirit is underscored by catchy steelguitar melodies. Patten and team, it occupies the lowest elevation of the salton sink in southern california patten et al. Rent the salton sea 2002 starring val kilmer and vincent donofrio on dvd and bluray. Jul 28, 2006 as narrated by legendary counterculture filmmaker john waters, there was time when the salton sea, tucked into the southeast corner of california was known as the riviera of the west, a haven for. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea 2004 stream. Fabulously offbeat and refreshingly upbeat, this lovable film gets friendly with the natives of the salton sea an inland ocean of massive fish kills, rotting resorts, and 120 degree nights located just minutes from urban southern california. Aug 15, 2008 petre melvin on her golf cart giving us a tour of bombay beach.
Wikiproject film rated startclass this article is within the scope of wikiproject film. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea explores the economic, political and environmental issues that face the salton sea, a onetime vacation destination for the rich and famous now occupied. The story of fishbone, codirected with lev anderson. I loved the quirkly narration waters provided as this documentary revealed the creation, the marketing hype of the salton sea and its sad surrealistic present day condition. America reframed plagues and pleasures on the salton sea. Plagues and pleasures on the salton sea interdisciplinary. In 2010, he completed the documentary film, everyday sunshine. Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. This article is within the scope of wikiproject california, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the u.