Review of Myra Breckinridge (1970) by Jennifer A — 25 Jul 2009

The worst Hollywood film ever made? Or a morbidly fascinating trainwreck?

Myra Breckinridge (1970) - 5.5/10.

Director - Michael Sarne.

Starring - Raquel Welch, Mae West, John Huston, Rex Reed, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Herren, John Carradine.

Film buff Myron Breckenridge (Rex Reed) goes to Europe for a sex-change. Myron becomes the sexy and seductive Myra (Raquel Welch). Myra returns to the states and hits up her uncle (John Huston) for money, claiming Myron had died and she was his wife. Myra then meets aging sexpot Leticia (Mae West) which leads her to aspiring actor Rusty (Roger Herren) and his girlfriend Mary Ann (Farrah Fawcett). What follows is shocking and bizarre.

It's amazing this film got a greenlight from the studios. It's purposely offensive and vulgar, has an almost incomprehensible storyline and is crudely pieced together by director Michael Sarne. But this wasn't a "no budget" student film. Raquel Welch was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Mae West one of it's earliest icons and John Huston one Hollywood's most respected directors. "Myra Breckinridge" was a sign of the times and probably a reaction to Andy Warhol's increasing influence on film as well as the emerging "no holds barred" view on sexuality. Whatever it was, "Myra Breckinridge" is certainly an intresting mess of a movie, and it's developed quite a cult following. This film (along with Warhol's pictures) likely had a great influence on future directors like David Lynch, John Waters and Richard Kelly. If not for "Myra Breckinridge" you probably don't have the tamer, but highly popular "Rocky Horror Picture Show". You might say it's the "Plan 9 From Outer Space" of it's generation.