SMORGASBORD

"Serenely avant-garde … the culmination of the development of Lewis' cinematic language." – Cinepassion.org

After several unsuccessful suicide attempts, a hapless misfit seeks out psychiatric assistance. While on the couch, he relates the various memories and stories that have led him to his predicament – a journey on a very cheap airline; the experiences of his ancestors in 15th-century France – all laced with a heavy dose of comic absurdity.

Jerry Lewis' last directorial effort (also known as Cracking Up) was all but shelved by distributors, fearing that its characteristic mix of dark humour and slapstick would be out of step with the dispositions of 1980s cinemagoers. Yet, as time has passed and Lewis' work has begun to receive the critical reappraisal it deserves, Smorgasbord can finally be seen as it is: a bold parting shot from an eccentric genius.

Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum will introduce this sesion.