Director: Steve Mitchell
Featuring: Larry Cohen, Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante, Yaphet Kotto, Fred Williamson, Michael Moriarty
Think you know Larry Cohen? If you’re a movie buff you might recognize his name from cult classics like Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), The Stuff (1985) and notorious infant horror picture It’s Alive (1974).
Steve Mitchell’s wild yet warm-hearted documentary is here to tell you one thing… you don’t. Cohen is a major player in American independent film but has managed to hide in plain sight for decades. He employed the services of great Hollywood veterans such as star Bette Davis and composer Bernard Herrmann. At the same time he stunned the cinematic community with his guerrilla filmmaking approach.
This contradiction between loved figure and health and safety nightmare is at the heart of the film, and it works beautifully. It’s a treat for anyone interested in seat-of-the-pants movie production, containing stories that will shock and amuse in equal measure. For example, there was the time he caused a panic in New York by staging a pitch battle on the exterior of the Chrysler Building for Q.
As remarked by the doc’s numerous contributors (among them Martin Scorsese and Joe Dante) Cohen is a one of a kind, who existed in a pre-911 climate. A time when a crew could rock up at an airport and stage an impromptu brawl on the baggage carousel without causing an international incident. For Cohen, if such a thing occurred, he’d have his camera out ready to include it in the picture.
The man himself is wonderful company, a frustrated stand up comedian walking the line between swagger and sensitivity. Cohen has been in the business since he was a teenager and there are some big surprises here. I had no idea he created The Invaders (1967-68), and if you don’t know what that is maybe you’ve heard of blaxploitation? Cohen was right there at the start of it!
King Cohen is affectionate but anarchic, showcasing a great director and most impressively of all a prolific writer. Even today, Cohen is producing pages of material that both inspire and infuriate his peers.
Mitchell’s portrait will hopefully bring Cohen the acclaim he deserves. He’s had it from fans and fellow filmmakers in spades. Now it’s time for the world to know who Larry Cohen truly is.
King Cohen is available on VOD platforms now.
