Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageMustang… The House that Joe Built (1975)
Director: Robert Guralnick
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This does practically everything wrong. It's an extremely low-budget documentary (one man and a hand-held camera) filmed inside the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada, which in 1970 became America's first legalised brothel. Guralnick tracks after Mustang boss Joe Conforte long after it becomes painfully obvious the guy's sayin' nuttin'; and there's little in the way of hard information. But it doesn't matter. The extreme sleaziness of the environment (a prison-like compound surrounded by ten-foot wire), in contrast to the collective persona revealed by the women, is so evident that all Guralnick has to do is keep the camera rolling. There's no doubt about the women being exploited, or about their resilience; and it is they who manage to give the film its subversive force.Author: VG
Cast & crew
Director: Robert Guralnick
Producer: Robert Guralnick
Cast: Joe Conforte, Sally Conforte full cast
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 85 mins
Top Stories
Ridley Scott interview
Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback
Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report
Dave Calhoun reports on the hits, misses and a shocking new masterpiece from Michael Haneke
What do you think?
Post your review now