Dirty Duck

Rating:
Summary: Better than Fritz
Review: Dirty Duck is a surprisingly funny low budget "toon porno" featuring two former members of Zappa's Mothers Of Invention and Flo and Eddie. The cultural references however, were old even when the movie came out in 1975. The movie follows Willard, a down on his luck loser [who has trouble attracting women] and the duck who's out to help him; and even includes a surprise ending. As for comparisons, this one is better than Fritz The Cat, especially since the great R. Crumb was against the Fritz movie from day one.

Rating:
Summary: This is a great movie...
Review: probably one of the best animated films in the adult genre. very entertaining...Flo and Eddie are all up in it, and there's even a surprise apperance from yoko, john and the mother of invention himself..i am a rugrats fan and charles swenson delivers a top notch film that's sure to delight and amuse. the studio should make a low-budget sequel for all the new generation fans that appreciate this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Dirty Ducks Done Dirt Cheap!
Review: The 1970s.
A new president in office in the midst of controversy, involved with illegal activity, and in the middle of an unpopular war.

Meanwhile, film history was being made. Multiple times.
While Hollywood continued to drag out unoriginal, uninspired film smog, independent filmmakers created films the way they wanted to make them.
Films that captured what audiences wanted to see and presented original, thought-provoking ideas at the same time.

1970.
A young animator named Ralph Bakshi writes and directs "Fritz the Cat."
The film, upon its release in 1972, becomes the first animated movie to receive an X rating, and is a major hit.

1973.
Fritz's popularity and success as a major motion picture catches on.
Roger Corman's New Concorde Productions signs Charles Swenson on to write, direct, and animate his own X-rated animated feature.
Along with the animation team at Murakami-Wolf Productions (the same folks responsible for creating the "Dental Hygiene Dilemma" sequence in Frank Zappa's movie, 200 Motels), and musicians Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (who started out in the band "The Turles," moved on to Frank Zappa's "Mothers of Invention," and had a solo career as "Flo & Eddie"), Swenson (later of Rugrats fame) put together a film that would give new meaning to the term "f*ck a duck."
The film Dirty Duck (originally titled Cheap), was released in 1975, shortly after Fritz the Cat's R-rated sequel, The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (written and directed by Robert Taylor) had flopped at the box office.

TAGLINE: "Madder than Daffy, Dumber than Donald, More existential than Howard!"

PLOT SUMMARY:
In Dirty Duck, we meet Willard (voiced by Howard Kaylan), a mild-mannered insurance adjuster.
He doesn't even have the nerve to ask the new secretary out on a date.

One day, he is sent out to investigate an insurance policy taken out by an old woman with an Ouija Board who believes that she will be killed by a wizard.
Willard tells her that she won't get any money until she dies, and she immediately has a heart attack.
In her will, she dictates that the person who kills her gets possession of her Duck (Mark Volman), who she claims will make her killer free.

The Duck sees that Willard is stressed out, and decides that a good lay will straighten him out.
So he takes Willard out on a quest to get laid, all the while leading them from situation to situation, setting to setting.
From jails to houses of ill repute to the desert, they come in contact with many bizarre people (including characters voiced by former members of the Mothers of Invention).

Set to backgrounds created using pen-and-ink concepts, live-action photographs, and, even crayons(!), Dirty Duck's overall cheap quality, bizarre screenplay, multilayered story, cool soundtrack, and unique visuals make for a bizarre "Cult Classic" for adults only.

DVD DETAILS:
Yes, there is a DVD.
Yes, it is legal.
No, it was not issued by pornographers or bootleggers.

New Concorde's 2000 DVD release of the 1975 film includes interactive menus (Flo & Eddie music plays over animation of Willard and the Duck dancing), the original theatrical trailer, a biographies of performers Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, and previews of the following New Concorde releases:

- Suburbia
- The Doorway
- Rabid

MAIN PRESENTATION:
Video quality: A-. Good-quality full-frame (1.33 : 1
Aspect ratio) presentation.
Audio quality: C. The audio on this release really sounds poor. They could have at least tweaked the EQ or added digital reverb to hide the tape hiss.

EXTRAS:
Video quality: A- on the Dirty Duck trailer; A- on all other trailers.
Audio quality: C+ on the Dirty Duck trailer; B on all other trailers.

THE GOOD:
The team of Kaylan/Volman has always succeeded in entertaining me, being a huge fan of Frank Zappa's music, and the film 200 Motels.
As always, they provide great music and lots of laughs.

This film has often been described as "poorly animated," but I wouldn't go so far as to call it that.
The film is cheap, and I'm not just referring to the price here, folks (Seriously -- there are some great prices out there, folks. I got a copy for $3.85, new, at Amazon Marketplace).
It was made under a tight budget, and uses cheap animation techniques (notice that the animators are credited as "artists" during the handwritten end credits).
But not every animated film should look like a Walt Disney picture.
The animation in the film, although cheap is interesting enough to look at.
It doesn't look as good as Ralph Bakshi's movies, but it looks pretty good nonetheless.

THE BAD:
Of course, take into consideration that Flo & Eddie aren't for everyone.

Frank Zappa's fans have mixed opinions when it comes to these two singers.
Some like them, others consider the '70-72 Mothers lineup to be the worst period in FZ's career.

If you like Flo & Eddie, and the film 200 Motels, you should enjoy Dirty Duck.
On the other hand, if you hate Flo & Eddie, then you should avoid Dirty Duck at all costs.

The aroma of the film is very dated, very '70s, and is filled with drugs, sex, and racism. Depending on your feelings about the decade, you will either love it or hate it

THE UGLY:
As the third animated movie to receive an X rating (the first and second were Ralph Bakshi's films "Fritz the Cat" and "Heavy Traffic), Dirty Duck holds no historical value, and as such, it might not be of any interest to film students, and the animation may be looked down upon by animation fans, as it isn't top-quality artistry. ("If it's not expensive, it's not art!")

Because of these facts, this film often has trouble finding an audience.
The sex is not erotic at all, and as such, the film fails to attract the "filthy old men in raincoats" crowd.

Flo & Eddie fans, as it seems will be the obvious candidates to enjoy this film.

I'll give it 4.5/5. Check it out.
Who knows? Maybe you'll enjoy it, maybe you won't.
It's not free, but at least it's cheap.

(...)


Rating:
Summary: Good flick
Review: This movie is a great flick It was not as good as Fritz the Cat but a very good movie. The animation and hidden meanings are amazing the creaters of this film had some great oppinions about life, politics, and society that they display in the movie. A good one to watch under the influence of alcohol or anything else....

Rating:
Summary: Do Not Let the Cover Blurbs Mislead You
Review: This movie originally had the title CHEAP; I saw it in college under the mistaken impression that it features an animated version of Bobby London's "Dirty Duck" character from THE NATIONAL LAMPOON. This character is not London's, and, despite the name-dropping on the DVD cover, the character lacks the audacity of Daffy, the everyman quality of Donald, and even the production values of Howard. Comparing it to FRITZ THE CAT is an insult to Crumb (Fritz' creator) and Bakshi (FRITZ' animator). In fact, if the creators of DIRTY DUCK had not gone on to work on such projects as RUGRATS and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, this early effort would be long forgotten (except by devoted fans of Flo & Eddie, who contribute music and dialog). If you cannot get enough of 200 MOTELS, you might consider buying this dvd. The rest of us should stay away.

Rating:
Summary: Waste Of A DVD
Review: This was a piece of junk. Trust me dont buy it!! Biggestt disapointment ever! If a dumb company will make a dvd of this trash why cant they make one for Howard the Duck??