NOT FOR PUBLICATION

US, 1984, 83 minutes, Colour.
Nancy Allen, Laurence Luckinbill, David Naughton, Alice Ghostly.
Directed by Paul Bartel.

Not For Publication is an enjoyable satire. It is the work of Paul Bartel, actor, writer and director. His films include Death Race 2000, Cannonball, and the black satire, Eating Raoul. Not for Publication is not as grim as Eating Raoul.

The film focuses on the Yellow Press, their reporting of crime and scandal in New York as well as a satire on politics, political campaigns, corruption and cover ups. Nancy Allen is the ingenuous reporter, with a touch of shrewdness. David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London) is quite engaging as her companion photographer. There are many enjoyable vignettes, especially Alice Ghostly as Naughton's daffy mother. The villain of the piece is Laurence Luckinbill as the smiling but two-faced Mayor of New York.

The film works on a realistic level, with the black satiric touch. However, the work of the reporter and her photographer lead them into all kinds of bizarre situations, including The Bestiary where they do a performance as birds with the song 'You Bring Out the Beast in Me!'

The targets are obvious, have been considered before - but this is a fresh and humorous approach to the theme.

1. Engaging and humorous satire? The point about reporters, photographers, public campaigns, cover-ups, corruption?

2. The world of New York? realistic, the studio and back lot style of so many locations? The blend of the real and the artificial world? The oddball touches: the milk van for the reporter and the photographer, The Bestiary, the costumes, Barry's mother's world? The special effects? especially for the chases, the plane flight and the crash? The musical score, the songs, 'You Bring Out the Beast in Me? An idiosyncratic but acceptable satire?

3. The title and the reference to journalism, the black humour of the oddball headlines during the credits? The suppression of the truth? Publication of the truth? The distortion of information? Exploitation and sensationalising? The irony about the Informer and the Enforcer? The various jokes about sex, scandals and sin? The critique of investigative journalism? The frog-babies? Having one's cake and eating it, titillation and moralising?

4. Lois in action: her photographer, the nightclub and the girls pursuing the manager, her interview on the run, literally? The photos? The actual shooting? Her return to the Informer? Her boss and his crassness, his name: Troppogrosso? The family situation, her having to be a scandal journalist? Her success? Her hopes? Her return home? The cover-up and deceiving her mother? The going to the Mayor, giving him the advice about pornography and the papers? Her getting the job? Her interviews and the humorous comment on the people who applied? Barry and his application, her being attracted, her meeting him, her meeting his mother with all her eccentricity and living in the past? The interview with Mr. Woparico, his affluent style, the appearance and style of the pimp? His going out to show his technique in action? Barry thinking it was genuine? The return to the apartment and its being robbed? Her assignments from Mr. Troppogrosso, the tip-off to go to The Bestiary, her persuading Barry to go, their dressing up in the bird costumes, the persuading the management to let them perform? The humour of the song and dance routine? The photographs in The Bestiary? The discovery of the robbers, their pretending to be robbers, their following the car to the warehouse? The discovery of all the stolen goods? The Mayor and his attack? Lois and her attraction for the Mayor, supporting him, his putting her on the platform and highlighting her? The irony of his issuing the order for the raid? Her ringing of Mr. Troppogrosso? Lois's viewpoints, hopes, relationship with Barry? Her believing the Mayor rather than Barry? Her spending the night with the Mayor? Barry and the confrontation? The truth, the flight in the helicopter, their being left by the Mayor, the happy landing? The irony of her hold over the Mayor, the wedding and his cleaning up the city? The ingenuous and shrewd reporter (cousin to Lois Lane!)?

5. Barry as the genial hero, his photographing birds, his need for excitement, Lois coming to his apartment and his embarrassment, his eccentric mother and her hold over him, her wanting him to perform? His skill as a photographer? The experience of Mr. Woparico and the robbery? Going to The Bestiary? His looking forward to his song and dance routine, his success? Photographing at The Bestiary? The discovery of the truth and his being betrayed by Lois? The irony of his mother's voice coming into the Mayor's car? The Mayor's house, discovering the truth, overhearing the conversation with Mr. Troppogrosso, the plane and the crash? The happy ending?

6. The Mayor and his smooth style, rhetoric and speeches, campaigns for election, the contrast with his private life? the pinup in the shower, his continually doing exercise, his wanting to pick up Lois? His listening to her advice? His holier-than-thou attitudes? The irony of Barry's mother on the radio in the car? His going to his estate, the discovery of the truth about him, Troppogrosso's visit and the threats, his whole system for corruption and robbery, the financing of the campaign, and his seeing himself as a modern Robin Hood? Taking the couple on the plane, the TV station and his rehearsal, his being caught out, the cover-up? His having to clean up the city?

7. Troppogrosso and the literal meaning of his name, the satire on the editor of a gutter magazine, gross and crass? His reaction to Lois? His being in league with the Mayor? The visit to the estate?

8. Odo, the dwarf, Lois's helper, the standing by, keeping radio contact? The final photograph with Barry’s mother?

9. Barry's mother and her madness, communing with the dead, broadcasting and talking to the Mayor, the humour of the microphone and her being able to help the plane down (with the advice of Lindbergh and others!)? The satire on American moms?

10. The satire on politics, the Mayor's opponent and his contact with Lois's mother, the various spies and their telephone calls to inform Headquarters, money and dirty tricks, a cynical attitude towards politics?

11. The world of titillation, gutter papers, pornography? Audience interest in sleaze? Prurience? The ugly? The cover up? The Bestiary?

12. Hero and heroine as a kind of Lois and Superman as they were crusaders for good in Metropolis?

13. The work of Paul Bartel, his satirical eye for character quirks, odd situations? Presenting the banal and odd as normal and following it through logically? The counterpoint of the realistic and the quirky? Satisfying satire?