Imposters (1979) by Mark Rappaport
Sunday, November 13, 1983, 8:00 pm
Mark Rappaport’s Imposters
Imposters, U.S.A., 1979, 110 min., color, starring Peter Evans, Charles Ludlam, Ellen McElduff. Rappaport will be present.
Mark Rappaport’s films defy simple description with their unpredictable blend of melodrama, pulp detective fiction, slapstick comedy, surrealism, structuralism and pop art. Although Rappaport has been making low-budget independent features since 1973 (Imposters is his 5th), his recognition has come principally from Europe rather than his native America. Imposters is “an unholy union between The Maltese Falcon and Proust”, and follows the escapades of sinister, sometimes murderous twins who are tracking down an Egyptian treasure while performing a traveling magic act. Rappaport’s use of odd decor and costuming heightens the complexity of the film’s overlapping subplots. By employing defiantly artificial sets, rear projections, and carefully placed objects within the frame, he makes visual design a character in itself.