''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' (; also known as ''Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom'' and ''Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap'') is a 1980 Spanish
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
film written and directed by
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
. Starring
Carmen Maura
María del Carmen García Maura (born 15 September 1945) is a Spanish actress. In a career that has spanned six decades, she has starred in films such as '' Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'', '' ¡Ay Carmela!'', '' Common Wealth'', an ...
, Eva Siva,
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
and
Félix Rotaeta, the plot follows the wild adventures of three friends: Pepi, an independent modern woman; Luci, a mousy,
masochistic housewife; and Bom, a lesbian
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
singer.
''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' is Almodóvar's first feature film. It was shot in
16 mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...
and blown up to
35 mm for its theatrical release. It became a
cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
, emblematic of ''
La Movida Madrileña
''La Movida Madrileña'' (, ''The Madrilenian Scene''), also known as ''La Movida'', was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 197 ...
'', a period characterised by a sense of cultural and sexual freedom.
Plot
Pepi, a young independent woman living in Madrid, is filling up her
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
sticker album when she receives an unexpected visit from a neighbour policeman who has spotted her
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
plants whilst spying on her via binoculars from across the street. Pepi tries to buy his silence with an offer of anal sex, but instead the policeman rapes her. Thirsty for revenge, Pepi arranges for her friend Bom, a teenage punk singer, and her band, Bomitoni (Bom and Toni and also a pun of ''vomitoni'', or "big puke"), to beat up the policeman. Wearing Madrilenian costumes and singing a ''
zarzuela
() is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...
'', Pepi's friends give the man a merciless beating one night. However, the next day Pepi realises that they had attacked the policeman's innocent twin brother by mistake.
Undaunted, Pepi decides on a more complex form of revenge. She befriends the policeman's docile wife, Luci, from
Murcia
Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...
, with the excuse of receiving knitting lessons. Pepi's idea is to corrupt Luci and take her away from the wife-beating policeman. During the first knitting class, Pepi's friend, Bom, arrives at the apartment heading for the restroom in order to pee. This leads to the suggestion that, since Luci feels hot, Bom should stand on a chair and urinate over Luci's face. Bom's aggressive behaviour satisfies Luci's masochism and the two women become lovers. Back home, Luci has an argument with her husband in which she complains about what he had done to Pepi. When he threatens to whip and kick her out, with a renewed sense of liberation Luci leaves her husband and her home, moving in with Bom.
The three friends, Pepi, Luci and Bom are immersed in Madrid's youth scene, attending parties, clubs, concerts and meeting outrageous characters. In one of the concerts, Bom sings with her band, the Bomitonis, a song called ''Murciana marrana'' ("The slut from Murcia"). Luci becomes a proud groupie. The highlight of one of the parties is a penis size contest called ''Erecciones Generales'' (General Erections), a competition looking for the biggest, most svelte, most inordinate penis. The winner receives the opportunity to do what he wants, how he wants, with whomever he wants. He selects Luci to give him oral sex, which makes her the most envied woman at the party.
Eventually Pepi is forced to find work as her father decides to stop her income. She becomes a creative writer for advertising spots designing ads for sweating, menstruating dolls and multipurpose panties that absorb urine and can double as a dildo. Pepi also begins to write a script which will be the story of lesbian lovers Luci and Bom. The
chauvinist
Chauvinism ( ) is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. The ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' describes it ...
policeman is desperately looking for his wife. Meanwhile, he takes advantage of naive neighbour Charito, who is in love with Juan, his twin brother. Pretending to be Juan, the policeman slaps, then sexually assaults Charito.
Finally, the policeman finds Luci coming out of a disco and kidnaps her from her two friends. He gives Luci a terrible beating that sends her to the hospital, where Pepi and Bom visit her. They quickly realise that they have lost Luci. She has decided to return to the person who mistreats her best – her sadistic and tyrannical husband. His brutality is what Luci has always wanted or became accustomed to. Bruised and bandaged in her hospital bed, Luci tells Bom she is returning to him for a life of abuse. Bom is lost without Luci and laments that pop is also out of fashion. Pepi has the solution to both problems. Bom should move in with Pepi as her bodyguard and start singing
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
s.
Cast
Production
Casting
Carmen Maura
María del Carmen García Maura (born 15 September 1945) is a Spanish actress. In a career that has spanned six decades, she has starred in films such as '' Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'', '' ¡Ay Carmela!'', '' Common Wealth'', an ...
took the leading role of Pepi and
Félix Rotaeta portrayed the abusive policeman. Both were instrumental in the film's development. Maura was already an established actress, having found film success with
Fernando Colomo's ''Tigres de papel'' (1977). She became Almodóvar's reference actress in the first half of his career. Bom is played by
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, then a teenage
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
singer, who inspired the character she plays. Gara went on to take the artistic name of Alaska. She has enjoyed a successful artistic career as a singer, first in Alaska y Dinarama and later with
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
.
Many actors that appear in minor roles went on to play more important ones in Almodóvar's subsequent films: Kiti Manver (''
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' () is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas and Julieta Serrano. The plot follows actress Pepa, who, after her lover Ivá ...
'') plays a hot-tempered, Andalusian rock singer;
Julieta Serrano
Julieta Serrano Romero (born 2 January 1933 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) is a Spanish theatre and cinema actress. Her prolific career began in the 1960s, and she has worked with directors Pedro Almodóvar and Ventura Pons.
In September 20 ...
(''
Dark Habits'');
Cecilia Roth
Cecilia Edith Rotenberg Gutkin (born 8 August 1956), known professionally as Cecilia Roth () is an Argentine actress. She is the winner of two Goya Awards and a European Film Award. She is known for being an " Almodóvar girl" and the "muse" ...
(''
All About My Mother
''All About My Mother'' () is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz, Rosa Maria Sardà, and Fernando Fernán Gómez.
Th ...
''); Fabio MacNamara (''
Labyrinth of Passion''), a singer and painter, plays a transvestite
Avon lady; Cristina Sánchez Pascual (''
Dark Habits'') appears as a high-pitch bearded woman frustrated in a marriage to a homosexual, in a parody of
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
's ''
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...
''.
Assumpta Serna
María Asunción Rodés Serna (born 16 September 1957), better known as Assumpta Serna, is a Spanish actress and author. Born in Barcelona, Serna has performed in 20 countries in six languages and is the recipient of more than 20 international ...
''(
Matador
A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...
)'' has a non-speaking cameo, while Almodóvar himself appears as the host in the general erection contest.
Filming
''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' is Almodóvar's first feature film. He had previously made only
short film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
s in
Super 8
Super 8 or Super Eight may refer to:
Film
* Super 8 film, a motion picture film format released in 1965
* Super 8 film camera, a motion picture camera used to film Super 8mm motion picture format
* ''Super 8'' (2011 film), a science-fiction f ...
, ''Salome'' a short in 16 mm and a feature-length film in super 8 ''Folle, folle, fólleme, Tim'' (1978) (''Fuck Me, Fuck Me, Fuck Me, Tim''), none of which had a soundtrack.
The genesis of ''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' was a story written by Almodóvar called ''General Erections'' published in 1978 in the magazine ''
El Víbora''. ''General Erections'' was a comic parody of the
1977 general elections in Spain. The idea to take that story and develop it into a film was born out of his collaboration with the theatrical group Los Goliardos. Performing with them in a small role in ''
Dirty Hands
The problem of dirty hands concerns whether political leaders are justified in committing immoral actions when "dirtying their hands", in realizing an important moral end, such as the preservation of a community's continued existence or the preven ...
'' by
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
, Almodóvar met Maura and Rotaeta, who encouraged him to make a film out of ''General Erections''. Almodóvar rewrote the story and changed the title to ''Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón'' (''Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap'').
The initial budget was only 500,000 pesetas that Maura and Rotaeta helped to collect. At the time, Almodóvar was working for
Telefónica
, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...
, Spain's national telephone company, as an administrative employee, therefore the shooting took place on weekends with a group of volunteers. Without the backing of a studio, Almodóvar was forced to make extensive use of location shooting. The real-life residence of gay pop artist painters Costus (Juan Carrero and Enrique Naya), who also appear in the film, served as the place where Luci and Bom set up their home.
The shooting was chaotic; it began in 1978 and lasted a year and a half. Due to the lack of financial means, it took an entire year to produce a film of only 50 minutes. This was insufficient for commercial distribution length. More money was needed and backing from Pepón Coromina, a Catalan producer, allowed Almodóvar to add 30 more minutes of film, shot over the following six months of 1980. The film was blown from
16 mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...
to a
35 mm format to allow its theatrical release. The crew lacked experience and the cameraman cut off some heads, particularly during the general erections contest scene. The long and chaotic shooting created problems in continuity. When filming started, Alaska was 15 and by the time the filming wrapped she was 17. The first scene when Pepi goes to answer the door to the policeman was shot in June 1979, she opened it in December 1979 and they sat together in June 1980.
Reception
The film
premiered on 19 September 1980 at the
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; , ) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spain, Spanish city of Donostia, Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Countr ...
in the section devoted to new directors. It later toured the independent circuits and then spent four years on the late-night showing of the Alphaville Theater in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.
Reviews in Spain were mostly negative, objecting to the film's frivolity and vulgar humour. Pedro Crespo, in the conservative newspaper ''
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
'', described the film a "merely a variation on the age old tradition of vulgar comedy transformed into a contemporary language". Diego Galán, in ''
El País
(; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
'', praised the film concluding, "We are in the presence of an astonishing and up to now, unique work. Almodóvar has made his first professional full-length film and in so doing has undermined the most respected taboos of our foolish society". The Spanish newspaper ''
El Periódico'', described Almodóvar as "a stubbornly passionate defender of substandard movies".
''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' was released in the United States in 1992, only after Almodóvar became a famous
art house film director. The reaction of American critics to the film was, on the whole, hostile. It was generally rebuked for its thematic and formal inconsistency.
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' considered the film a "rough unfunny comedy notable for its bathroom jokes, humorous rape scene and abysmal home movie cinematography". She found that Almodóvar's "daring is limited to shock value of a very adolescent variety, and to plot turns that are better described than seen".
Rita Kempley of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' called it an "amateurish directorial debut, a smutty sexual sideshow most safely viewed in a full body condom".
The film cost 6 million pesetas (approximately €36,000) and grossed 43 million pesetas (€260,000) in its initial release in Madrid. With its many
kitsch
''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste.
The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...
elements,
campy
Camp is an aesthetic and sensibility that regards something as appealing or amusing because of its heightened level of artifice, affectation and exaggeration, especially when there is also a playful or ironic element. ''Camp'' is historically ...
style, outrageous humour, and open sexuality, the film became emblematic of a cultural movement of its time, ''
La Movida Madrileña
''La Movida Madrileña'' (, ''The Madrilenian Scene''), also known as ''La Movida'', was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 197 ...
''. It amassed a
cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
and established Almodóvar as an ''
agent provocateur
An is a person who actively entices another person to commit a crime that would not otherwise have been committed and then reports the person to the authorities. They may target individuals or groups.
In jurisdictions in which conspiracy is a ...
''.
Theme
The central theme of the film – female resilience, independence, and solidarity – would be a constant throughout Almodóvar's career, albeit better depicted in his later and more accomplished films. As with the female characters in ''
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' () is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas and Julieta Serrano. The plot follows actress Pepa, who, after her lover Ivá ...
'' (1988), ''
All About My Mother
''All About My Mother'' () is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz, Rosa Maria Sardà, and Fernando Fernán Gómez.
Th ...
'' (1999) and ''
Volver
''Volver'' (, meaning "to return") is a 2006 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, and ...
'' (2006), Pepi and Bom are self-sufficient, independent and their friendship is shown as more important than any sexual or love attachment. By contrast, men are either non-existent or presented unsympathetically, such as the policeman in ''Pepi, Luci, Bom'', Raimunda's abusive husband in ''Volver'' or Pepa's unfaithful lover in ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown''. Although Bom and Luci form a lesbian couple, their story is ultimately less important than Pepi and Bom's friendship. While the friendship of these two remains strong, Bom and Luci's affair ends when the latter returns to a heterosexual life of abuse with her husband.
Two scenes put Pepi and Bom's closeness in the foreground. Contrasting Luci's troubled household, Pepi is presented cooking Bom's favourite dish: Bacalao al pil pil. The film aptly closes with the two friends looking ahead to a new life shared together as roommates, helping to support each other. The film also takes on other themes frequent in Almodóvar's filmography: sexual heterodoxy, drug addiction and a love of pop culture.
Genre
Among Almodóvar's films, ''Pepi, Luci, Bom'', his first, is the one who takes more explicitly comedy as a genre. All the others (with the possible exception of 2013's ''
I'm So Excited!
''I'm So Excited!'' is a 2013 Spanish comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, and Raúl Arévalo. Its original Spanish title, ''Los amantes pasajeros'', has the double me ...
'') incorporate elements of
melodrama
A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...
. The characters are shown as comic archetypes. Pepi is the independent witty modern woman. There is the nasty radical policeman. Bom is shown as a perverse rebellious teenager and Luci as the abused housewife.
The amateurish presentation of the film and its crude humour also sets the film apart from the rest of Almodovar's filmography. Even in ''
Labyrinth of Passion'' (1982), Almodovar's subsequent film, comic elements are not presented so bluntly. By then, there was also a huge improvement in plot structure and filmography over his first film.
Analysis
The comic book origins of the film are evident in its loose structure, provocative vulgarity and the intertitles made by Spanish illustrator
Ceesepe, then an unknown member of ''La Movida Madrileña''. The film was plagued by financial and technical problems: Almodóvar claimed humorously that "when a film has only one or two, it is considered an imperfect film, while when there is a profusion of technical flaws, it is called style. That's what I said joking around when I was promoting the film, but I believe 'that that was closer to the truth."
Stylistically, the film owes a debt to
Paul Morrissey
Paul Joseph Morrissey (February 23, 1938 – October 28, 2024) was an American film director, known for his early association with Andy Warhol. His most famous films include ''Flesh (1968 film), Flesh'' (1968), ''Trash (1970 film), Trash'' (197 ...
's first films and above all to
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
' ''
Pink Flamingos
''Pink Flamingos'' is a 1972 American surrealist independent black comedy film by John Waters. It is part of what Waters has labelled the "Trash Trilogy", which also includes '' Female Trouble'' (1974) and '' Desperate Living'' (1977). The f ...
'' (1972). Almodóvar confronts the spectator with unexpected outrageous situations, including a lesbian
golden shower scene in the middle of a knitting lesson.
The technical and plot defects of the films are apparent, particularly when compared with Almodóvar's subsequent polished and complex works. However, the film captured the spirit of its time, ''La Movida Madrileña'', presenting
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
as an exciting city where anything goes.
The film centres on youth culture, showing it as wild, frivolous, adventurous and free from taboos. There is political symbolism in the right wing, old macho attitudes of the policeman, who represent the disappearing Francoist society and is presented unsympathetically. Pepi and Bom stand for Spain's modern woman, the wild new face of a liberated democratic Spain. Luci is the self-sacrificing Spanish housewife, trapped between the old and new Spain. She is a masochist who yearns for the brutality of the past.
Blurring the limits of sexual identity, transsexual characters appear in many Almodóvar's films. Here there is a
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...
called Roxy, played by Fabio McNamara, Almodóvar's singing partner in a
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...
parody duo.
The comic elements of the film defy good taste and are bluntly presented. Almódovar does not linger in the oddness of the sexual relationship between a traditional housewife in her forties and a rebellious punk teenager, which is presented without judgment as nothing out of the ordinary. ''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' is clearly an amateurish film; a first-time director, Almodóvar learned his craft as he made it.
Soundtrack
The film opens with the song "Do the Swim" by
Little Nell, singing co-star of
Jim Sharman
James David Sharman (born 12 March 1945) is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director since the 1960s, and is best known in ...
's 1975 film ''
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 independent musical comedy horror film produced by Lou Adler and Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was written by Sharman and Richard O ...
''. The counterculture song "Murciana marrana", written by Fabio McNamara, is prominently featured, performed by Alaska and Los Pegamoides with a mixture of vulgarity and absurdity. The film closes with a Latin-American song "Estaba escrito" by Chilean singer
Monna Bell
Ana Nora Escobar (January 5, 1938 – April 21, 2008), known professionally as Monna Bell, was a Chilean singer who enjoyed a successful career in Spain, Mexico and other parts of Latin America. She was reportedly one of Juan Gabriel's muses. Bel ...
.
DVD release
''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' is available on
Region 2 DVD
DVD region codes are a digital rights management technique introduced in 1997. It is designed to allow rights holders to control the international distribution of a DVD release, including its content, release date, and price, all according to t ...
in Spanish with English subtitles. It was released in the United Kingdom as part of ''The Almodóvar Collection (Vol. 1)''. The film has not been released on DVD in the United States.
References
Bibliography
*
*
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*
*
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepi Luci Bom
1980 films
1980 directorial debut films
1980 independent films
1980 LGBTQ-related films
1980 black comedy films
1980s satirical films
1980s Spanish-language films
Films directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Films set in Madrid
Films shot in Madrid
Lesbian-related films
LGBTQ-related black comedy films
Rape and revenge films
Spanish black comedy films
Spanish independent films
Spanish LGBTQ-related films
Spanish satirical films
Transgender-related films
Films about singers