The Apple

The Apple is a bombastically neo-Biblical and post-hippie parable about the malevolence and totalitarianism of pop show business and the purity of songwriting. It could have been entertainingly silly, but in its lavishness and constant WTF effect, it is rather breath-taking to the point of sucking the life out of the viewer. The vision of 1990s fashion and lifestyle is even worse and more traumatising than how the ’90s turned out to be, which is actually praiseworthy. As a musical, The Apple is awe-inspiring in terms of its grandiose staging and the professional determination of everyone involved, but in terms of the music, it is horrible, as not only does it not contain any catchy tunes, but it doesn’t even have any intrusively annoying songs. And yet it indelibly imprints itself in one’s memory. I naïvely thought this silliness would culminate in a sexual orgy depicted as mass musical gymnastics, but then came the most surprising and literally “far out” climax in history – I have seen a lot of things, but this made me stare in disbelieving amazement. (03/22/2015)

I was delighted by the live dubbing at the Shockproof Film Festival – it was lots of fun and enhanced the screening with added value. However, this film needs a separate review, aside from the event, and I must say that on its own, it is barely watchable. The Apple is a tawdry, kitsch and megalomaniac dud meant in dead earnest, yet feels completely laughable and atrociously phoney. Menahem Golan created a loony piece of filmmaking in which the dumb plot culminates with the worse futuristic motifs of the ’80s combined with a sprinkle of criticism of music show business and biblical parables, inflicting a final slap to the viewer’s face in the form of a deus ex machina ending (literally). The simply written songs and rigid acting are a given (Vladek Sheybal is really entertaining nonetheless). And where’s the originality? A similar criticism of music showbiz framed within a story of a musician who sold his soul to the devil has been previously seen in De Palma’s musical Phantom of the Paradise – and, needless to say, with a filming quality orders of magnitude better. [Shockproof Film Festival 2018 – Autumn Special] (11/05/2018)