Post by theCarbonFreeze on Jun 3, 2020 1:59:27 GMT
This is perhaps the single most obscure film Ive yet to discover. The IMDb page is almost completely barren: just the directors name, less than 80 votes and two obvious joke reviews. There are a few reference books and other film aggregates that mention its existence but otherwise no screencaps, footage, detailed information, music or posters to prove it still exists. A reddit user has made several attempts to find a copy which is how I heard of it.
Could the IMDb page have been a joke to begin with? The absence of any information, plus the seeming joke of a title and description, makes this a possibility.
Could the IMDb page have been a joke to begin with? The absence of any information, plus the seeming joke of a title and description, makes this a possibility.
There's enough other sites corroborating its existence that I believe we can rule out this possibility. Just from a quick cursory search on Google we have:
^This is just skimming the first three pages of results on Google. IMDb is pretty good about vetting its entries. I'm a film buff and I've been using that site and others to discuss films since the mid-2000s and I've never heard of a fake IMDb entry happening before. But even if we allow for that possibility, its verification on other sites and especially the AFI book should be proof enough for anybody that this existed at some point. AFI is a very reputable source on filmography, I can't believe that they would just make up a movie for laughs or triple check an obscurity from IMDb to be certain. Plus the book was written early enough to predate a lot of the internet meme/"for the lulz" culture. Back in the 90s, more people were on the internet to genuinely disseminate information than to troll people and cause mischief.
Could the IMDb page have been a joke to begin with? The absence of any information, plus the seeming joke of a title and description, makes this a possibility.
There's enough other sites corroborating its existence that I believe we can rule out this possibility. Just from a quick cursory search on Google we have:
^This is just skimming the first three pages of results on Google. IMDb is pretty good about vetting its entries. I'm a film buff and I've been using that site and others to discuss films since the mid-2000s and I've never heard of a fake IMDb entry happening before. But even if we allow for that possibility, its verification on other sites and especially the AFI book should be proof enough for anybody that this existed at some point. AFI is a very reputable source on filmography, I can't believe that they would just make up a movie for laughs or triple check an obscurity from IMDb to be certain. Plus the book was written early enough to predate a lot of the internet meme/"for the lulz" culture. Back in the 90s, more people were on the internet to genuinely disseminate information than to troll people and cause mischief.
While most of those webpages you listed are simply mirrors of IMDb pages, it is interesting seeing it listed in the American Film Institute listing.
I wouldn't be surprised if that's the only mention of the film on the entire internet tbh
While most of those webpages you listed are simply mirrors of IMDb pages, it is interesting seeing it listed in the American Film Institute listing.
I wouldn't be surprised if that's the only mention of the film on the entire internet tbh
You may be right. A big problem that compounds this film's obscurity is the fact that its title is a single, commonly used word. Another is that its director shares the name of some football player. That means the only way to filter out the noise is to use both terms in your search "AJ Rose Jr" and "Penis 1965." That comes up with just a handful of results on google and besides those I already listed, I only found one other, which just parrots the IMDb information.
I guess our best lead is to contact the compilers of that AFI book and ask them what their source of information was. I know this group tends towards nostalgia and childrens media but I think this film deserves a lot of attention considering its about as lost and obscure as I've ever seen a film get.
So I decided to put the TCM summary into Google to see if anything else came up, and this movie also listed on the TCM database has the exact description: www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/570346/The-Lost-Handbag/
Also there are a few other movies with that same exact description.
So I decided to put the TCM summary into Google to see if anything else came up, and this movie also listed on the TCM database has the exact description: www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/570346/The-Lost-Handbag/
Also there are a few other movies with that same exact description.
Very peculiar indeed. Its possible for more than one film to have a similar enough plot I suppose, but that definitely still raises eyebrows.
I contacted AFI directly myself since that's our only lead. (Any search for AJ Rose Jr just brings up that football player, plus with how old the film is, he's almost certainly dead anyway.) I asked if they had any more information on this film and if they knew of the existence of any prints. HopefullyI hear back from them.
So I decided to put the TCM summary into Google to see if anything else came up, and this movie also listed on the TCM database has the exact description: www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/570346/The-Lost-Handbag/
Also there are a few other movies with that same exact description.
Very peculiar indeed. Its possible for more than one film to have a similar enough plot I suppose, but that definitely still raises eyebrows.
I contacted AFI directly myself since that's our only lead. (Any search for AJ Rose Jr just brings up that football player, plus with how old the film is, he's almost certainly dead anyway.) I asked if they had any more information on this film and if they knew of the existence of any prints. HopefullyI hear back from them.
There's actually one other lead. The TCM link has Film-Makers' Cooperative listed as the distributor. Luckily, they seem to still exist. I couldn't find anything about Penis in their archives, but I'm gonna shoot them an email because I'm curious about this now.
Post by trancereduction on Jun 5, 2020 20:44:50 GMT
They got back to me:
FMC's Media Tracking System has only one title by A.J. Rose is titled "1967" which is on 16mm film print. I am only in the FMC office for a limited time due to the fact we are located in NYC. No title Penis. I'll check when I have time to actually check the print.
Thank you and stay safe.
Since the TCM link says the film is also known as "1967", I'd say this is definitely it. Just a matter of waiting. I'll let you all know if I hear anything back.
Post by theCarbonFreeze on Jun 10, 2020 15:34:14 GMT
Well, AFI got back to me. They were very nice and supplied me with their database records for the film which didnt contain much. They also said they no longer archive "sex films" so they have no copy of the it anymore.
Well, AFI got back to me. They were very nice and supplied me with their database records for the film which didnt contain much. They also said they no longer archive "sex films" so they have no copy of the it anymore.
So is it a sex film? Based on the weird description I couldn't tell. I mean of course the title is explicit but I didn't know what to make of the film.
I really wanna know more about this A.J. Rose character, tried to find his obituary and only found 2 people and neither fit the bill as being a filmmaker from the 60s. But maybe he was ashamed of this film, or perhaps his family didn't wanna reference his Penis movie in the obituary...which yeah I get. He actually might still be alive too? I just wanted confirmation he passed really.
Although if Penis is a sex film, then chances are AJ Rose isn't this person's real name.
I dont know if its a "sex film" since Ive given this thread all my sources, I know only as much as you. I certainly imagined that could be a possibility given the title but considering its description and short runtime I figured it could go either way.
I wanna know more about the director too but can't find a thing yet
This is perhaps the single most obscure film Ive yet to discover. The IMDb page is almost completely barren: just the directors name, less than 80 votes and two obvious joke reviews. There are a few reference books and other film aggregates that mention its existence but otherwise no screencaps, footage, detailed information, music or posters to prove it still exists. A reddit user has made several attempts to find a copy which is how I heard of it.
Can you help me find Penis (1965)?
it’s insanely bizarre that the film apparently came out in 1965