Let’s start with that – what do actually Stephen Aposolof’s “dirty movies” mean?
Once
this type of movies that Apostolof has made, were called “dirty movies”
– that is to be distinguished from pornography, which precisely in
those years (early ‘70s) invaded the American cinema. Somehow all these
films enliven the atmosphere – such were the times: the 60s, experiments
with various drugs, rock music... This was a free time and this type of
erotic films, called sexploitation, contributed to such a liberation of
the American society at that time.
Stephen Apostolof, like Ed Wood, with whom he worked, was also a very controversial figure...
After
so many years of work on the project, maybe I myself am more inclined
to accept the oddities in Stephen Apostolof’s personality. I mean, I do
not find them so conflicting. Stephen Apostolof has made his erotic
films and at the same time was a convinced Christian. He is the man who
built the first Orthodox Church in Los Angeles in 1961. His children,
and this can be seen in my film, on the other hand, knew well what their
father did, they were proud of him and have stated quite freely when
they were asked at school, that their father was making “dirty movies”.
After shooting his first film, Apostolof started shooting under a
pseudonym – partly because these were still conservative years in
America, just after the 50s, and partly, because directors who have
dealt with that kind of films in those times often had problems with the
authorities, and he wanted to avoid that. And perhaps for this reason
he is not well-known in Bulgaria.
Read the whole interview on SIFF's website.
21.05.2012 | Sofia International Film Festival's blog
Cat. : America American cinema American film directors Bulgaria CDATA Cinema of the United States Dad Made Dirty Movies Dad Made Dirty Movies Ed Wood Human Interest Human Interest Jordan Todorov Los Angeles Orthodox Catholic Church Pornography Sexploitation film Stephen Aposolof Stephen Apostolof Stephen C. Apostolof Technology Technology Interviews