Without
You I'm Nothing (1990)
"Sandra's off-the-cuff remark that "my
father is a proctologist and my mother is an abstract artist:
that's how I see the world" is an early warning of her often
scatological, often surrealist commentaries on the conventions and
pop culture of our time. The wild musical interludes, broken up by
deadpan monologues, and hilariously backhanded commentary by her
fictionized former agent and an old "friend", will never
be forgotten by any viewer, whether fan or not.
In this earlier incarnation, Sandra was the
foremost artist of emotional abjection. A character who encounters
rejection and misunderstanding everywhere, yet one whom the viewer
soon identifies as easily the most intelligent person in the room.
It is neither her religion nor her sexuality which marginalize
her, but the particular pitch of her wit and her kaleidoscopic
view of cultural phenomena.
Sandra's scatter-shot talents range from singing
to dancing to acting to writing, but, as this film demonstrates,
the sum of her brilliance is greater than any one (though also
brilliant!) part.
Sandra is a national treasure who might just
change and even save your life. She is tragi-comedy incarnate.
Support her artistic productions: as a one-of-a-kind artist, she
is certainly an endangered species." -- Erin O'Brian
"My introduction to Sandra Bernhard, the
ultimate sage of our times, came when I went to see "Without
You I'm Nothing" in the movie theater when it was first
released. I knew nothing about her and was blown away by her wit
and insight into American culture. I have never been in a movie
audience that laughed as hard and as often than when I saw this
film. Sandra has that uncanny ability to be at once hilariously
funny and deeply moving. Her stage performances are brilliant and
"Without You I'm Nothing" captures her brilliance in an
innovative and creative way - this film is not simply a
multi-camera shoot of a stage performance, but utilizes fiction,
documentary and stage elements all at once." -- Paul
Sandra
Bernhard - I'm Still Here...Damn It (1999)
Sandra Bernhard's dazzling one-woman show comes
to video after a wildly successful Broadway run and national tour
that virtually jump-started her career after a low-key decade of
writing books and making various television appearances (Roseanne).
Less structured and formal than her previous film, the cult
classic Without You I'm Nothing, I'm Still Here... Damn
It! catches La Diva Sandra in San Francisco, some six months
pregnant and laying waste to the cultural detritus of the '90s.
Nothing and no one emerges unscathed from Bernhard's lacerating
wit as she paints a vast, swirling portrait of today's
media-saturated landscape. This breathtaking ride showcases
Bernhard in top form as she offers commentary on everyone from
Mariah Carey to Courtney Love, as well as the waifish girl singers
of Lilith Fair, to whom she offers the advice, "Just get out
of that dirty bathtub for starters!" Bernhard is not afraid
to call a spade a spade--and make that spade live to regret the
error of its ways--but I'm Still Here... Damn It! is also
about the efforts to keep your soul pure under increasingly
superficial circumstances. Bernhard touches on issues of religion,
self-fulfillment, bravery, and motherhood, and utilizes her
stunning voice as well as her scathing wit. A tribute to Christine
McVie, "Nightingale," is both a send-up and homage to
the Fleetwood Mac pianist, and Bernhard ends her show with an
intoxicating Moroccan prayer and a stunning cover of
"Midnight Train to Georgia." And as photographed by
legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler (Medium Cool, Matewan),
Bernhard is an electrical presence, beautiful and shocking at the
same time. At only an hour, it's a condensed version of her show
(for the full-on effect, buy the soundtrack),
but amazing nonetheless. The DVD features about 30 minutes of
bonus footage, including ribald observations of Rosie O'Donnell,
Melanie Griffith, and Liza Minnelli, among others. --Mark
Englehart
