Review: 'Variety' is Essential Viewing

In Bette Gordon's landmark independent film "Variety," our curious heroine is seen wearing different costumes. First, it's a pin-striped swimsuit that's affected by the ripples of water, signifying a trip into the abstract. From then on, she trades in her cardigan for the kind of punk wear familiarized by the early '80s wave of sexual and political revolution in New York City. But as her costumes change, so does her understanding of the desires she's feeling. The act of watching, feeling, reflecting and existing within the zones forbidden to many women becomes revelatory; Gordon isn't filtering female desire through the male gaze; rather, she's showing a woman in control of that objectification.

"Variety" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber and their Studio Classics label. With a new 2K restoration from the original camera negative personally overseen by Bette Gordon, the film has never looked better. Add in great special features, including an incredibly revealing commentary track with Gordon and writer Hilary Weston, and you have the definitive release of one of the great American independent films.

Christine (Sandy McLeod) just landed a new job as a ticket taker at a porno theater in Times Square, where she's constantly flanked by lonely men. Her boyfriend Mark (Will Patton), isn't approving of her new gig, although much of that is to the fault of his own priggish sensibility of what women should be able to do. She soon follows a dangerous-looking patron of the theater, which takes her further down the rabbit hole.

While "Variety" is frequently cited as something akin to a "female 'Taxi Driver'," that kind of diminishes the elusive power for Gordon's own voyeurism. The film is less about someone's headlong dive into depravity and more about watching a man's world filtered through a feminine perspective, but very much not in a way that comes off as the feminism made popular by a lot of mainstream cinema. Gordon predicted the misreading of her film with a simple statement from the Berlin Film Festival – "I am a woman and I like to watch."

In addition to the features mentioned earlier, Gordon's terrific 1981 short film "Anybody's Woman" is also included in this release. Plus, the great film critic Amy Taubin wrote the booklet essay, which should be commendation enough for you to pick this up. Indulge in an era of New York City that's lost to time by watching "Variety" as soon as possible. It's an essential text in an American film movement that's constantly overshadowed by the men who inhabited it. Other special features include:

� Gallery of production stills by Nan Goldin
� Location scouting stills gallery
� Storyboard illustrations by Bette

"Variety"
Kino Lorber Blu-ray
$29.95
https://www.kinolorber.com/product/variety-dvd-1