Elephant Parts

1981 "Winner of the first video Grammy Award."
7.6| 1h2m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 01 July 1981 Released
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Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Winner of the first video Grammy Award, Michael Nesmith (The Monkees) wrote and starred in Elephant Parts, a collection of comedy and music videos. Elephant Parts is one hour long and features five full length music videos, including the popular songs "Rio", and "Cruisin'", which featured wrestler Steve Strong and Monterey-based comic "Chicago" Steve Barkley. An off-beat collection that is very entertaining to view while in an altered state.

Genre

Comedy, Music

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Director

William Dear

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Elephant Parts Audience Reviews

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Mike Kiker I've read that Michael Nesmith considered "Head" to be the Monkees' crowning achievement. He must've really enjoyed working in that format of intertwining hilarious off-beat sketches and stellar music videos.In that respect, it's not hard for this reviewer to see "Elephant Parts" as a companion piece, or even a sequel of sorts to "Head". Great songs with great visuals, and again some wry humor that in a way comments on the society of the late '70s, the same way that "Head" took on the '60s. As much as "Head" poked fun at The Monkees' sudden fame, "Elephant Parts" seems to take on Michael Nesmith's current state of affairs, with his star of the Monkees faded, and having established himself in the world of country-rock as a serious artist in his own right, (in my humble opinion) as good as the likes of Gram Parsons and Stephen Stills. However, the music in this film seems to have Mike looking back at both the past with the doo-wop send-up "Magic" or the Beach Boys-flavored "Light", and towards the future with disco-flavored numbers like "Tonight" and "Cruisin'". My personal favorite on this collection has to be the Stephen Stills & Manassas-inspired Country-Latin fusion of "Rio". Always holds a nostalgic summery place in my heart.Some of the sketches here are absolutely brilliant. "Elvis Drugs", "Marningrita and a Coff of Cuppee", "Abject Poverty", "Name That Drug", and "Rodan" are all hilarious in what they spoof, drug abuse vs. the shadow of Elvis's death, alcoholism, poverty (duh!), drug abuse vs. the moral questionability of the DEA, and Nesmith poking fun at his solo hit and Godzilla at the same time, respectively.From start to finish, it's solid. The jokes are solid, the music is solid. It's just a great fun little sketch show. If you loved "Head", you'll love this. It's definitely something to watch, again whether in the present state or an altered one. Either way, enjoy the ride as much as you enjoyed "Head"!
Steve Nyland (Squonkamatic) I must admit that the first forty minutes or so of my first screening of ELEPHANT PARTS was one of confusion bordering on indifference. Some of it is really, really good, some of it more eyebrow raising. As in, why is this on my TV? Half offbeat video shorts, half music videos, all of it featuring the unique talents of former Monkey Michael Nesmith. Initially conceived of as a "video album", the music is taken from two of Nesmith's records from the era (later 1970s/early 1980s) and the videos are a mixture of commercial, game show and TV drama parodies touching on the topical issues of the day: Nuclear war, drugs, the energy crisis, rock music culture, you name it. Some of it works, some of it doesn't, but one thing is for sure -- None of it fails to be "entertaining", "engrossing", "thought provoking" and "enjoyable".There's no real linking story though a lot of what happens in one given sketch often suggests or leads to the given "subject" of another. Every third sketch is a Nesmith music video, so fans of his work will be pleased even if somewhat confused as to what car commercials have to do with it. And fans of offbeat comedy might be equally confused by a couple of moments that actually aren't that funny, not just because Nesmith seems to be a student of applied bad taste (like the "Elvis Drugs" commercial, the joke about dragging someone behind a truck, or the segment on "Battered Wives", which are downright awkward) but he seems genuinely interested in creating moments of tension with certain scenes. And all of it works as sort of little time bombs for your brain that go off after the show is over.A couple of words need to be said about the role that drugs play in the special. It isn't the 1970s anymore and some of the drug humor not only falls flat, but suggests that maybe some of the gags were conceived of if not outright performed while under the influence of mind-altering substances. I say, so be it, if so, it reinforces how the special was a product of a specific period of time in popular culture & entertainment. There is just as much drug use going on today in our entertainment industry, it's just that political correctness has made it uncomfortable to joke about it in the way that Nesmith finds appropriate. Not to make a big deal about it, mind you, but it's a part of what's going on here, inescapably so due to my own history. Ahem.The special also has Nesmith's beguiling video for "Rio", the first of his solo songs that I ever really connected with, so much so that I bought the album it's from within a day of seeing ELEPHANT PARTS for the first time (everything else is from a different collection made at the time of the special). He was always my favorite one of the Monkees, and fans of their wonderful movie HEAD will find a lot of similarities between that film's free-form surrealism & Nesmith's unofficial solo job update here. It's not physical slapstick or guffawing hilarity ala the Monkees, rather a somewhat more sophisticated and laid back send-up of the popular culture that Nesmith had such an important hand in shaping: A lot of what we take for granted these days as MTV oriented "music television" was started here, or at least came to mimic much of the form that Nesmith's experiment takes.8/10
callie-5 Michael Nesmith was ahead of his time.Beginning with Rodan, all the way through the final song, Elephant Parts is comprised of "Nez" and his friends stealing shots where they have to and having fun all along the way. There are too many good comedic shorts to list, but if you have an hour to spare, go rent this and give it a watch. Good music - Great laughs!And no, that is NOT Terry "Hulk" Hogan. The actor's name is Steve Strong.
klh_skyenet If you appreciate the many talents of Michael Nesmith, this is a must see! The new DVD has it all, music, comedy, dancing and even newly added commentary by Mr. Nesmith, on the making of the film. "Light", one of the five music videos, is beautiful. I loved the way it was filmed. If you want to laugh, "Marnin Grita", "Bitty Soda" or "Name that Drug" should do the trick!! This was 60 minutes of complete entertainment. If you like good music or have a sense of humor, this is for you!