MATILDA (1978) from VHS

• Director: Daniel Mann
• Cast: Elliott Gould, Clive Revill, Harry Guardino, Karen Carlson
• 1978 | Film: 87 mins | USA | No Subtitles | Event: 20:45 – 23:10 [18+]
• Screening from vintage VHS tape

“THE KNOCKABOUT COMEDY OF THE YEAR!”

A small-time talent agent discovers an amazing boxing kangaroo and figures to use it as his stepping-stone into the big time.

Not based on Roald Dahl’s book, MATILDA is a comedy about a boxing kangaroo played by an actor in an ill-fitting fur suit…

After ROCKY was a smash hit in 1976 many other films tried to copy its success… MATILDA is a curious mix of crime caper and sports drama that was intended as a feel-good movie for audiences of all ages. Its strangest asset by far is the 6’1” kangaroo suited (male…) hero… We can only imagine what might have been if MATILDA had matched the ROCKY franchise’s global success…

MATILDA first featured in BAR TRASH season 3, a celebration of ‘The Worst Films of all Time” as listed in The Golden Turkey Awards (1980). Nominated for “The Worst Film You Never Saw”, MATILDA was pulled from distribution following disastrous test screenings in 1978 and has rarely been screened publicly since. We are proud to be bringing it back to BAR TRASH for an encore where it will screen from a vintage, pre-certificate VHS tape from Token Homo’s private collection. 

“Matilda is worked by a person in a fur suit and fixed mask… The technicians do not even get the ears to wiggle and the mouth to pucker until the final minutes.”

Tom Allen, The Village Voice

Polite notice: Our Bar Trash VHS titles do not have subtitles or captions and may encounter technical problems during playback (we have backup discs if needed).

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic, Token Homo. Films are served with themed drinks, introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles/captions where possible. Tickets from £3. Adults 18+ only. ///