Sandra Bernhard – I’m Still Here…Damn It
- With this simple statement, Sandra Bernhard once again reclaims her title as America’s alternative muse. Armed with material that took her downtown perspective uptown for her first Broadway show, Ms. Sandra rips into some of life’s most intimate subjects, including life, death and Melanie Griffith. Very few escape the hilariously honest cut of her tongue. Courtney Love, Paula Jones, Rosie
I’M STILL HERE DAMN IT – DVD MovieSandra 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
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Bernhard: Still Here, Still Scathingly Funny,
The DVD of Ms. Bernhard’s newest show is a hoot. I’d already heard the CD recording. First things first, I must say that I miss the hilarious opening number “Walk Tall” (great opening on the CD — disappointing that it’s not here, since I think it’s very funny). Otherwise, the show is practically the same as the CD version, only shorter.
Sandra was incredibly pregnant during the filming, which is both shocking, bold, and comical all at once. She’s decked out in a see-through designer dress — her breasts, stomach, and thonged bottom on display. Very Sandra!
One editing mistake (in my humble opinion…) is the cutting of “A Diva Moment”, which is included on the DVD under the Additional Footage option. For a show titled “I’m Still Here, Damn It”, this rant would have been perfect to include. Sandra chastises the audience, reminds them that she’s filming an HBO special, not a “tacky club gig”, berates them for the cheap tickets they bought, then proceeds to explain how she’s been performing the show for six months and working in the business for 20 years. It’s a pure example of the hilarious-yet-true comic line that Ms. Bernhard walks. Why it was not included is beyond me!
For all the glib and shallow topics she includes, one gets the feeling that Sandra Bernhard (like a lot of us)looks to heal her soul. This woman starts the show with a “Native American Moment”, talks about the Cabala, and sings a song called “God is Good” — all whilst about to have a child at any minute! She may not be as fresh as her incredible show/film WITHOUT YOU I’M NOTHING, but Ms. Bernhard is not tired. I, for one, appreciate her unflinching take on pop culture. She plays the vapid, soul-less celebrity on stage…but only to give us all a look at our own shallowness.
Thanks, Sandra. You’re still here! (damn it).
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|the bitch is back–and it couldn’t be sooner,
almost as good as seeing her live, this has all the best bits of the show plus a half hour of extras, all as hilarious as the original content.
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|A good way to unwind after a horrible day,
I have seen this DVD perhaps 10 times since I bought it this past Christmastime and I’ll probrably see it again tonight since I’m thinking about it. You have to be a Bernhard fan to really appreciate the sarcastic wit of hers and her take on society, politics and celebrities, albeit how it effects her in the world that she lives in. The fact that this HBO special filming of her night club act was filmed while she was very pregnant (I’m guessing 9-1/2 months by the shape of her physique) and wearing a rather see thru dress (due to club lighting), shows that she has absolutely no shame and we are all the better for it. Spending the hour just listening to her puts my miserable life into perspective (well at least for an hour anyway). Make sure you see the extras with her dozen or so (1 minute long) comments on different subjects and people (Mother Teresa and her house painter are favorites). She sings too! I loved the tribute to Giani Versace (a song on how the tragedy effected the lives and more importantly, the careers of the grieving supermodels left behind on the catwalk) and the cover of “Midnight train to Georgia” just brings a tear to my eye every time- who!! who!! Get the incense and bottle of vodka ready, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Miss Sandra Bernhard!
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