Black Mystique

BONE (1972)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Ten Best Films of the 1970's

The radicalized comic underpinnings of "Bone" are not for the faint-hearted. Ostensibly a black comedy, the film is more black than comical, a purely relentless and obscenely funny look at racial tension and living the alleged high life in L.A. in the 1970's. That it comes from B-movie director Larry Cohen is a big plus.

Yaphet Kotto appears very quickly in the opening scenes of "Bone" as a supposed exterminator - actually, he is planning to rob the biggest house on the block in Beverly Hills. The occupants of this classy house are an irritated car dealer, Bill (Andrew Duggan), and his wife Bernadette (Joyce Van Patten), who expect their pool to be cleaned promptly though the wife barely uses it. Bill thinks there is a dead rat in their pool and, thus, we see Bone (Kotto) who removes the rat. Bone is not there to exterminate rodents - he wants their money. Lo and behold, it is discovered that Bill is not adept with his finances and it upsets Bernadette, who seems to be married to the guy only for the money. Bone instructs Bill to get cash from a bank in an hour, or else he will rape and kill Bill's wife. Bill is not as quick on his feet to get cash as you might expect, and Bone's simmering, irascible rage is dulled by Bernadette. In one truly riveting scene, a naked Bernadette questions Bone as to why he did not rape her on the pool table. She begins to see that he is not what she expected.

Meanwhile, Bill turns out to be a quasi-philanderer, allowing himself to be picked by a kleptomaniac (Jeannie Berlin from "The Heartbreak Kid") who steals food from a supermarket by way of a cliched ruse - a banana peel! This girl turns out to be emotionally brittle yet manipulative - Cohen gives every small character role a chance to breathe rather being some mild throwaway type. While Bill is having his proclivities, Bernadette cheats on her hubby, seducing Bone and reminding him he is a charmer after all.

"Bone" is directed with tantalizing skill by Larry Cohen, implementing with admirable restraint the use of abrasive, flash cuts to increase the tension. Sometimes, there are scenes that leave you incredulous such as Bill's car commercial that shows dead bodies in every car on the lot! A scene like that comes from Bill's own cluttered mind, as if he fears losing his job by selling every car with mechanical problems will result in dead drivers. Also extricated from Bill's mind is the absent son who is in Vietnam when in fact, he is not. Then to complicate matters, Bernadette and Bone have ulterior motives that drive Bill to a conclusion that is hardly a foreseeable one. Or perhaps Bone is a figment of the white couples' imagination, which would make the film the most stringent and damaging look at race in the 20th century since before Spike Lee stepped up to the plate. The fact that it is still prescient says much about the supposed evolution of our society.

"Bone" is an unusual, highly entertaining and powerful dissection of race, relationships, wealth and especially the plight of the black man in the early 1970's. Yaphet Kotto (who considers this role his career favorite) sums it up beautifully, using raw, provocative language to convey how the black man as a stereotypical rapist is no more because they have been accepted into society through integration and education - the black man, that is, not the rapist. "Bone" is lacerating, frequently hilarious, disturbing and illuminating. You can't compare it to anything else and that is a major plus. The film is a revelation and an absolute must for anyone with a passion for cinema, and especially those passionate for a discourse on race.

Footnote: Producer and distributor Jack H. Harris thought the film as something more appealing to the blaxploitation market and horror film fans, thus the film has several alternate titles including "Housewife" and "Dial Rat for Terror."