Netflix ? the purveyor of the ubiquitous red envelopes filled with DVDs ? is getting into the movie business for real courtesy of hometown director John Waters.
“This Filthy World,” a two-night cinematic snapshot of Waters? stand-up routine ? is Netflix?s subsidiary Red Envelope Entertainment?s first venture into the world of producing movies, not just mailing them.
Filmed at the Harry De Jur Playhouse in New York City in 2006, Waters said the picture is a culmination of nearly 30 years of doing stand-up comedy, a talent he said he honed promoting his films around the country.
“The very first time I did stand-up was when Multiple Maniacs, was released. I would come out in a hippie pimp outfit, and Divine would strangle a cop and it grew from there,” he said.
Since then, Waters has performed his stand-up routine as far away as Australia, opening for counterculture icons such as William Boroughs, the beat generation writer.
Waters said his collaboration with Netflix makes sense because the online rental company already has intimate relationship with his fans.
“They already know who rents my movies,” he said.
Waters said Netflix provided the $300,000 budget, and helped recruit the audience for the shows in New York. Vincent Peranio, Waters? longtime set designer, worked on the sets.
Netflix?s film division head, Ted Sarandos, caught Waters? act at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in 2005. That?s when Sarandos decided to tap Waters for the company?s first venture into movie making.
The movie, which is playing at the Rotunda, will have a limited theatrical run Waters said. The real hook, Waters said, is the four-month window of exclusivity during which only Netflix?s customers can get the release on DVD.
“They already have a thousand people signed up to receive it” Waters said.
“This Filthy World” was directed by Jeff Garlin, best known for his work on the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
