Eleganza Galore

I can now say I know more than one person that's into Eleganza. I'm not talking about people that went into their parents' attic to dig out that old Disco outfit for Halloween that one time. Nope I'm talking about going into one thrift store to the next tirelessly searching for that special vintage of clothing or item, collecting ads from the 70's for the gaudiest and most outrageous outfit, and years upon years of researching about a period of entertainment that showcased sleaze exploitation in all of it's colorful flamboyancy. At least that is to my understanding of a person that is into Eleganza. And those two people I know are John Berado and Anna Biller.


John's been a friend of mine for 10 years. And to know him is to know his passions. Here's a video of one those passions he was in years ago. He's the guy sitting on the right being interviewed.





Anna Biller was someone John and I only knew through her film "Viva," a spot-on genre pic of 70's exploitation films. Written, directed, and starred in this 35mm Eleganza masterpiece Anna stood out amongst a sea of independent film makers. Here's a trailer of it:



A few days ago, I get a call from John asking if I'm interested in meeting Anna Biller in person. He had already met with Anna weeks ago from a photoshoot/interview conducted by Chris Gore. And as timing would have it there would be a "Viva" signing at Rocket Video on La Brea. John didn't need to ask me twice.

John even went to the trouble of producing a "Simpsonized" art piece for Anna to sign as a "Homerage" to Viva. What can I say? He's a passionate load.

And furthermore I got to meet her and some of her cast members!

And that was not all. After the signing Anna asked if John and I would like to have dinner with them at Canter's Deli. And what I thought to be a brief nice-to-meet-you video signing turned out to be a whole evening of getting to know her and how she made the film. This former Cal Arts film student has meticulously involved herself in nearly every aspect of the movie from art design to final editing. You got to give props for that kind of dedication.

So the evening turned out great and I was glad to come out to meet Anna Biller. That is until my portion of the check showed up...