Andy Warhol made him famous. The underground films made him a sexual icon. His body made him a legend.
Little Joe charts the trajectory as a sex symbol and the wild and eclectic life of Joe Dallesandro. From foster homes and reform schools to a life-changing discovery at the hands of Andy Warhol, through to his adventures in Europe and his subsequent struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.
The very same "Little Joe" of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side." The crotch on the Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album cover. The man John Waters declared, "a wonderful actor who forever changed male sexuality on the screen" and who Scavullo said was one of the 10 most beautiful men he has ever photographed.
This is Little Joe.
He had a body "so magnificently shaped that men as well as women become disconnected at the sight of him". That being said, it was his quiet nature and his ambivalence to fame that made him unique amongst Warhol's collection of speed-talking superstars at The Factory.
He was a natural. Clothed or unclothed, it really didn't seem to bother him.
For me, the most amazing discovery in the film is not just Dallesandro's body, but the outstanding body of work over the last 40 years.
After his success in the Warhol/Morrisey films (like
Trash, Heat, Lonesome Cowboys, Flesh for Frankenstein and
Blood for Dracula to name a few) he also featured in some 18 feature films while in Europe before working for the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, John Waters and Steven Soderbergh on his return to America in the 1980s. And through out all of this he has fathered children to numerous wives, lost family members and overcame addiction - all of which make for a very compelling and immensely interesting story.
Without a doubt, Dallesandro has left an memorable imprint on 20th century pop culture.
Little Joe is screening again at the Melbourne International Film Festival on Sunday, August 2 at 12.15pm at ACMI. To book tickets, head to the MIFF website.