THE BIG BANG

THE BIG BANG Elaine Kaufman, Don Simpson (1989, New Video, $79.95, R) Now, this is high-concept: Director James Toback (Fingers) takes his camera and asks an assortment of people how they think the world began. The interviewees run the gamut-a nun, a gangster, a model, an astronomer, and a Holocaust survivor, to name a few. And the menu expands to include this diverse crowd's thoughts on God, orgasm, love, race, class, murder, chaos, and death. A great video to play at the end of a dinner party, The Big Bang is fascinating fun, and Toback knows just how long to spend with each opinion or reflection. Some moments are hilarious, such as restaurateur Elaine Kaufman's contention that half of New York's subway riders experience orgasm every day just from the car's back-and-forth movement. Yet the film can also be heartbreaking, as when the gangster talks about being transfigured by the experience of spending a last year with his dying father. Above all, The Big Bang is full of surprises. B+ -Lawrence O'Toole

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