Christmas on Earth

Creating Christmas ON EARTH when only 18 years old, during the tail-end of Hayes Code sexual repression, and as a member of Andy Warhol's Factory, Rubin's film has earned its space in film history. Rubin originally wanted to title the film C**KS AND C**TS, which gives you a sense of the pure explicit nature Rubin sought to capture on film.

It is an art film with a 60s rock-and-roll and Motown soundtrack (no dialogue), intended to be viewed as a "happening," its accompaniment was originally performed live by the Velvet Underground.

The film seeks to create ambiguity by superimposing close-up images of male and female genitalia over images of a woman painted black, a relatively inactive orgy, and a pair of male lovers embracing and having sex.

It is explicit without always being sexual (yet always confrontational).

Technically it uses tinted frames (red and green used frequently), mixed in with black and white, and a sort of "picture in picture" effect via the dual projection presentation.

Visual motifs (as you would imagine in a dialogue-less art film) abound. "Mirroring" is used often, with the graphic presentation of a black-painted face with white made-up lips and eyes interchanged with the black painted female body with white breasts and stomach. Holes (aka orifices) are often layered in the shots, as to create a sense of ambiguity of what you are viewing.

Obviously, not a film for everyone. But if you like underground video, are curious about Warhol-era art, 60s culture, feminist film, or queer depictions, worth checking out if you can catch a screening.