I have a bit of an obsession with the circus sideshow and the films of Tod Browning, a former carnie who made a number of silent horror films with sideshow themes starring Lon Chaney. I have also spent quite a bit of time knocking around Ireland and have cultivated a fascination with the Travellers, the nomadic race of the country. When Sherry and I developed the story for a circus sideshow take on the old Jekyll and Hyde theme, we decided that the transformed clown Hydo (played by Joe Patterson) would be the savior of the Gypsy women, who are oppressed by an evil landlord (played by Monte Mosley). Here, I stayed as true to the old silent form as I could, with costumes, make-up, sets, old zany copyright-free music, dialogue cards, and I even shot on grainy Super 8 film stock. Monte Mosley as "The Landlord" is hilarious and Clark Gray as Jeckelbee comes off as Buster Keaton doing Samuel Beckett. Joe's performance as Hydo is...a little disturbing. I shot it on digital video at the same time, so I could edit an expanded version. The two resulting films have evolved into companion pieces, while remaining distinct. While the stark cinematography of the Super 8 version has a certain immediacy (I edited it in camera as I shot; there are no cuts.) and successfully creates the illusion of a found film, the digital version has more music, added scenes and a richer sound design. Don Young, Ft Worth's acclaimed resident Fellini scholar, frequently uses the pair as an opener for his annual Fellini's Birthday parties.
