From the end credits this appears to be a student film that got distribution, which speaks volumes-it's a rare student feature that sees distribution. Released during that rarefied moment between the death rattle of the studio system and the American cinema renaissance of the seventies, The Ski Bum gives a voice to the disaffected youth who are alienated from the straight world they want little to do with.
With Zalman King's ski instructor as a stand-in for the hippie culture, he sees the establishment culture as disorienting as a bad LSD trip, which seems to be the point of the optical and audio distortions. Yes, he can make good money working for The Man, but that world is as surreal to him as a hippie commune would be to a button-down executive. Following the movie age to "show, don't tell," the drug-like sequences speak volumes.
There were some good films that depicted the clash between hippie/youth and the establishment, like "Joe," some well-intentioned failures ("Zabriske Point"), and some horrible flops ("Skidoo"). "The Ski Bum" is a quietly brilliant success.
With Zalman King's ski instructor as a stand-in for the hippie culture, he sees the establishment culture as disorienting as a bad LSD trip, which seems to be the point of the optical and audio distortions. Yes, he can make good money working for The Man, but that world is as surreal to him as a hippie commune would be to a button-down executive. Following the movie age to "show, don't tell," the drug-like sequences speak volumes.
There were some good films that depicted the clash between hippie/youth and the establishment, like "Joe," some well-intentioned failures ("Zabriske Point"), and some horrible flops ("Skidoo"). "The Ski Bum" is a quietly brilliant success.