Frank Zappa (1971 Documentary)
"Frank Zappa" is a Dutch documentary for VPRO Television, directed by Roelof Kiers, originally broadcast on February 11, 1971.
The documentary features interviews with Zappa, Gail Zappa, Lucy Offerall and Pamela Miller. Moon Zappa and Dweezil Zappa can also been seen as very young children. The film shows a lot of footage recorded in Zappa's house and footage with Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan during the Fillmore West concert on November 6, 1970.
Zappa is interviewed about his youth, love for music, personal life and politics. The documentary shows him composing music for 200 Motels and rehearsing songs like This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (prologue). Unique footage of him and Wild Man Fischer playing guitar together is also shown.
Back in 1971 the documentary caused enormous controversy with Dutch TV audiences, even to the point that questions were asked in the Dutch House of Commons, "De Tweede Kamer". Zappa's children walk around completely naked in his house and are babysitted by groupies Miss Lucy and Miss Pamela. They talk freely about their sex life on the road and even Zappa himself later admits that he commits adultery with groupies during tours, but that his wife is aware of this. Another scene features Zappa watching an amateur sex movie featuring Aynsley Dunbar with a groupie. Backstage footage of Zappa's band with groupies is also shown. The most notorious scene however showed Zappa using a vacuum cleaner on Miss Lucy's breasts and genitals, while little Moon Zappa is present in the same room.
Roelof Kiers also directed the documentary The True Story Of 200 Motels, which was filmed around the same time, but only broadcast on home video in 1988.
