Paul Morrissey, an influential director known for pushing boundaries with low-budget films of the 1960s and ’70s, died this week at age 86. Morrissey collaborated closely with Andy Warhol on several groundbreaking films made in New York City. He helped develop an experimental style of avant-garde cinema and gave platforms to LGBT and transgender performers at the Factory studio.
Morrissey directed movies like Flesh, Trash, and Heat during his collaboration with Warhol between 1965-1974. These movies, made for under $10,000 each, starred underground stars and explored taboo topics. They helped propel the career of actor Joe Dallesandro as well. Sadly, Morrissey’s partnership with Warhol ended over disputes about their shared creative work.
Beyond films, Morrissey also played a role in Warhol’s music projects. He assisted with the Velvet Underground as their early concerts fused music and multimedia art. Morrissey co-founded Interview Magazine too for a time. In later decades, he went on to direct films starring well-known actors while voicing disappointment that Warhol took too much credit for their 1960s-70s films.
Paul Morrissey passed away this week in New York at age 86 due to pneumonia. He was a pioneering director of avant-garde and genre films who got his start in underground cinema. Morrissey gave opportunities to marginalized artists and produced low-budget movies that changed American independent film. He will be remembered for his contributions to experimental moviemaking through his innovative work alongside Andy Warhol.
