Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers

1980 0h 51m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 26

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A zesty paean of praise to the greater glories of garlic. This lip-smacking foray into the history, consumption, cultivation and culinary/curative powers of the stinking rose features chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, and a flavorful musical soundtrack. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Alice Waters
Self - Chez Panisse Restaurant, Berkeley
Werner Herzog
Self - Film Director: Nosferatu
Harrod Blank
Self - Youth Saved From Dysentery
Michael Goodwin
Self - Interviewer, Recordist, Writer, Garlic Peeler
Christopher Pray
Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Les Blank
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 51-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Les Blank: Always for Pleasure" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Les Blank, shot by Les Blank. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maureen Gosling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alice Waters and Werner Herzog and Harrod Blank carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Les Blank directs. Les Blank behind the camera. Maureen Gosling cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 51-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Part of the "Les Blank: Always for Pleasure" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Les Blank, shot by Les Blank. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Maureen Gosling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Alice Waters and Werner Herzog and Harrod Blank carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0080776 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 26 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Les Blank
Editing: Maureen Gosling
Runtime: 51 min · 0h 51m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)

Part of

Les Blank: Always for Pleasure

An uncompromisingly independent filmmaker, Les Blank made documentaries for nearly fifty years, elegantly disappearing with his camera into cultural spots rarely seen on-screen—mostly on the peripheries of the United States, but also occasionally abroad. Seemingly off-the-cuff yet poetically constructed, these films are humane, sometimes wry, always engaging tributes to music, food, and all sorts of regionally specific delights. This collector’s set provides a diverse survey of Les Blank’s vast output, including fourteen of his best-known works and eight related short films.