"Man of Letters" is a documentary about Momus directed by Hannu Puttonen for Finnish television in 1994.
It stars Momus, Sarah Cracknel, Jarvis Cocker, Ed Ball, Simon Fisher Turner, Alison Spritzler-Rose and Rozelle Bentheim.
Technically speaking, "Man of Letters" is not so much a documentary on Momus, but in the words of Gilles Deleuze —a rhizome of narratives: stream of consciousness, visualisations of songs, lyrics & moral discussions by Momus and his companions... of whom some have a high profile in British pop culture... and some who join Momus in his love for words, those great confusers...
Like "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis, "Man Of Letters" takes for its structure a conversation between two devils bargaining for the soul of Momus, a musician.
"'Tempt him with success', advises the old devil to his apprentice, eager for promotion. 'Tempt him with the promise of fame, power, and the love of women... Lead him astray with easy sex... Confuse him with many religions... Employ the Flatterer, a useful tool... Take him to the top of the mountain, show him the valley below... Use the most modern methods of communication to spread his message amongst the young and impressionable... Above all use words, for they are great confusers. Go forth, young devil, and tempt him. Make his soul ours.'"
It features enactments of the following songs:
Pornography
Paper Wraps Rock
The Hairstyle Of The Devil
Shaftesbury Avenue
Amongst Women Only
Cibachrome Blue
The Angels Are Voyeurs
The Angels Are Voyeurs (Reprise)
Marquis Of Sadness
Closer To You
Trust Me, I'm A Doctor
I Was A Maoist Intellectual
Christmas On Earth
The Sensation Of Orgasm
Rhetoric