BRITISH INVASION!
DONT LOOK BACK (1967)
A record of pixyish troubador, 23 year old BOB DYLAN's 1965 three week tour of England, with glimpses of Bobby in concert, in cars, airports & hotel rooms; at press conferences, matching his style against Donovan or caught in backstage moments. The film begins with the brilliant, classic 1965 promotional clip for Subterranean Homesick Blues, a playful & enigmatic Dylan standing in an alley working through a set of handwritten flashcards. Watch for the hotel scene when Dylan & Bob Neuwirth sing Lost Highway ! Onstage, there are memorable performances of The Times They Are A-Changin' , All I Really Want to Do & Mister Tambourine Man. The camera sometimes leaves Dylan for JOAN BAEZ or his manager, ALBERT GROSSMAN, wheeling & dealing with T.V. producers via phone. It's the period when Dylan is shifting from acoustic to electric, a transition that not all fans, including Baez, applaud. This wasn’t a happy time for Dylan, who rushes through many songs like a man wishing he were somewhere else. Not that performances are poor (quite the contrary) but the heart & sincerity are missing (The Times they are a-Changin' speeds up gradually but unmistakably throughout the film). Back-stage material (the bulk of the film) shows Dylan being generally nasty,and he’s seen being impossibly rude to a BBC reporter while Grossman is busy extorting promoters for more money. Watch for appearances by ALAN PRICE & DONOVAN. Dylan's relationship with JOAN BAEZ had seriously deteriorated by this point, & the scenes they share are strained.She offers a stunning version of Love is Just a Four-Letter Word in a late-night hotel room, before disappearing entirely from the tour (& film).
Pennebaker helped found the cinema verite school in the U.S. & has made films about David Bowie, Otis Redding & Branford Marsalis.
That's no typo there, either, you'll find NO apostrophe in the title, either in the film,or the book... & remember: "the pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles".
Prod Co: Leacock Pennebaker Inc. Prods. - ALBERT GROSSMAN, John Court. Dir, ed: DON ALAN PENNEBAKER. Cinephot: Don Alan Pennebaker, Howard Alk, Jones Alk. Prod Dsgn: James D. Bissell. Sd: Jones Alk, J. Robert Van Dyke. Cast: BOB DYLAN, ALBERT GROSSMAN, Bob Neuwirth, JOAN BAEZ, ALAN PRICE, DONOVAN, MARIANNE FAITHFUL(uncredited), ALLEN GINSBERG(uncredited), JOHN MAYALL (uncredited). 96 mins. NFVLS.
HERMAN'S HERMITS HILTON SHOW (1966)
A virtually un-cut performance by the inimitable sixties rock band, Herman's Hermits. Includes many well-known hits, such as I'm Into Something Good, Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter, I'm Henry The VIII I Am, My Sentimental Friend, Theres A Kind Of Hush, Dandy, Years May Come Years May Go, No Milk Today, A Must To Avoid, & Leaning On A Lamp Post. Sponsored by Hilton Hosery. Prod: Rod Kinnear, Garry Stewart. Dir: Ted Gregory. 29 mins. CAC.
BRAVERMAN'S CONDENSED CREAM OF BEATLES (1973)
Oscar-winning history of the Beatles & the '60s from the exuberant, youthful days to the socially-conscious end of the decade. Flashy montage imagery captures The Beatles in concert, being interviewed, appearing in news reports intersperced with art, collages, animation, photographs & scenes of social & political activity. Excerpts from their films are also effectively intercut, presenting the spirit of the Beatles, the spirit of the times & the lasting imprint of life & culture made by this remarkable group of musicians. Director Charles (Chuck) Braverman was also reponsible for two striking montage-sequences in SOYLENT GREEN (1973): the thought-provoking, opening credits sequence and sequence at the necropolis, as Sol (Edward G. Robinson) "goes home". Prod Co: Braverman Productions. Directed by Charles Braverman. Awards: Atlanta Film Fest, Academy (OscarTM) AwardTM. 14 mins. CAC.
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