Peter Whitehead and the Sixties
- Synopsis
- Filmmaker Peter Whitehead was at the heart of Swinging London, chronicling the youth explosion, the burgeoning popular music scene and the counterculture of the 1960s. Two of his films are now released for the first time; WHOLLY COMMUNION (1965) and BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT (1967). These two films, together with 91 minutes of additional material including a new interview with Peter, provide a fascinating document of the radical, experimental, literary and theatrical scenes of 60s London.
On 11 June 1965, the Royal Albert Hall played host to a slew of American and European beat poets for an extraordinary impromptu event - the International Poetry Incarnation - that arguably marked the birth of London’s gestating counterculture. Cast in the role of historian, as a man-on-the-scene, and massively elevating his limited resources, Whitehead constructed the extraordinary WHOLY COMMUNION from the unfolding circus. As Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Harry Fainlight, Alexander Trocchi and others took to the stage, Whitehead confidently wandered with his borrowed camera, creating a participatory and anarchic film that is as much a landmark as the event itself, and launched his career.
Following this first success, Whitehead was invited to film a controversial new play, US, by radical theatre director Peter Brook. Building on the provocative question of Britain’s relationship to America during the Vietnam War, Whitehead pushed the issue of complicity further, challenging the relationship between the actors - including a young Glenda Jackson - and their performances. Steadfast and provocative in its consideration of international relations and war, BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT has troubling relevance to the current political climate.
DVD extras: specially commissioned interview with Peter Whitehead - for which he returns to the Soho flat he once lived in (44 mins); JEANETTA COCHRANE (1967), Whitehead’s rarely seen experimental short, featuring music from Pink Floyd; footage from the George Devine Memorial Plays Performances at The Old Vic featuring Laurence Olivier, Alec Guinness and Albert Finney; footage of Vanessa Redgrave at the Royal Albert Hall (1966)
The DVD also contains an 18-page illustrated booklet with an essay by William Fowler, Curator of Artists’ Moving Image, BFI National Archive, biography of Peter Whitehead, notes on the extras and credits. - Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Year of release
- 2007
- Year of production
- 1965 1967
- Subjects
- Social Studies; Film studies
- Keywords
- social history; counter-culture; political issues; 1960s
Distribution Formats
- Type
- DVD
- Format
- Region 2 PAL
- Price
- £14.99
- Availability
- Sale
- Duration/Size
- 98 minutes
- Year
- 2007
Sections
- Title
- Wholly Communion
- Synopsis
- On 11 June 1965, the Royal Albert Hall played host to a slew of American and European beat poets for an extraordinary impromptu event - the International Poetry Incarnation - that arguably marked the birth of London’s gestating counterculture. Cast in the role of historian, as a man-on-the-scene, and massively elevating his limited resources, Whitehead constructed the extraordinary Wholly Communion from the unfolding circus. As Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Harry Fainlight, Alexander Trocchi and others took to the stage, Whitehead confidently wandered with his borrowed camera, creating a participatory and anarchic film that is as much a landmark as the event itself, and launched his career.
- Duration
- 33 mins
- Title
- Benefit of the Doubt (US)
- Synopsis
- BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT is a 1967 documentary on Peter Brook’s anti-Vietnam protest play,with the Royal Shakespeare Company, known under the title US. It was filmed at London’s Aldwych Theatre. Whitehead pushed the issue of complicity further, challenging the relationship between the actors and their performances. It features Peter Brook, Michael Kustow, Michael Williams and a young Glenda Jackson
- Duration
- 60 mins
Distributor
- Name
BFI Video
- video.films@bfi.org.uk
- Web
- http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 020 7957 8957
- Fax
- 020 7957 8968
- Address
- 21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN
Available from retail outlets
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