January
11 – 14, 2007
Directors
in Focus: Peter Whitehead
 Writer,
filmmaker, falconer to Arab princes… Peter Whitehead was at
the heart of swinging London and the movements of the 1960s.
He filmed the Rolling Stones in drag, Allen Ginsberg at Royal
Albert Hall and students in occupation of Columbia University.
Between the years 1965 –69, he completed five films which together
stand as an unrivaled document of that decade’s counterculture.
Marking the 40th anniversary of Whitehead’s career in film,
we present the first American retrospective of his work from
that era.
Thursday,
January 11 at 7pm
Wholly
Communion
dir.
Peter Whitehead, UK, 1965, BetaSP, 33 mins, b/w
 Wholly
Communion captures
the historic countercultural event – the first meeting of American
and English Beat poets at the Royal Albert Hall on June 11,
1965 – witnessed by an audience of 7,000. Among the performers
featured are Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory
Corso and Adrian Mitchell.
followed
by
Tonite
Let’s All Make Love in London
dir.
Peter Whitehead, UK, 1967, BetaSP, 70 mins, color
 As
one of the few filmmakers trusted within the perfumed gardens
of the 60s rock illuminati, Peter Whitehead was allowed unparalleled
access into the center of the pop circle to capture the moment
for this kaleidoscopic film. With contributions from the likes
of Mick Jagger, Michael Caine, The Small Faces, Pink Floyd and
David Hockney, Tonite presents a dazzling and intimate
record from the very core of
the ‘in-crowd'.
Saturday,
January 13 at 7pm
Peter
Whitehead: Pop Films
dir.
Peter Whitehead, UK, 1966-69, BetaSP, 100 mins, color and b/w
 Whitehead’s
work with bands like The Dubliners and The Small Faces was the
very inception of the artful, experimental and daring pop promo.
Peter Whitehead: Pop Films features movies
Whitehead made with The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Hey Joe)
and Nico (I’m Not Sayin’) and some rare surprises from
the director’s extensive archive.
followed
by
Led
Zeppelin: Live at Royal Albert Hall
dir.
Peter Whitehead, UK, 1970, BetaSP, 109 mins, color
Recorded
at London's Royal Albert Hall on January 9, 1970, this is an
exemplary example of what a concert film should be. No titles
or credits, just 109 minutes of the British band at their peak,
including a thirteen-minute drum solo by John Bonham. Shot three
months after their second LP had been released, the film highlights
Whitehead's expert on-the-hoof camerawork and inspired editing.
Sunday,
January 14 at 7pm
Nothing
to Do with Me
dir.
Anthony Sterne, UK, 1968, BetaSP, 20 mins, b/w
On
November 23, 1968, several months after returning from the United
States where he had just completed shooting on his film The
Fall, Whitehead philosophies to camera in this remarkable
autobiographical document.
followed
by
The
Fall
dir.
Peter Whitehead, UK, 1968, BetaSP, 120 mins, color
 The
Fall was shot behind
the barricades and inside Columbia University during the 1968
student rebellion, which took place in the immediate aftermath
of the assassination of Martin Luther King. Considered by Whitehead
to be his most important film, The Fall is an extremely
personal statement on violence, revolution and the turbulence
within late 60s America. Featuring Robert Kennedy, The Bread
and Puppet Theatre, Robert Rauschenberg, The Deconstructivists
and Lyndon Johnson.
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