Mad, but highly watchable.
Head (1968)
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Synopsis: It's a head trip, man! Director Bob Rafelson's feature film debut is based on the hit television show THE MONKEES, which Rafelson created and produced (along with Bert Schneider). Like the TV show, HEAD follows the adventures of the fictitious pop band the Monkees--four goofy, mop-topped... It's a head trip, man! Director Bob Rafelson's feature film debut is based on the hit television show THE MONKEES, which Rafelson created and produced (along with Bert Schneider). Like the TV show, HEAD follows the adventures of the fictitious pop band the Monkees--four goofy, mop-topped young rockers who look suspiciously like the Beatles. Written by Rafelson and actor Jack Nicholson, the film rejects plot in favor of a psychedelic trip through a series of parodies of every major film genre, including the Western, the musical, and the war film. These stylized romps are intercut with various surreal scenes, such as the classic sequence where the Monkees are sucked up through a giant vacuum cleaner and then spewed out as bits of dandruff in Victor Mature's hair. Also thrown into the bizarre mix are clips of television commercials, classic movies, and documentary footage from Vietnam. The result is an avant-garde, kaleidoscopic collage, peppered with Monkees songs such as "Circle Sky," "Porpoise Song," and "Daddy's Song." [More]
Genre: Television
Starring: Monkees, Victor Mature, Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Carol Doda
Screenwriter: Bob Rafelson, Jack Nicholson
Composer: Ken Thorne
Producer: Bob Rafelson
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 7, 1999
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Snap Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers
Reviews
Despite obviously dated aspects like clumsy psychedelic effects and some turgid slapstick sequences, the film is still remarkably vital and entertaining.
Messy it may be, but Head acts as a fascinating document that marked the passing of Woodstock's loved-up summer into the violent winter of Altamont.
The clean-cut kids and the created kinetics work up a 'so-what' reaction too soon in the 85-minute stretch seques from war to westerns to desert chases to mad scientist brushes in the Columbia lot.
The result is a visually daring cinematic game that is virtually plotless and better off for being so.
The movie is, nonetheless, of a certain fascination in its joining of two styles: pot and advertising.
Considered a train wreck in 1968, this rock flick keeps getting better with age.
It's the deliberate assassination of the group by the group itself -- as far removed from their carefully crafted TV image as possible.


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