Peter Whitehead
DVD 
(4/5)
I just watched the impressive DVD “Peter Whitehead and the Sixties” which is, in itself, a little masterpiece of curatorships. It bottles two great film-documents shot by Liverpool filmmaker Peter Whitehead between 1865 and 1967, specifically, “Wholly Communion” on the first beat happening at the Albert Hall in London in 1965 and “Benefit of The Doubt” on Peter Brook’s stage play “US” in 1967. Both add intrigue to the fantastic 45 minute-long interview with Whitehead shot in 2007 in the very Soho flat the director lived in at that time. Whitehead’s capacity to re-read his own films and the context in which they were made renders as good as his documentaries. Better than any commentary, the long interview plays on its own merit, not ‘on top’ or ‘behind’ the original works, but as a declaration of poetic truthfulness.
Whitehead doesn’t just remember the sixties for us, and does not even re-live them with nostalgia. He look at them with both feet in today’s world. It is a personal history that belongs to the past (in its facts). By the same token, however, it is contemporary in the way it has been resolved. He shares the experience at its most intimate level, using a keen eye before going beyond cinema. It is that eye – and the knowledge that lives behind it – that makes this DVD a great moment in cinema culture. Not to be missed.
Also in the Extra: “Vanessa Redgrave at the Albert Hall”, which was edited out of the final film, and Georgina Devine’s memorial play performances in “The entertainer part one and two”, “Look Back in Anger”, “Exit the King” and “Luther”. Plus, look out for the eerie short “Jeanette Cochrane” (1967), with music by Pink Floyd.
Peter Whitehead website http://www.peterwhitehead.net/
Peter Whitehead Filmography
FIRE IN THE WATER (UK, 1977, color and b/w 90’)
DADDY (UK|FRANCE, 1973, color, 75′) co-directed with Niki De Saint Phalle
THE FALL (UK, 1969, color|b/w)
WE LOVE YOU (UK; 1967)
JEANETTE COCHRANE (UK, 1967)
LED ZEPPELIN LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL (UK, 1970, color, 102’)
PINK FLOYD. LONDON 1966/67 (UK, 1967, color|b/w, 30’)
TONITE LET’S ALL MAKE LOVE IN LONDON (UK, 1967, color|b/n, 70’)
THE BEACH BOYS IN LONDON (UK, 1966, color, 20’)
BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT (UK/FRANCE, 1966, color|b/w, 60’)
POP AND ROCK FILM MOVIES (UK, 1966/1969, color|b/w, 70’)
LOOK BACK IN ANGER (UK; 1966, color, )
THE ENTERTAINER – SEQUENCE ONE (UK, 1966, color, )
CHARLIE IS MY DARLING (UK; 1966, b/w, 60’)
PARALLELS (UK, 1965, color, 10’)
WHOLLY COMMUNION (UK, 1965, b/n, 34’)
THE VAGABONDS (UK, 1964)
THE ANCESTRY OF SCIENCE: The PERCEPTION OF LIFE (UK, 1964)
Popularity: 8% [?]
