An experimental film inspired by Bruce Connor, Jonas Mekas, and the American underground cinema of the 1960s, I cut together Rancid Acid Filum with found footage from the editing room trash bin, short ends, outs, and punched and scratched leader. A pop song of the day (1969) by the Beatles also helps capture something of the spirit of the time.
In 1975, the caretaker of Parque Purace outside Popayan, Colombia, predicted that the Amazon rain forests may be destroyed in a hundred years. That would be 2075, perhaps a bit optimistic.
Snake Dance was shown in United States Embassies in Africa in the late 1970s and early 1980s to show the American culture was not all Jim Crow and race riots. Arthur Hall came to Maine as a movement specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maine Arts Commission was so impressed they called in filmmakers. We looked in on a Wednesday and filmed all day the next Friday, using all the film we had - color and both negative and reversal black and white.
Heads up: the shoutbox will be retiring soon. It’s tired of working, and can’t wait to relax. You can still send a message to the channel owner, though!
