CineRock: loud films, rare music

august 30 - september 12, 1996

With CineRock, the Walter Reade takes a step outside its usual programming to present a veritable feast of Rock and Roll--everyone from early rockers through the British Invasion groups, psychedelia, soul, and on to punk and grunge. Though much of it is readily obtainable on video, Rock film is rarely showcased on the big screen. In this series, we pay homage to the classics--notably with a beautifully restored version of Richard Lester's A HARD DAY'S NIGHT--while also screening a plethora of rare gems and forgotten masterpieces.

The reasons for a film's continued obscurity are as varied as the films themselves. Literally thousands of hours of wonderful footage are locked in the vaults of TV companies around the world, with the powers-that-be totally unaware of what they have. Some of the best of these archives are in Europe, and it is from these that some of CineRock's treasures will be drawn.

In some cases, musical events were filmed, but for financial reasons didn't get beyond the editing stage. Murray Lerner's documentary of the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, for example, was finished only last year, and with the exception of Jimi Hendrix, the complete performances by individual artist remain largely unseen. (We, however, plan to show The Who's entire performance from the Isle of Wight.)

Perhaps the most interesting category of rarities is a small group of films that has passed into legend, their notoriety based not only on the continued fame of the celebrities they feature, but also on the fact that few people have been allowed to see them. CineRock offers many such treasures in a two-week program that's a must-see for any connoisseur fo Rock and the movies. --John A. Platt

John A. Platt curated CineRock with the assistance of Richard Peña, Gavin Smith, and Genevieve Villaflor. John A. Platt is English, a rock historian, and an expert on the history of Rock on film and TV. He has written several books on Rock and has been guest curator of Rock film programs at the National Film Theatre in London. He now lives in New York City.

To Walter Shenson, Fraser Pennebaker, Anouk Fundarek, Penelope Spheeris, Bill Graham Presents and Larry Johnson, our thanks for their invaluable assistance. Jerry Lee Lewis, 1960; photo © the John A. Platt Collection

Some of the oldest material is making its cinema debut in America, especially the BBC concerts with Eric Clapton and Queen, and the 1964 British shows featuring American rockers Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, along with the wildest of the English R&B groups, The Animals--all live and undiluted.

WELCOME TO THE FILLMORE EAST is scheduled as a tribute to the recently demolished rock palace. Also covering the psychedelic era is a fascinating new documentary, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE RED DOG SALOON, chronicling the birth of the San Francisco scene. Early Punk is represented by D.O.A., which focuses on the Sex Pistols' ill-fated U.S. tour. Eighties Punk dominates THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (PART ONE). Bringing us right up-to-date are GATHERING OF THE TRIBES, which features a slew of the new Britpop bands, a brand new reggae film, and HYPE!, documenting the rise of the Seattle grunge scene. Along with these rarer pieces is a liberal sprinkling of well- known but rarely seen "classics," like LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: THE ROLLING STONES, and Neil Young's RUST NEVER SLEEPS--making CineRock the most exciting and original collection of rock films ever assembled. --John A. Platt

rock on film: a brief history

by John A. Platt

In the mid-fifties, Rock and Roll finally took off when American record companies realized that there was a huge market that they weren't catering to: teenagers. In due course, Hollywood came to the same conclusion, and the rock film was born. In fact, Hollywood had been testing the new youth market for a few years. Nineteen fifty-three's The Wild One, the classic biker movie starring Marlon Brando, went some way toward giving teenagers a rebellious peer with whom they could identify, but there was nothing in the movie resembling teenage music. Two years later, Bill Haley sang "Rock Around the Clock" over the credits of The Blackboard Jungle, and a new era was born.

Of course, Blackboard Jungle is not really a Rock film either, and the plot, a rerun of the standard high-school-in-deprived-area story, depicts even less rebellion than The Wild One. However, the Haley song, combined with Vic Morrow's performance as a leather-jacketed JD proved irresistible both to kids and to the film industry.

Unfortunately, Hollywood was not prepared to give teenagers what they really wanted¬films that depicted the hard core reality of the youthful Rock and Roll lifestyle and/or unadulterated performances by genuine fire-breathing rockers. Both lifestyle and performances had to be toned down to make them acceptable to the fifties' notion of public decency. Thus, the first real Rock and Roll film, Rock Around the Clock (1956), was a predictably dreadful mixture of weak plot, bad acting, dance bands, and precious little Rock and Roll. Nonetheless, the new music is in there somewhere, and as soon as Bill Haley and the Comets appeared on the screen, the teenage audience reacted. All over America and Britain, they danced in the aisles, ripped up the seats, and rioted.

The movie industry was in a dilemma. Even with a watered-down product the results were socially and morally unacceptable, and yet it made money¬a fact the studios simply could not ignore. They did the only thing they could think of: compromise even further and hope for the best. To bring "the kids" in, films were made that did, indeed, feature rockers, but they were placed in movies that stressed all the good points of teenage life and few of the difficult ones; or, more frequently, had as little to do with teenage life as possible. In short Hollywood tried to incorporate Rock and Roll into the great American dream, and in part, they succeeded.

The classic case was Elvis Presley. Originally the finest and, indeed, the most dangerous, of all white rockers, he was transformed into the All-American Boy, a process in which film played no small part. Even his earliest (and best) films, like Loving You, (1956) Jailhouse Rock (1957) and King Creole (1958) present him and his music as tough but in an entirely superficial way, as if to reassure viewers and parents alike that he was essentially decent and likeable, but above all, safe. By 1959, Hollywood's metaphorical castration of Elvis was complete, and he'd become little more than a classic MOR entertainer, primed for Vegas. But an Elvis film always made money.

Most Rock and Roll musicians lacked the desire or the talent to pursue a movie career like Elvis'. In general, their celluloid appearances were limited to musical vignettes, and in the wake of Rock Around the Clock, dozens of movies featured rock acts. One of the first, and indeed best, was Frank Tashlin's The Girl Can't Help It (1956). It's a slight but well acted comedy featuring Jayne Mansfield as a dumb blonde with gangster connections attempting a show biz career. The Rock and Roll is provided by the likes of Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, and The Platters. Their presence makes for as good a record of early rock as could be wished for. It also looks as though some, though not much, money was spent on it.

By contrast, the vast majority of late-50's rock films look as though they were made on a shoestring. Their value rests entirely, therefore, on the quality of the musical performances. Thus, the 1957 film, Rock, Rock, Rock, is only worth watching because Chuck Berry, The Johnny Burnette Trio, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers are in it. The rest of the film concerns the efforts of a teenage girl (played by Tuesday Weld) in trying to get her father to buy her a blue strapless evening gown for the high school prom! Equally contrived is the 1958 film, Go, Johnny, Go, which is simply the classic Hollywood rags-to-riches show biz tale enlivened on this occasion by Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, and Jackie Wilson, plus the only screen appearance by Richie Valens.

In England, Rock and Roll had taken off in a similar fashion, especially after Rock Around the Clock. English rockers tended to be a watered-down version of Elvis, and as with Elvis, attempts were made to give a few of them full-blown acting careers. The 1960 film, Beat Girl, featured singer Adam Faith in his first acting role. (The soundtrack, by the way, was composed by John Barry, future multi-Academy Award winner.) And although the film looks dated now, it caused a sensation at the time, especially the London Soho strip club sequence. The best Soho film, however, was Expresso Bongo (1959). It featured the eternally popular (in Britain) performer, Cliff Richard, playing the superbly named Bongo Herbert, managed in the film by a slimy Laurence Harvey. Again, it now looks dated, but at least it captures some of the spirit of the times as well as the sleazy side of the pop music business. In due course, Richard was thought to be more suited to Hollywood-style "let's do the show right here" musicals¬notably, The Young Ones (1961) and Summer Holiday (1963). Awful as they are, they are as good, if not better, than most of the pop films ("rock" had become a dirty word by then) that appeared in the early 60's on either side of the Atlantic. In many ways, they are actually better than their American equivalents, notably, the seemingly endless sequence of beach party movies that featured Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and a varying roster of pop groups.

Unbelievably, schlock rock films were still being made in 1967 despite the 1964 revolution caused by The Beatles, and in particular, by their first movie, A Hard Day's Night. In essence, the plot of A Hard Day's Night offered nothing new. But with its realistic view of the day-to-day life of a pop group, and its gritty Liverpudlian humor (not to mention its great music), it outstripped any previous attempts at bringing rock to the screen. The follow-up, Help! (1965) was less groundbreaking. But taken together, they proved that pop film need not be cheap exploitation.

However good A Hard Day's Night and Help! were, they were still "musicals"¬encumbered by plots, contrived or otherwise. However, at more or less the same time that Help! was in production, director Steve Binder was taking the music seriously enough to let it stand on its own. He filmed a specially staged concert in Santa Monica, California, and released the results as The TAMI Show (1965). It was shot and produced like a television show, using recent advances in that medium's technology (notably videotape). But more importantly, it proved that music could stand alone. The producers also showed good taste in their choice of acts: The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and many others.

In many ways, The TAMI Show was ahead of its time, and it was another 3 years or so before film makers like D.A. Pennebaker looked back at TAMI and drew inspiration from it for films like Monterey Pop¬the film of the hugely successful 1967 Monterey Festival that featured, among others, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Who. Monterey then became the new standard for future concert and festival films, in particular Woodstock (1970), especially in terms of the sound, the camera work, and the way it conveyed the sense that the crowd was as much a part of the event as the performers.

By 1967, rock musicians and their audiences had begun to take themselves and the music seriously. Despite this, Hollywood still felt that there was money to be made in quickie exploitation films, as long as they updated the fashions and the music. Inevitably, most of these films are appallingly bad. But, ironically, these are among the most treasured by fans because, as with late-50's films like Rock, Rock, Rock, they featured good (or at least, cult) bands, like The Chocolate Watchband and The Strawberry Alarm Clock, in otherwise dreadful movies like Riot on Sunset Strip (1967) and Psych-Out (1968). For the true connoisseur, the appeal of these movies also lies in the fact that Hollywood got almost every aspect of the alternative culture completely¬but frequently hysterically¬wrong. This is especially true in the scenes involving LSD experiences, usually an excuse for all the cheap technical effects they cold muster. Acid was also perfect for bogus moralizing by the film makers.

At the other end of the scale, it became almost de rigeur for mainstream film makers to feature rock groups, usually in a scene where the film's hero wanders into a club. Sometimes these films have "youth culture" overtones, like David Hemmings seeing the Yardbirds in Antonioni's Blow-Up (1968). just as often, the youth culture connection is completely tenuous, as in the Grateful Dead's appearance in Richard Lester's Petulia (1968).

With so little rock content, it's hard to justify describing films like Blow-Up and Petulia as rock films, but quite how much music is required is a matter of debate. For example, most critics accept Easy Rider (1969) as a rock film¬after all, it has a classic rock soundtrack and it screams youth culture, drugs, and free sex from every frame¬and yet, it has no on-screen music performances. One may only conclude, therefore, that it is a matter of intent. Are we intended to view the rock content (soundtrack or performance) as central to the film, mere enhancement to its youth culture aspects, or is its use purely arbitrary? In the end the answer to whether the film was conceived as a rock film is still probably up to the viewer, since, to a director, a "rock film" is probably either a musical like Hard Day's Night or a concert film like Monterey Pop.

By the end of the 60's, though still interesting, such questions had become largely academic. The serious side of rock had taken over to such an extent that the musical and the exploitation film had become virtually extinct. Many people saw this as a good thing, but the music (and consequently the films) being almost totally without humor or irony, could be a very boring experience. Almost the only rock films made since the early 70's have been concert films or documentaries, often expensively produced and with superb sound. Since the majority of these films have focused on one band, e.g., Pink Floyd at Pompeii (1971) or Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (1974), it really depends on whether you like that band. There is rarely anything in it for anybody else. An exception is Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz (1978), filmed at The Band's farewell concert in 1976. It is superbly directed, and the range of music (from Muddy Waters to Bob Dylan) ensures a much more varied menu than is usually served up.

Partial relief from the musical excesses of the early 70's (stadium rock, art rock, disco, et al) came with the advent of Punk in 1976-77. Not surprisingly, the rough and raw quality of the music is reflected in the music films of the period. A film like Don Lett's Punk Rock Movie (1978), which was shot on hand-held Super 8, may be viewed as either technically appalling or as joyously primitive as the music itself. It features the Sex Pistols and The Clash, amongst others. More professional-looking is Lech Kowalski's D.O.A. (1980), which centers on the Sex Pistols chaotic American tour and includes a harrowing interview with Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen shortly before their deaths. Punk also threw up at least two quasi-feature films¬Derek Jarman's curious and violent fantasy piece, Jubilee (1978), which includes Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Julian Temple's mix of drama and documentary, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle (1979).

Despite the rise of the concert movie and the wider availability of hand-held cameras, the 1970's witnessed a relative decline in the number of rock films. The 1980's, however, witnessed a nose dive. Part of the reason was the rise of the music video, which became the preferred medium of visual promotion for bands, if for no other reason than it was easier and cheaper for a band to make a promo film than to appear in a major movie. Nonetheless, the 80's, and indeed the 90's, have produced a few rock feature films, notably, Jonathan Demme's film of the Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense (1984) and Prince's curious throwback to the late 1950's, Purple Rain (1984). These and others like the well-crafted U2 film, Rattle and Hum (1988), and Hype! (1996), the recent survey of the rise of the Seattle scene, prove that it is still possible to marry rock music and film to great effect.

© 1996, John A. Platt

program notes and times

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (New Print!) Richard Lester, 1964; 85 minutes "The Citizen Kane of juke-box musicals...." -- Andrew Sarris

Joyously absurdist and surreal, A Hard Day's Night celebrates filmmaking as play just as much as it does the Beatles, the four young madcaps who ride a train, run away from their fans, go dancing, frolic in an empty field and much else during the 24 hours of zaniness and music that comprise Richard Lester's wonderfully inventive marriage of script, songs, acting, and directing. Marks the invention, for better or worse, of the music video. Friday, August 30: 2 and 8:00 pm Sunday, September 1: 7:45 pm

THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT (Frank Tashlin, 1956; 99m) Top talent agent Tom Ewall is hired by shady entrepreneur Fats Murdock (Edmund O'Brien) to make his curvaceous girlfriend (Jayne Mansfield) a singing star. Danny Peary calls this "Far and away the best of the many rock n' roll movies made during the rockin' 50s, the one film of the genre not geared exclusively for teens and the drive-in crowd." With Little Richard, the Platters, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Abbey Lincoln and Eddie Cochran. Friday, August 30: 4 and 9:45 pm

FESTIVAL Murray Lerner, 1967; 98m Basically a filmed record of the Newport Folk Festivals 1964-66, Festival is one of the finest music documentaries ever shot, perfectly evoking the atmosphere of the event and the changing mood of the times. From a Rock perspective the key performance is Dylan's first-ever appearance with an electric band. Other highlights include The Butterfield Blues Band, Donovan, Richard and Mina Farina, Judy Collins, Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Cash. Friday, August 30: 6:15 pm Saturday, August 31: 4 and 8:30 pm

SWEDISH TV ARCHIVAL TREASURES One of the best archives of TV rock shows is located in Sweden, where they were originally broadcast on the national TV station. The company that now owns the material has put together two films from their vaults for the CineRock show. The first is a compilation of performances from the late 50s through 1980 and features an array of artists, including The Everly Brothers, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith and U2. The second piece is a concert film from 1967, documenting the Stockholm performance of the Stax Volt tour of Europe. This was the classic era of the Stax Soul sound and the film is an excellent showcase for the talents of Sam & Dave, Arthur Conley, Booker T & the MGs, and the sublime Otis Redding. Our thanks to April Films of Stockholm and Archive Films of New York for making this presentation possible. Saturday, August 31: 6:15 pm Sunday, September 1: 5:45 pm The Greatful Dead, 1970; © the John A. Platt Collection

HOW WE STOPPED THE WAR David Peoples, 1967; 28m This influential cinéma-vérité piece focuses on Country Joe & The Fish, political agitators and pioneers of San Francisco-style psychedelia. The film follows the progress of their flatbed truck en route to an antiwar demonstration at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium. Once there, The Fish literally stop proceedings by giving an impromptu but decidedly electric performance. With CANADIAN FESTIVAL EXPRESS 1970; c.10m We are very pleased to be able to show this admittedly brief extract from a full-length film, due for completion in late 1997. The Canadian Festival Express was a week-long train tour undertaken by a varying cast of thousands, including The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and The Band. The final film will include extensive concert footage, plus impromptu jamming on the train. Our segment includes one complete concert number by The Grateful Dead and one by Janis Joplin. (At press time a number by The Band was unconfirmed.) With Creedence Clearwater revival AT the ALBERT HALL (1970; 45m) This rarely seen classic shows the original four-piece Creedence at their peak. Highlights include Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising and Green River. Sunday, September 1: 4 and 9:30 pm

SIGN O' THE TIMES Prince, USA, 1987; 85m For good or ill, it's always hard to take your eyes off the energetically outré artist formerly known as Prince, here performing at a concert in Holland. Sign features Sheila E., Cat Glover, Sheena Easton, Dr. Fink, et al., with plunges into surrealism amid sexy, hard-driving sets. Monday, September 2: 2 and 6:15 pm

THE REGGAE MOVIE Randy Rovins, 1995; 90m "One of the hottest big-screen concert films ever--capturing the very soul of reggae music, from smooth ballads to jammin' dance tunes--The Reggae Movie features the legendary Steel Pulse, along with Dean Fraser, Shaggy and Rayvon, Buju Banton and Wayne Wonder, Luciano, Garnett Silk, Inner Circle, Shinehead, Mystic Revealers, Burning Spear and Maxi Priest. A movie that will have you dancing in your seat." -- 1996 Seattle International Film Festival. Monday, September 2: 4 and 8:15 pm

RUST NEVER SLEEPS Bernard Shakey aka Neil Young, 1978; 113m A largely straightforward concert film shot on Neil Young's 1978 U.S. tour. A sometime member of Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young), Young has always proved more effective as a solo artist, as Rust Never Sleeps clearly demonstrates. Divided into two segments, acoustic and electric (with his band Crazy Horse), the film is Young at his best, showing just why the grunge generation holds him in such high esteem, and that not all 60s heroes were burnt out by the mid-70s. Tuesday, September 3: 2 and 6:45 pm Friday, September 6: 5:30 pm

TONITE LET'S ALL MAKE LOVE IN LONDON Peter Whitehead, 1967; 60m A classic documentary about (what proved to be) the final days of Swinging London. Covering the whole scene, the film includes revealing and often hilarious interviews with Michael Caine, Mick Jagger, Julie Christie and David Hockney. Music, including performances, by The Stones, Eric Burdon and The Animals and, briefly, Pink Floyd. Other highlights include illustrator Alan Aldridge painting the naked body of a young lady, to the strains of Paint It Black. With A GATHERING OF THE TRIBES Martin Baker, 1995; 60m A trek through a summer of British Lollapalooza-esque rock fests at the height of the Britpop phenomenon, with the spotlight on cool new acts such as Tricky, Blur, and Shed Seven. Also featured are established British pop stars such as Paul Weller and Australian pop-ingenue Kylie Minogue. A day's worth of performances begins with Supergrass and ends with Dread Zone, spiced by off-stage comments from the bands and Brits chatting on the lawn. Tuesday, September 3: 4:15 and 9 pm

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION Penelope Spheeris, 1981; 100m Worlds away from Spheeris' Wayne's World, Decline documents Los Angeles' high-energy punk-rock scene at its most furious, during the tail end of the 70s. Combining interviews with promoters and fanzine publishers with in-the-pit concert footage worthy of a combat photographer, Spheeris showcases X, Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, the Germs, Fear, the Alice Bag Band, and Catholic Discipline. --Edited from Marshall Crenshaw's A Guide to Rock 'n' Roll in the Movies. Wednesday, September 4: 2 pm Thursday, September 8: 4 pm

D.O.A.: A RIGHT OF PASSAGE Lech Kowalski, 1981; 89 minutes Primarily a record of The Sex Pistols' first and last tour of America, in 1978, also a study of disintegration and self-destruction: Indeed, the nonmusical highlight is a truly harrowing interview with Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen shortly before their deaths. We also witness Johnny Rotten feuding with the other Pistols off-stage and with the nonplussed and belligerent audiences while on stage. As a document of British Punk at its most naked and powerful, D.O.A. is without equal. With PUNKING OUT (1977; 25m) Filmed at New York's infamous CBGB's during Punk's heyday, Punking Out features excellent performances by Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Ramones and The Dead Boys. Surprisingly well made--by three NYU film school students--much better, in fact, than the many contemporary attempts by "professional" filmmakers who thought that shaky camerawork and bad sound truly reflected the Punk ethic. Wednesday, September 4: 4:15 pm Thursday, September 5: 6 pm Eric Clapton, circa late '70s; © the John A. Platt Collection

ERIC CLAPTON & QUEEN: THE BBC CONCERTS (60m each) The Clapton show was recorded at the BBC's own theatre in West London on April 26, 1977, towards the end of a monthlong British tour. A typical blend of technical excellence and inspired brilliance, the show's highlights include I Shot the Sheriff, Badge and Knocking On Heaven's Door. The Queen concert was broadcast live from the Hammersmith Odeon on Christmas Eve 1975. Includes renditions of Seven Seas of Rye, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc. Wednesday, September 4: 6:45 pm Friday, September 6: 7:45 pm Tuesday, September 10: 4 pm

ROCK ON GRANADA TV: WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' / THE LITTLE RICHARD SPECIAL These two groundbreaking programs were made by England's Granada Television in 1964, at a time when pop music was still treated with disdain by most TV companies. Both shows broke all the rules, the groups played live, the audience was considered part of the spectacle and "things" happened, like motorbikes roaring through the studio in Whole Lotta Shakin'. There is a wonderful air of spontaneity completely lacking in other pop TV of the time. Whole Lotta Shakin' features demon U.S. rockers Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent along with England's The Animals. All three relish the freedom they'd been given and play as though they were in a sweaty club. Much the same is true of the Little Richard Special. This one is dominated (of course) by Richard himself. Also on the bill, however, are the wonderful Shirelles, almost the only extant film of the original group and probably the only one where they sing live. Wednesday, September 4: 9 pm Saturday, September 7: 5:30 pm

An Evening with D.A. PENNEBAKER and CHRIS HEGEDUS For over 30 years D.A. Pennebaker has been one of the foremost documentary filmmakers in America. Included in his oeuvre are many classic music films, including Don't Look Back (1965), Monterey Pop and his David Bowie film, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Mr. Pennebaker joins us to talk about his career and to show examples of his work. Especially to be anticipated are some of his rarer pieces, including Coming Home (featuring Big Brother & The Holding Company, filmed primarily at New York's Generation Club in 1968), the Jefferson Airplane filmed on a New York rooftop, and some outtakes from Monterey Pop, as well as some of his better-known works. Thursday, September 5: 8:30 pm

LISTENING TO YOU: THE WHO AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL Murray Lerner, 1996; 85m Filmed at 2 am on August 30, 1970, in front of 600,000 people, Listening To You is a record of one of the finest concerts given by The Who during, arguably, their most dynamic and creative period. This is the quintessential Who: Town-shend in white overalls and work boots and Daltrey bare- chested under the ubiquitous fringed jacket, playing the ultimate in high energy rock 'n' roll. For the first 50 minutes, The Who blast through the mixed bag that comprised their then current set, including versions of I Can't Explain, Young Man Blues, and Magic Bus as well as lesser known songs like Heaven and Hell and Water. Apparently finished, they leave the stage before returning for an encore, which turns out to be an almost complete rendition of Townshend's rock opera, Tommy. Beautifully shot by filmmaker Murray Lerner (whose film of Jimi Hendrix at the same festival is almost as good) and with exceptional sound, Listening To You looks set (finally) to become one of the great rock concert films. Friday, September 6: 10 pm Saturday, September 7: 7:30 pm

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE ROLLING STONES Rollin Binzer, 1974; 83m The quintessential Rolling Stones concert film, Ladies and Gentlemen is an uninterrupted 14-song extravaganza, shot on their 1972 U.S. tour. Originally shot in 70mm and complete with quadraphonic sound, the film was actually designed as an alternative to a genuine Stones concert, with the band storming through classics like Jumpin' Jack Flash, Gimme Shelter and Brown Sugar. Even without a huge screen and quad sound, this is a program highlight, the more so as it has been out of theatrical circulation for years and remains unavailable on video. Saturday, September 7: 9:15 pm Sunday, September 8: 6:15 pm

WELCOME TO THE FILLMORE EAST / ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND AT THE FILLMORE EAST David Acomba, 1970; 90m From March '68 to June '71, Bill Graham's Fillmore East, at 2nd Avenue and 6th Street, was New York's, and arguably the nation's, finest rock venue. On September 23, 1970, WNET public television filmed what became Welcome, an hourlong special presentation. Playing that night were The Byrds, Van Morrison, Sha Na Na, and The Elvin Bishop Group, all of whom appear in the program, along with Graham himself. Excellent musically, Welcome is also a wonderful piece of nostalgia for New Yorkers of a certain age. Also filmed that night, but cut out of the final film, were The Allman Brothers Band. Happily, we've managed to locate--and to include here--most of their performance footage. This may be the first time that it has been publicly aired. In any case, this footage is just about the only professionally shot film of the original band known to exist. Sunday, September 8: 2 and 8:15 pm

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE RED DOG SALOON Mary Works, 1996; 105m This excellent new documentary traces the roots of the San Francisco psychedelic music and social scene. As historians of the era know, the real origins of the scene lay not in the Bay Area but in a saloon in the old mining town of Virginia City, Nevada--The Red Dog. It was there in the summer of 1965 that a group of bohemians presented, with more than a whiff of gun- and pot smoke, The Charlatans, the first authentic representatives of the San Francisco sound, despite the fact that the band had not previously appeared in public, even in their native San Francisco. The film tells the story of how the Red Dog became a home away from home for San Francisco's emerging hippie community and laid the foundation for the explosion that took place in the city over the next two years. Included in the film are interviews with the Red Dog's founders (one of whom is the director's father, Don Works) as well as with The Charlatans, members of Big Brother and The Holding Company (who also played at the saloon) and a host of others, plus incredibly rare archive footage, posters and stills of the bands. The film is an honest portrait of good times and optimism--the way things were supposed to have been, not how they turned out. Monday, September 9: 2 and 6:30 pm Thursday, September 12: 6:15 pm Selene Vigil of Seven Year Bitch in HYPE!

CRACKED ACTOR (1974; 60m) Cracked Actor is another gem from the BBC's archives. This 1974 film is regarded by fans and critics alike as not just the best David Bowie documentary but one of the best profiles of a rock musician ever made. Shot during Bowie's Diamond Dogs tour of the U.S., it contains excellent concert footage that displays not only the music to its best advantage, but also the incredibly elaborate and apocalyptic stage sets that Bowie designed for the tour. It's Bowie himself, though, who is the real revelation. Both on-stage and in the interview sections he seems nervous to the point of paranoia and alienated from everything around him. Actor is a startling portrayal of a performer on the edge, looking for all the world as though he might step over it. With TALKING HEADS VS. THE TELEVISION Geoff Dunlop, 1981; 59 minutes Tel-evangelists, commercials from Japan, and cop shows intercut with a Talking Heads' performance to create a soulful melange of landscapes--spiritual and physical--and make "the boring things seem dramatic." With a rare glimpse of a 1975 performance of Psycho Killer. Monday, September 9: 4:15 and 8:45 pm Tuesday, September 10: 2 pm

HYPE! (Special one-time screening!) Doug Pray, USA, 1995; 84 minutes An exhilarating exploration of the birth and international emergence of the grunge music scene, Hype! cleverly exposes the ways in which media attention turns art into a marketable commodity. Director Pray presents an incisive, riveting portrait of the allure, community, and brilliantly exploited commercial appeal of Northwest grunge music--juxtaposing Seattle scenes with spectacular concert footage and interviews with the central players. Music by Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Mudhoney, 7 Year Bitch, The Gits, Gas Huffer, The Supersuckers, Love Battery, Coffin Break, Dead Moon, and many more. Thursday, September 12: 9 pm