Film Screenings / Programs / Series
MODS GO TO THE MOVIES: VEHICLE FILMS OF THE 1960s
August 3 – August 5
Before the music video, there was the rock film. A so-called ‘vehicle film’ for bands, the earliest examples were rock revue films with thin plots that served no other function than to catapult these musicians and groups into stardom. A HARD DAY’S NIGHT took this one step further and cast The Beatles as themselves, or rather as caricatures of themselves. Typically light-hearted and quirky, these films were made for the teen generation. Although many of them are now painfully dated, a number were made by gifted filmmakers who found ways to use the genre to surprisingly interesting ends. We will be showcasing the rarely-screened HAVING A WILD WEEKEND – featuring the Dave Clark Five, and helmed by John Boorman, making his feature-film debut – and the rock revue film JUST FOR FUN, as well as a wild program of 16mm Scopitones (the precursor to the music video) and other surprises from the Swinging Sixties!
Curated by Rachael Guma; special thanks to Gare B. Noir, Linda Evans-Smith (WB), and Christopher Lane & Michael Horne (Sony).
