Chappaqua (film)
Encyclopedia
Chappaqua is a 1966 cult film
written, directed by and starring Conrad Rooks
. The films is based on Rooks' experiences with drug addiction and includes cameo appearances by a host of famous figures of the 1960s: author William S. Burroughs
, guru Swami Satchidananda
, beat poets Allen Ginsberg
and Moondog
, and Ravi Shankar (who co-wrote the score with Philip Glass
). Rooks had commissioned jazz artist Ornette Coleman
to compose music for the film, but his score, which has become known as the Chappaqua Suite
was ultimately not used. Coleman too makes a cameo appearance in the film. The Fugs
also appeared in the film.
The film briefly depicts its namesake, Chappaqua, New York
, a sleepy hamlet in Westchester County, in a few minutes of wintry panoramas. In the film, the hamlet is an overt symbol of drug-free suburb
an childhood innocence. It also serves as one of the film's many nods to Native American
culture. The northern Westchester area had once been heavily inhabited by Native Americans; the word chappaqua itself derives from the Wappinger (a nation of the Algonquian peoples
) word for 'laurel swamp.'
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
written, directed by and starring Conrad Rooks
Conrad Rooks
Conrad Rooks , is an American writer, director and producer most renown for his 1972 filmed adaptation of Herman Hess's novel Siddhartha.Rooks is an heir to the Avon Products cosmetics fortune....
. The films is based on Rooks' experiences with drug addiction and includes cameo appearances by a host of famous figures of the 1960s: author William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, guru Swami Satchidananda
Swami Satchidananda
Swami Satchidananda , born as C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder, was an Indian religious teacher, spiritual master and yoga adept, who gained fame and following in the West during his time in New York. He was the author of many philosophical and spiritual books, including a popular illustrative book on Hatha...
, beat poets Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
and Moondog
Moondog
Moondog, born Louis Thomas Hardin , was a blind American composer, musician, poet and inventor of several musical instruments. Moving to New York as a young man, Moondog made a deliberate decision to make his home on the streets there, where he spent approximately twenty of the thirty years he...
, and Ravi Shankar (who co-wrote the score with Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
). Rooks had commissioned jazz artist Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
to compose music for the film, but his score, which has become known as the Chappaqua Suite
Chappaqua Suite
Chappaqua Suite is a free jazz album, recorded and released in 1965, by alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman. It was originally commissioned by actor/director Conrad Rooks as the soundtrack to his film Chappaqua; however, the music was not used in the released version of the film...
was ultimately not used. Coleman too makes a cameo appearance in the film. The Fugs
The Fugs
The Fugs are a band formed in New York in late 1964 by poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of the Holy Modal Rounders...
also appeared in the film.
The film briefly depicts its namesake, Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
, a sleepy hamlet in Westchester County, in a few minutes of wintry panoramas. In the film, the hamlet is an overt symbol of drug-free suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an childhood innocence. It also serves as one of the film's many nods to Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
culture. The northern Westchester area had once been heavily inhabited by Native Americans; the word chappaqua itself derives from the Wappinger (a nation of the Algonquian peoples
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
) word for 'laurel swamp.'
External links
- "Conrad Rooks's 'Chappaqua' Is a Therapeutic Travelogue of the Unconscious" New York Times review, November 6, 1967
- Review of Chappaqua at Mondo Digital
- Baumann Graphik (movie poster, German theatrical release 1998)