Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
Encyclopedia
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
is a documentary film
that premiered in the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
. It is a collection of interviews and clips by and about the revolutionary artist Jack Smith
. It was directed by Mary Jordan
and produced by Tongue Press Productions.
The film was given a limited release in New York movie theaters beginning on April 11, 2007.
Jordan is a Canadian-born filmmaker known for her documentary shorts resulting from extended visits to Africa and Southeast Asia. David Ebony, whose review of the film appeared in Art in America, had met Smith in the late 70s soon after moving to New York and at that time "attempted to assist him with a number of 'slide-show performances.'" Ebony's review, following the documentary, covers some of the difficult exhibition history of Flaming Creatures
(1963), Smith's best known film, and difficult collaborations with Jonas Mekas
and Andy Warhol
and others. Voiceovers from Smith, culled from some 14 hours of interviews with various critics and friends, supplemented the archival visual materials, footage and extensive interviews with filmmaker John Waters
, Smith's sister Mary Sue Slater, playwright Richard Foreman
, Smith and Warhol star Mario Montez
, writer Gary Indiana
, and musician John Zorn
, among others. Ebony concludes that the film "[i]n the end ... manages to evoke the quirky and often cantankerous personality of its subject without ever making him seem merely a disgruntled artist and social misfit, as some may think him. ... I feel that Jordan's multifaceted and impassioned portrait rings true. Smith, in fact, comes off in the film as an ingenious art-world Cassandra
, more relevant today than ever."
Wesley Morris
, whose review appeared in the Boston Globe, was impressed that Jordan managed to convey Smith's "unmitigated avant-gardism[,] ... his manias and paranoia, his peculiar genius[,] ... his financial poverty, credibly suggest[ing] his victimization through artistic robbery ... ([t]hat's how Smith felt anyway...)[, and finally,] ... also telling a story about art in America." Morris wrote that "Jordan wrangles the obligatory talking heads, but the things they say are smart, vivid, complex, miffed, and uncensored ...[, including] Judith Malina
, Taylor Mead
" among the others listed above and more.
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
is a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that premiered in the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
. It is a collection of interviews and clips by and about the revolutionary artist Jack Smith
Jack Smith (film director)
Jack Smith was an American filmmaker, actor, and pioneer of underground cinema...
. It was directed by Mary Jordan
Mary Jordan (filmmaker)
Mary Jordan is an award winning filmmaker, artist, activist and social justice advocate based in New York City. She grew up in the Bronx and in Toronto, Canada. She studied literature, cultural and social anthropology and art....
and produced by Tongue Press Productions.
The film was given a limited release in New York movie theaters beginning on April 11, 2007.
Jordan is a Canadian-born filmmaker known for her documentary shorts resulting from extended visits to Africa and Southeast Asia. David Ebony, whose review of the film appeared in Art in America, had met Smith in the late 70s soon after moving to New York and at that time "attempted to assist him with a number of 'slide-show performances.'" Ebony's review, following the documentary, covers some of the difficult exhibition history of Flaming Creatures
Flaming Creatures
Flaming Creatures is an American experimental film by filmmaker Jack Smith. Due to its surreal, graphic depiction of sexuality, the film was seized by the police at its premiere, and was officially determined to be obscene by a New York Criminal Court. The 43-minute featurette attracted media and...
(1963), Smith's best known film, and difficult collaborations with Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas is a Lithuanian-born American filmmaker, writer, and curator who has often been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema." His work has been exhibited in museums and festivals across Europe and America.-Biography:...
and Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and others. Voiceovers from Smith, culled from some 14 hours of interviews with various critics and friends, supplemented the archival visual materials, footage and extensive interviews with filmmaker John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
, Smith's sister Mary Sue Slater, playwright Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman is an American playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer. He is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.-Life :...
, Smith and Warhol star Mario Montez
Mario Montez
Mario Montez was one of the Warhol superstars, appearing in thirteen of Andy Warhol's underground films from 1964 to 1966. He took his name as a male homage to the actress Maria Montez, an important gay icon in the fifties and sixties...
, writer Gary Indiana
Gary Indiana
Gary Indiana is an American writer, filmmaker, and visual artist. He teaches philosophy and literature at the New School in New York City. He divides his time between New York and Los Angeles.- Fiction :...
, and musician John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
, among others. Ebony concludes that the film "[i]n the end ... manages to evoke the quirky and often cantankerous personality of its subject without ever making him seem merely a disgruntled artist and social misfit, as some may think him. ... I feel that Jordan's multifaceted and impassioned portrait rings true. Smith, in fact, comes off in the film as an ingenious art-world Cassandra
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
, more relevant today than ever."
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris is a film critic at The Boston Globe where he reviews films alongside Ty Burr. Morris and Burr also make regular appearances on NECN to discuss the latest films and do the weekly Take Two film review video series on Boston.com...
, whose review appeared in the Boston Globe, was impressed that Jordan managed to convey Smith's "unmitigated avant-gardism[,] ... his manias and paranoia, his peculiar genius[,] ... his financial poverty, credibly suggest[ing] his victimization through artistic robbery ... ([t]hat's how Smith felt anyway...)[, and finally,] ... also telling a story about art in America." Morris wrote that "Jordan wrangles the obligatory talking heads, but the things they say are smart, vivid, complex, miffed, and uncensored ...[, including] Judith Malina
Judith Malina
Judith Malina is an American theater and film actress, writer, and director, who was one of the founders of The Living Theatre.-Early life:...
, Taylor Mead
Taylor Mead
Taylor Mead is an American writer, actor, and performer. Mead appeared in several of Andy Warhol's underground films including Tarzan and Jane Regained.....
" among the others listed above and more.
External links
- Official Website
- New York Magazine Review