Herb Shellenberger
htshell.org

Experimenta: The Sexual Revolution and Underground Film
December 16, 2015
BFI Southbank
London, UK


Co-programmed with Will Fowler, introductions by Herb Shellenberger.

Program 1
Probing sexual identity, desire and unconventional relationships, the 60s underground film movement pushed the very limits of what was considered acceptable when it came to sex and love. James Broughton’s joyful The Bed and Carolee Schneeman’s visionary sex montage Fuses screen alongside I Don’t Know and Hats Off to Hollywood by Penelope Spheeris (preserved by the Academy Film Archive), which observe a relationship between a lesbian and a transgender person.

Fuses, Carolee Schneemann, 1965, US, 16mm, 25'
The Bed, James Broughton, 1968, US, 16mm, 17'
I Don't Know, Penelope Spheeris, 1970, US, 16mm, 20'
Hats Off to Hollywood, Penelope Spheeris, 1972, US, 16mm, 22'

Program 2
The rich poetry of intimate sexual relations are powerfully evoked here in three strong, sensual films all made by women. The long-buried Warhol-esque Tales (preserved by the Academy Film Archive) explores the erotic experiences and desires of a group of New Yorkers at the end of the swinging 60s. Barbara Hammer’s Dyketactics and Unfolding by Constance Beeson also screen in this special programme.

Unfolding, Constance Beeson, 1969, US, 16mm, 17'
Dyketactics, Barbara Hammer, 1974, US, 16mm, 4'
Tales, Cassandra Gerstein, Jill Godmilow, Andrea Loomis, & Gail Porter, 1969, US, digital, 70'

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