One of the most psychedelic movies of all time, the surreal Monkees/Jack Nicholson/Bob Rafelson collaboration
Head, recently hit Blu-Ray as part of a Criterion Collection box set, and Richard Metzger has posted his thoughts on the new release over at Dangerous Minds:
Head’s opening moment, where Micky Dolenz runs through the dedication ceremony and jumps off the bridge, has, of course, as its soundtrack, one of the greatest numbers the Monkees ever did, “Porpoise Song.” The pristine quality of that scene’s solarized underwater footage combined with the HD DTS surround mix is nothing short of astonishing. Visually, it’s like looking at a stained-glass window. The audio is deeply immersive—like you’re standing in the midst of a strange waterlogged orchestra—and the video so vibrant that I must’ve played that one scene ten times in a row before moving on to “Circle Sky.” Again I wasn’t disappointed, the group’s presence is immediate and electrifying—Head’s performance of “Circle Sky” is the first time a “live” rock performance was used in a Hollywood film. I’ll say it again, they usually never get it this right. As far as slick audio/visual products go, Criterion’s Head deserves a special award.
Can't wait - my copy just recently arrived and based on Metzger's report here, I need to upgrade my sound system before diving into this.
Head had an anniversary screening in Los Angeles a couple years ago, with Davy Jones and Peter Tork in attendance, and my wife and I flew down from Seattle for the occasion. Seeing a freshly-minted print on the big screen - after years and years relying on Rhino's craptacular DVD edition - was like the heavens opening and glorious angels rewarding us with radiant beauty. I am tickled to think that we finally have a Blu-Ray that may compare to that experience.
On a side note, the Austin Chronicle recently took a look at this film as well, and in a quote from one of the film's new special features, we see confirmed what many have long suspected:
"Before we started writing the film, Jack and I went to Ojai [Calif.] and there was this grand meeting with the Monkees," recalls one of the program's two creators, Bob Rafelson, in a documentary on the Criterion Collection's holiday DVD box America Lost and Found: The BBS Story. "And quite frankly there was a bit of acid involved, and Jack saw the movie in his mind as being structured like an acid trip."
