Sunday July 7th 2013, Psychedelic Film Night: Performance (Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, UK, 1970, 105 min.) Door open at 8pm, film begin at 9pm.
Performance is an era-defining film, and a dark, sexy portrayal of the Sixties rock ‘n’ roll dream coming to an end. A gangster on the run (James Fox) goes into hiding in the house of a washed-out rock star (Mick Jagger) and his two lovers (Michele Breton and Anita Pallenberg). Identities start to merge as the film descends into a psychedelic orgy of threesomes, madness,hallucinogenic drugs, sadomasochism and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. This cult film really does have it all!
Performance was unique in combining two worlds of ‘Swinging’ London: the bohemian debauchery of the West London ‘in-crowd’ with the East End gangster underworld (a ‘performer’ describes both a gangster and a musician, hence the title). Visually and musically exciting, and with star performances from its central characters, the film reveals the darker, rotten layer of Sixties bohemia, as identities merge and disintegrate. It also has a touching fatalism at its core. Turner echoes Nietzsche’s words: ‘Nothing is true. Everything is permitted’ – a perfect description of the dream of Sixties bohemia. If nothing is true, then what’s the point?
Film night at Joe’s Garage, warm and cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net
