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UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release:
UK | 1967 | 35mm | 101 min.
Director: Peter Watkins; Cast: Paul Jones, Jean Shrimpton, Marc London
A rock star becomes the puppet of a fascist regime in this bogglingly prescient satire. In the near future, the state, church, and big business conspire to transform Steven Shorter (Jones) from just another Top of the Pops flavor-of-the-week into an unwitting messiah for their dark agenda. Expanding upon the mock-documentary style he pioneered in the BBC-banned, Oscar-winning The War Game, Peter Watkins’s only studio production exposes the ongoing commodification of the counterculture, starring two icons of the moment: Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. This cult classic’s title track was covered by Patti Smith on her 1978 album Easter.
SUMMER SELECTIONS: For your summer viewing pleasure, the Cinematheque programming team has carefully curated this selection of international film classics and rediscovered gems, plus a restored Marx Bros. masterpiece and the first local area screening of a great new documentary.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.