Frame via Neil Young's Film "Journey Through The Past"
Hearse Theater on NYA is now playing this weekend Neil Young's underground-cult-classic-midnight-movie "Journey Through The Past".
And -- unsurprisingly - some folks were underwhelmed and thankful Neil pursued a musical rather film career. Some folks just never get it. sigh.
In January, Neil Young announced that his 1973 film "Journey Through the Past" would be coming to NYA Hearse Theater. The 1973 film -- presciently referred to as "Early Neil Young as Reality TV" -- has long been an underground cult classic for fans with it's quite weird trippiness and stream of consciousness incomprehensibility.
As Neil Young wrote on Times-Contrarian | NYA:
"I was not trying to impress anyone with my film making prowess and I succeeded."
Journey Through the Past - Film Poster
Or -- as Neil Young puts it in his inimitable approach to the creative artistic process:
Interestingly, look closely at the desert scene in the film Journey Through the Past where there is a shot revealing The Graduate wearing a Woodstock shirt just before shooting up.
The Graduate (note Woodstock shirt)
The film is saturated with extremely symbolic imagery which has been the subject of vigorous debate for decades (on Neil forums like RUST) as to what Neil may have been implying. In particular, the images of those inside the chauffeured limousine, which represent Church, Military and Business.
The Military, The Church, and The Business
After re-watching on NYA, it seems clear the implication is that this "Holy Trinity" is directly involved in conspiring to kill the hopes and dreams of future generations of young adults. It would would be much longer before terms such as "Military-Industrial-Complex" entered mainstream discussions as the root cause of societal dysfunction, breakdown and decay. Very prescient, Neil. All a rather profound and provocative "truth bomb/wake up call" from a "stoned hippie's home movie" (as critics dismissively declared upon release).
So here's to "experimentation without fear"! discuss.
Also, see Journey Through the Past - Film Review by Janet Maslin, New York Times, ~1973.
More on the album Journey Through The Past.
Neil Young Films
Also, was the cover of album Decade shot during the filming of JTTP? Was the person Carrie? See Neil Young's Decade: The Images Behind The Album Cover.
Just FWIW, JTTP aired on Tuesday so it's long gone now (and it was a rerun, the Hearse debut was Sept. 3).
ReplyDeleteI saw a clip from the latest sessions, for the new album. They were playing the song "Lose my Mind" (not sure about the title). Wait, "Help me Lose my Mind." It sounded to me like vintage Neil. The clip was really funny, as Neil was definitely the boss. I'm holding out for this album as a great Neil Young album.
ReplyDeleteSlamming a NY film is grabbing at low fruit indeed. Did it come to you in a epiphany ? One of those the clouds parted, the sun then shone through like a religious pamphlet offering to save you? Breaking News: Trump most corrupt POTUS in history, also just in, Neil Young Movies Not Very Good. They are mostly a jumble of incoherent nonsense with a few music performances thrown in. But thats only when compared to accomplished filmmakers. He's a musician. Really good cross over is rare to nonexistent. Take the good with the bad and dont expect Scorsese, Alexander Payne, or Steven Soderbergh. This too is self-evident and no revelation. Try to find the fun in it as he does making them.
ReplyDelete@ Babbo B. - thanks Babbo.
ReplyDeletehere's our thinking. We're running reviews and commentary post screening. Maybe some sort of spoiler alert deflection for those who actually haven't seen these films and clips.
We had a long time TW reader recently confess that they'd never seen RNS before?!
maybe just another effort of futility... but we'll never give up and will keep bloggin' until they drag us away from our keyboards. FITR
#CrazyHorse4HoF
#Willie4Nobel
@ Abner - tickets just announced for MountainTop!
@ wsanjose01 - yep, slamming a NY film is grabbing at low fruit indeed -- esp JTTP.
It was his 1st film afterall and Neil did get better. RNS is classic, HH, well ...
Anyways, you know how rusties can be sometime. :)
So this is for the the doubters!
Invoke Positive Change
https://www.coreysdigs.com/consciousness/invoke-positive-change/
The earth is changing, evolving, you can feel it when you run your fingers through the soil. Hold tight to those around you and really see them. Witness their life, their story – share in it. Say kind things and smile often. No matter how much dark you see around you, always project the light. Do not let the dark consume you.
It’s not about being right. This isn’t a game or a competition. People are being hurt physically, mentally, and spiritually. Support one another and brighten someone’s day instead of bringing them down. This strength, this unity, is what holds us together as a collective. It brightens the room, the town, the planet. It is the KEY to raising awareness and forever changing the future of mankind.
Thoughts may as well be words, for they pack the same punch. Maintaining a positive state of mind from a place of compassion brings balance to an otherwise unbalanced situation. Most do not understand the power of energy. They cannot see beyond the invisible veil to which we all have a front row seat. Open your eyes, your heart, and your mind and you will begin to see all vectors, all layers, and a light that shines so bright it could melt the rigid hearts of thousands.
Until you believe it is possible, it is not. Your mind, your body, and all of its senses are one fluid point of contact within a realm of fluidity – that can sense everything – all at once. It is that powerful. There is no distance between us – you and I. We share the same space. Limitations are conceived by your imagination. Whatever voice told you it couldn’t be done, lied to you. Now there is just your voice to listen to. Let it speak to you with kindness, with truth, with vulnerability, and with compassion.
The world will always be in a state of change and evolution – it’s up to you to flow with it and guide that flow in a manner that will invoke positive change for yourself, for the earth, and above all – for mankind as a whole.
#WT1sWBWO
oh, here's a fun fact/rumor.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly , the cover of Decade was shot during the filming of JTTP. The person is "supposedly" Carrie. Note desert scenes with The Graduate.
hmm, after a little research, the above fun fact/rumor may be "fake news"? We distinctly recall that this was discussed on RUSt back in the day. Anyone out there recall???
ReplyDeleteSee
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2017/03/neil-youngs-decade-images-behind-album.html
disCERNment, our friends, always be disCERNing ...