A Lesson from Head: video essay

My 7th video essay. This is a video essay about a series of revelations I experienced while and after watching The Monkees movie Head. All clips are used under fair use/criticism.
Film clips from:
Head (Bob Rafelson, 1968)
Monkees Blow Their Minds (David Winters, 1968)
Archive photographs
#videoessay #themonkees #filmcriticism #filmmaking

[@obsoletebutneat]

"Do you mean to tell me you don't see the connection between government and laughing at people?"

[@BenWoodiwiss]

🤣 I was 50/50 on whether to go with that line or the line I ended up going with

[@jasonblalock4429]

It's interesting you took away such a positive message. I find this to be a very tragic film, in its own way. To me, it's about The Monkees discovering that it's impossible to stop being The Monkees. They live in a world of pure unreality. It's not merely that life is an illusion, but *they* are illusion and therefore inseparable from it. Enlightenment/escape is impossible for the unreal. Which is not to shut down your interpretation, of course. One of the fun things about Head is that I doubt any two people ever see it the same way. From what I understand, even the Monkees themselves disagreed over its actual meaning (if any).

[@BenWoodiwiss]

I love this reading of it - can totally see this being the case 🔥

[@CollinGerberding]

I never saw the movie though I was a fan of the TV show. However, it was the first thing my mond went to from the title, so I cliked. And now I'm subscribed. so that's fun.

[@BenWoodiwiss]

This is a rollercoaster, I love it 🔥🙌

[@CollinGerberding]

@@BenWoodiwiss generally, there are fewer typos, but I like to include a few so you feel like this comment is left by an authentic human... (or I forgot to proofread again, so it goes)

[@aubreywoodiwiss1152]

Would have been wild if Charles Manson got in

[@BenWoodiwiss]

😆

[@AndrewLoukidis-jr2bp]

The show was groundbreaking for it's time Seeing long haired weirdos on tv, with a lot of in depth humor Head is a deep film and if it was made by another band probably would have been accepted more, but it was not for their core fans, and the people that would have appreciated it didn't go see it because of who the band were. They couldn't escape their image, though they tried.

[@BenWoodiwiss]

It's really unfortunate how everything went down - 33⅓ Revolutions per Monkee was also a tantalising view of what we could have had more of

[@maximusprime3459]

One of the greatest cult films no one is aware of.😂

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Right? Amen 🙌🔥

[@patrickmcmanus5373]

Great movie.

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Amen 🙌

[@CollinGerberding]

7:00 I would like the hear the Magnolia story, please.

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Okay, no promises - I'm already working on a different one at the moment 🙌

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Hello again, update on this - no spoilers, but there's about 120 seconds or so of footage/visuals I need for the Magnolia story which I 100% can't find anywhere on the internet, so I may have to put a pin in that one, chase up a few old friends, see what I can find, and come back to this idea - please bear with

[@EnchantedEssays]

I adore this film! I must revisit it! Great video. Instantly subbed!

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Thanks so much! 🙌 Everyone should revisit this film every now and then 🔥

[@espressosoup]

Man I hope this channel gets bigger! I'd share it, but I don't have any friends 😅

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Oh dude, thank you so much - and I appreciate the sentiment 🙌

[@AndrewLoukidis-jr2bp]

Oh, and Circle Sky is a cool jam.

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Amen 🙌🔥

[@branagain]

I liked the Monkees musical group and TV show, but the movie was a big disappointment.

[@BenWoodiwiss]

But that makes sense when you think how they were trying to do something *so* different

[@Idontexist10]

you pick such interesting films for your video essays, i really loved the “Lonesome Cowboys” video, thank you, keep going

[@BenWoodiwiss]

Oh wow, thank you so much, and really pleased you like them 🙌🔥