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High (film)

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High
Directed byLarry Kent
Written byLarry Kent
Produced byLarry Kent
StarringMichael A. Miranda
Helen Papas
CinematographyPaul Van der Linden
Edited byPierre Savard
Production
company
Cinema Ventures
Release date
  • 1967 (1967)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

High is a film released in 1967, directed by Larry Kent and starring Lanny Beckman, Astri Thorvik, Peter Mathews, Joyce Cay, and Denis Payne. Filmed in Montreal, it is likely most-remembered for being banned by the censors of Quebec immediately before its scheduled premiere at the Montreal International Film Festival for its use of drugs, nudity, and explicit sex scenes.[1]

In defense, celebrities such as Jean Renoir, Fritz Lang, and even Warren Beatty came to High 's defense as a film of art, rather than gratuity.

Plot

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High is the story of a dope-dealing university dropout (Lanning Beckman) and his strait-laced girlfriend (Astri Thorvik) whom he corrupts and leads down a path of petty crime and uninhibited sex. Considered Larry Kent's best film, High is a tough-minded vision of the anarchic and violent underside of the 1960s culture of free love and ‘do-your-own-thing.’ The frank love making scenes and dope smoking led to a wide theatrical release in the U.S. and a ban by the censor boards in Ontario and British Columbia.[2][3]

Cast

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  • Lanny Beckman as Tom (as Lanning Beckman)
  • Astri Thorvik as Vicky (as Astri Torvik)
  • Peter Mathews
  • Joyce Cay
  • Denis Payne
  • Laurie Wynn Kent
  • Doris Cowan
  • Mortie Golub
  • Carol Epstein
  • Al Mayoff
  • Melinda McCracken
  • Gary Eisenkraft
  • Jack Esbein

Legacy

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The film was screened at the 18th Berlin Film Festival in 1968 as part of Young Canadian Film, a lineup of films by emerging Canadian filmmakers.[4] It was later screened at the 1984 Festival of Festivals as part of Front & Centre, a special retrospective program of artistically and culturally significant films from throughout the history of Canadian cinema.[5]

It was part of a retrospective screening of Kent's films, alongside The Bitter Ash, Sweet Substitute and When Tomorrow Dies, which screened at a number of venues in 2002 and 2003, including Cinematheque Ontario in Toronto, the Pacific Cinémathèque in Vancouver and the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Eric H. Wilson, "Larry's At It Again: Movie-maker Kent reels opinions and talks about High, his new banned film". Vancouver Sun, August 11, 1967.
  2. ^ Morris, Peter (1984). The Film Companion. Toronto: Irwin Publishing. pp. 142–143. ISBN 0-7725-1505-0.
  3. ^ Clandfield, David (1987). Canadian Film. Toronto: Oxford University Press. p. 103. ISBN 0-19-540581-1.
  4. ^ Gerald Pratley, "In and Out of Cinema". Cinema Canada, September 1968.
  5. ^ Carole Corbeil, "The stars are coming out for Toronto's film festival". The Globe and Mail, September 6, 1984.
  6. ^ Matthew Hays, "Catch up on your Kent". The Globe and Mail, February 1, 2003.
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