High (film)

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]

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
Running time
80 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

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

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
  • 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

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
  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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