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This film is a kind of right brained experiment in film making – it has no apparent plot, it’s circular – the beginning of the film is also the end – and it could easily be mistaken for a sloppy, rambling extended music promo.
Hang on though – I think it’s a bit of a masterpiece actually. The Monkees were sending up the music industry, and fighting back against being a packaged product. There’s quite a bit of satire there – nothing like the tv shows really. The songs are really good – some of their best in my opinion, even if they are relatively unknown. The Porpoise Song, written by Carole King, rivals Strawberry Fields Forever as possibly the finest nugget of pop psychedelia ever!
I have to admit, when I was a student, I and my friends must have watched this film (on old VHS video) about 50 times through the course of 6 months. We could have written post graduate dissertations on it. Yes, that good!! Equally accessible by Monkees fans, sixties afficianados and film buffs…
Rating: 4 / 5
This film bombed on release. The Monkees phenomenon was all but over and they did not have the credibility to do a successful psychedelic freak out film. However seen in retrospect this film compares well to others in its genre. The movie is episodic and follows the four with out any clear development. There is no sense to be made but there is the underlying theme of their reaction to being manufactured pop idols and comments on the contradictions present in American society in the late sixties. The songs vary from the excellent to the mediocre but are probably better than you might expect with two excellent efforts, one of which is written by Peter Tork. The film contains numerous cameos including Jack Nicholson (co writer) Frank Zappa, Victor Mature, Denis Hopper, Sonny Liston. While the monkees play themselves the zany humour is absent and they present instead their alienatien and confusion with the humour being quite subtle. Because my children (aged 5 and 2 ) are fans I have seen this film upwards of twenty times in three weeks and I like it more every time.
Rating: 4 / 5
this is a great insight into the monkees although you have to watch it about 12 times to understand it. It hs some very funny moments and a great soundtrack
Rating: 5 / 5
Brilliant film! Sure its weird and theres no real plot, but its one of a kind.
Perhaps only appreciated by true Monkee fans.
Rating: 5 / 5
It’s certainly quite a task to get your Head around Head if you catch my drift. The plot is flimisier than Davy Jones’s vocal range, the lack of dialogue does grate after the 1st 10 minutes and you do find yourself reaching for the remote, cursing the very day you purchased Head…..but wait…..go back and watch it again and the beauty of Head rears it’s ugly Head!
For one, it’s abundantly clear that this was the Monkees chance to lampoon themselves as loveable teenybop fodder – check the Peter Tork scene where he punches a woman in the face for further proof.
The music is a tad patchy but does throw up a few gems, namely The Porpoise Song and As We Go Along and the accompanying footage sets the psychedelic mood perfectly.
Davy Jones’s dance set piece is fantastic viewing, due in part to the superb editing. Frank Zappa, Victor Mature and Sonny Liston also add interest and certainly offer some visual relief throughout the film.
In short, only purchase this if you’re willing to live with Head for a little while and turn off, tune in and drop out folks!
Rating: 3 / 5