Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)

Director:

William Greaves

Writer:

William Greaves (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Filmmaker William Greaves auditioned acting students for a fictional drama, while simultaneously shooting the behind-the-scenes drama taking place.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Split Screen | Cinema Verite | Central Park Manhattan New York City | Avant Garde

Cast

Patricia Ree Gilbert	...	Herself - Actress Testing for Alice
Don Fellows	...	Himself - Actor Testing for Freddy
Jonathan Gordon	...	Himself - Soundman
Robert L. Rosen	...	Himself - Production Manager (as Bob Rosen)
William Greaves	...	Himself - Director
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Anspach	...	Herself - Actress Testing for Alice (uncredited)
Audrey Heningham	...	Black Lady clapping her Hands (uncredited)
Stevan Larner	...	Himself - Cameraman (uncredited)
Terrence McCartney Filgate	...	Himself - Cameraman (uncredited)
Maria Zeheri	...	Herself - Camera Assistant (uncredited)

Directed by
William Greaves

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
William Greaves		writer

Produced by
William Greaves	....	producer
Manuel Melamed	....	co-producer
Manny Meland	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Miles Davis

Cinematography by
Stevan Larner
Terrence McCartney Filgate		(as Terry Filgate)

Film Editing by
William Greaves

Production Management
William Henderson	....	unit manager
Jeff Norwalk	....	unit manager
Phil Parker	....	unit manager
Robert L. Rosen	....	production manager
Robert Rowen	....	post-production manager

Sound Department
Jonathan Gordon	....	sound
Nicky Kaplan	....	sound
John Polland	....	sound
John Pollard	....	sound
John W. Reavis Jr.	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Ed Carrieti	....	assistant camera
Clive Davidson	....	assistant camera
Tibor Hirsch	....	second camera operator
David Hoffman	....	second camera operator (as Dave Hoffman)
Roland Mitchell	....	still photographer
Syeus Mottel	....	still photographer
Jerry Pantzer	....	second camera operator
Maria Zeheri	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
David Greaves	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Johnny Pearson	....	composer: additional music (as John Pearson)
Joseph Zawinul	....	composer: additional music

Other crew
Scott Brody	....	production assistant
Kathleen Collins	....	production assistant
Barbara Linden	....	production assistant
Roland Mitchell	....	technical production manager

Production Companies

• Take One Productions

Distributors

• Janus Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Cineffects Productions (special optical effects)

Other Companies

• Magno Sound  sound recording
• Warmflash Productions Ltd.  trailer

Also Known As:

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Take One Productions

Movie Connections:

References "Candid Camera" (1960/I)

Soundtrack:

In A Silent Way

A knowing anarchy loosely presided over by Greaves

It would be hard to put a numerical rating on this movie, as it is essentially a movie created inside out, with the `action' being performed by the `actors' as the hard nut on the inside, and the more free-flowing production process as the body of the film – this process being captured on several 35mm cameras rolling continually -- on the outside. Not to say there is nothing important about the `action,' which centers on an arguing couple in Central Park – in fact, there is a certain anarchy of purpose in the two characters' criticism of each other (using pithy, well-worn movie expressions) that mirrors a knowing anarchy in the production loosely watched over by Greaves. The film is open-ended, suggesting that the production process will continue even after the `failure' of more than one pair of actors to claim their roles for themselves. There is something about Symbiopsychotaxiplasm that suggests failure, whether it's the suspicion of the crew that Greaves lacks direction, or the sort of floundering behavior of the actors when they are not reading their lines. But that too is part of Greaves vision. Early on in the film one of the production staff laments Greaves' opacity, saying that the director tends to answer questions with very vague statements that make one wish they hadn't asked the question in the first place. It is this mysteriousness within Greaves (`what is he doing?') that gives the film its skeleton, and makes it much more than simply a Happening in the Park.