A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory (2007)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Esther Robinson

Writers:

Shannon Kennedy (writer)
Esther Robinson (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Esther Robinson's portrait of her uncle Danny Williams -- Warhol's onetime lover, collaborator and filmmaker in his own right -- offers a exploration of the Factory era, an homage to Williams's talent, a journey of family discovery and a compelling inquiry into Williams's mysterious disappearance at age 27. |

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Callie Angell	...	Herself
Brigid Berlin	...	Herself
John Cale	...	Himself
Danny Fields	...	Himself
Nat Finkelstein	...	Himself
Gerard Malanga	...	Himself
Albert Maysles	...	Himself
Paul Morrissey	...	Himself
Billy Name	...	Himself (as Billy Name-Linich)
Ronald Nameth	...	Himself (as Ron Nameth)
Julia Robinson	...	Herself (as Julia Williams Robinson)
Jeffrey Noyes Scher	...	Himself (as Jeff Scher)
Harold Stevenson	...	Himself
Chuck Wein	...	Himself
Nadia Williams	...	Herself

Runtime:

75 min | Germany:75 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

Chicken And Egg Pictures

Intermittently Fascinating

This documentary is about Danny Williams, a filmmaker in the mid 60's tied to Andy Warhol and the Factory. Danny vanished at that time, never to be heard from again. I was expecting a detective story, but rather it is a story told in interviews about his contribution to the Warhol legacy and, more important Warhol's relationship (a few say sexual) with Williams. Along with commentary from people who were there, such as Billy Name, Gerard Malanga, Chuck Wein and John Cale, amongst others, Danny's mom, brother and sister speak. Approximately 10 years ago or so, I watched a documentary about Factory denizen Bridget Berlin, which I thought to be a total waste of time. In this film however she is very interesting. I never heard of Danny Williams before this, but the film shows some short works he did which are almost innovative in the use of light. The title of the film suggests that Danny committed suicide, as he vanished after working on a project with Warhol and seemed to be not his usual self. You will probably like Warhol less as a person after watching this, but see it anyway. The clear eyed recollections of the people interviewed are worth the time. The director Esther Robinson is Danny Williams' niece. I don't know if she actually knew her uncle but I'm very happy she made this film as an homage to his talent and legacy. Its a labor of love and if you are at all interested in Warhol, the Factory or the 60's, I recommend this film fairly highly.