Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2006)

A mesmerizing collage of images and audio from the life and work of Jack Smith, the underground filmmaker, photographer, performance artist, and anti-capitalist, who worked in New York from... See full summary »

Director:

Mary Jordan

Writer:

Mary Jordan

Stars:

Jack Smith, Nayland Blake, Ira Cohen

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jack Smith	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nayland Blake	...	Himself
Ira Cohen	...	Himself
Tony Conrad	...	Composer
Richard Foreman	...	Himself
Ivan Galietti	...	Himself
Helen Gee	...	Limelight Gallery founder
Robert Heide	...	Himself
Henry Hills	...	Himself
Gary Indiana	...	Himself
Ken Jacobs	...	Himself
Mike Kelley	...	Artist
George Kuchar	...	Himself
Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt	...	Himself
Sylvere Lotringer	...	Himself

Storyline

A mesmerizing collage of images and audio from the life and work of Jack Smith, the underground filmmaker, photographer, performance artist, and anti-capitalist, who worked in New York from the '60s until his death in 1989. Highlights include the story behind the Supreme Court case over the banning of his 1963 classic Flaming Creatures.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ο Τζακ Σμιθ και η καταστροφή της Ατλαντίδας

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tongue Press

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Jack Smith: I was knocking myself out to make this stuff. And I always assumed that people would see this and have pity and give me a little support.
[shouts]
Jack Smith: They didn't!

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Connections

Features Normal Love (1963)

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Soundtracks

Nayland's Pillow Talk
Original music for this film created by Thurston Moore

User Reviews

Inaccurate, biased

It's nice to see some of Jack's work collected on screen, but a little bit of research reveals quickly just how inaccurately this film represents the life of the man behind the work. Jack Smith was estranged from his sister from 1953 on, because she couldn't deal with his sexuality. For some reason, Mary Jordan has made this film in close collaboration with that sister. Any person whose family has trouble accepting their sexuality will understand that bizarre distortions of the facts are par for the course, and this documentary engages in that kind of wholesale fiction-making as much as you would expect. It's a shame because Jack Smith deserves attention as a great filmmaker, and deserves attention from those who are ready to accept him as he was: flawed, strange, brilliant, and untamed.