/Big Joy The Adventures Of James Broughton (2013).jpg)
/Big Joy The Adventures of James Broughton (2013).jpg)
/Big Joy.jpg)
Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton
- Director: Stephen Silha; Eric Slade
- Producer: Franklin Abbott; Libby Atkins
CGiii Comment
The San Francisco Renaissance...never heard of it? Neither had we...or, anyone else - except for the self-important participants in this overly reverential tribute to an absurdist.
James Broughton made nonsense (aka avant garde)...particularly his films. As for his poetry, that is a subjective jumble of words.
Needless to say, everyone in this film praises the prose...the absurdity of it all. A persistent avuncular snobbery.
Called a Bohemian...he was a bisexual man who abandoned children and wives with repugnant regularity.
Look...this is simple...if you are a fan of Broughton...you'll love this.
If you know nothing about the man and his work...then, after this, you'll wish you never did.
A loathsome phony.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
What or who is Big Joy? Big Joy is James Broughton, pioneer of experimental cinema in the 1940s, and trickster poet who was a precursor to the beat movement in San Francisco. BIG JOY is a documentary that explores the twists and turns in the life of a very colorful character, plus how art has the power to save lives and make the world a better place. Broughton is a role model of living one's life to the fullest, or "follow your own weird" as he called it. BIG JOY features interviews with experts, colleagues, friends and lovers, plus images from his films, and the words of many of his kooky poems.
Cast & Characters
Davey Havok as James Broughton's journals;
Armistead Maupin as Himself;
George Kuchar as Himself;
Anna Halprin as Herself;
Joel Singer as Himself