The Committee (1968)

The Committee (1968)
Starring: Paul Jones
with: Tom Kempinski and Robert Lloyd,
and: Pauline Munroe and Jimmy Gardner

Directed by: Peter Sykes

Produced and Written by: Max Steuer

Featured Interlude: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Musical Score composed and performed by: Pink Floyd

Director of Photography:Ian Wilson

Interview by Oscar winning director Jon Blair with Max Steuer and Peter Sykes ---- This controversial document of Britain in the 60s is a filmed record of an talented group of improvisatory performers. It's a razor sharp satire on everything from draft evasion and black militancy to middle-class pot-heads and blind-dating. Starring Paul Jones of Manfred Mann fame, The Committee uses a surreal murder to explore the tension and conflict between bureaucracy on one side, and individual freedom on the other. The film offers all the spontaneity and electricity of the live performance in the creative talents of The Committee, including a musical performance by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Furthermore, it features a spooky incidental sound-track music (never issued on record) by the just-post Syd Barrett Pink Floyd!

A little-known curio of the 1960s, this surreal art-house fare stars Manfred Mann's Paul Jones as a wayward drifter, and features a sound track by Pink Floyd that has been much-coveted throughout the years, while remaining virtually unavailable. The unnamed central character (Jones) is hitchhiking to an unknown destination when he decides, without motivation, to cut off his driver's head. He sews it back on and he and the driver part ways, with no immediate repercussions until Jones is summoned before a mysterious Committee, who will decide the nature of his punishment. A meditation on the conflict between bureaucratic control and individual expression, the film also boasts legendary '60s figure Arthur Brown's performance of his hit song "Fire." After producing this highly-articulate, black-and-white fable that encapsulated many of the concerns of the era, director Max Steuer went on to become a Reader Emeritus at the London School of Economics, while his controversial work faded into relative obscurity until its much-later commercial release. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062820/

• Category

  Film & Animation

[Jack Snoad]

A great psychedelic art film from the 60's.

[Goatca]

this is amazing thank you so much

[pituramos]

Does it come with Spanish subtitles? If so, I'll be interested in buying if you haven't sold it yet.

[individualequal]

Bought this film recently and was most disappointed, so will be selling it on e-bay.

Was really hoping it would be good, but the couple of minutes of Arthur Brown was the only good bit of this 58 minutes. I thought the soundtrack cd which came with it though was very good.

[vampyros1]

Aha ... definitely cool stuff here :)

[Viewingpublic08]

Definitely. And possibly Barry Norman a second or two later!

[DudleyScardsdale]

How many times do you think Arthur Brown burned himself before his fire hat was perfected?

[Heath Filmore]

Oooh, somebody got a Moog for Christmas!

[CultureJudge]

49:00 Birth of 'Careful with that Axe, Eugene'

[pogolswood]

British Sixties art house, great. As usual too much inane dialogue and not enough Floyd. I enjoyed this immensely thanks for the upload. Paul Jones looked frighteningly psychotic at times.

[kizzycappucinno]

AMAZING upload, thank you...Paul Jones = Very sexy!!