Head (1968)

Directed by Bob Rafelson
Written by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson

I got "Head" (no jokes, please) as a part of a multi-film set. I was intrigued by what I knew about it, that Jack Nicholson had cowritten and that it was more or less a movie about the music group The Monkees. Not being a big Monkees fan myself, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a layered psychedelic experience unlike any other that transcended genre and managed to be both light and extremely head-y. (Sorry, I have a weakness for puns. I know it's no way to get a-head in life *snicker*)

The film contains elements of the following genres at various points: concert film, Beatles'-style "day-in-the-life-of-the-band" video, mockumentary, western, sketch comedy, horror, political satire, adventure, epic, madcap comedy, romantic drama, and a very large dose of psychedelica. But in addition to that, it has subtly clever dialogue ("Nobody ever lends money to a man with a sense of humor"), and is written to reward repeat viewings. It even has a segment that I'm fairly certain is a reference to 8 1/2, one of my favorite films of all time and another great example of a film that completely obscures the boundaries between reality and fantasy.

This film is all about distorted reality. The first distortion is the most obvious: drugs. Most of the music sequences are just pretty escapist fantasy scenes featuring combinations of sound and color for people to zone out on psychedelics to. Though members of the band refer to the film as a kids film, the posters at the time of the release emphasized "Not Suitable For Children". At one point, Micky is in a harem, surrounded by dancing girls, smiling widely and smoking from a hookah. In another, the whole band has shrunk down and been sucked into a vacuum where they find a (relatively) giant joint roach, which Micky calls a "zoomer". But the druggiest parts of the film aren't druggy because there are drugs in them, but because they're edited like an acid trip, with lots of color distortion, slow-motion and mirroring effects. I wouldn't advise this film for actual hallucinators though. The latter third gets a little dark and might induce "a bad time".

The second distortion of reality in the film is the media itself. Early on in the film, a bank of televisions shows different scenes from different genres as the Monkees sing cryptically "We hope you like our story / Although there isn't one / That is to say, there's many / That way, there is more fun!" The televisions appear to show random assorted material, but on rewatching, every scene shown actually occurs later in the film. Throughout the film, the characters repeatedly find themselves suddenly in a vastly different circumstance and genre than before. They even jump around chronologically throughout scenes of the movie. In one of my favorite scenes (the one that is a reference to 8 1/2), Peter (who is referred to elsewhere as "the dummy" of the group) finds himself in a sauna with a Hindu yogi (in 8 1/2, the main character has a very dream-like discussion with a Catholic Cardinal in a steam bath). The yogi proceeds to explain that the human mind has no way of differentiating between sounds and images and the actual experiences they represent. Therefore images from TV, music that we listen to, things that are part of our cultural consciousness, whether it's cartoons, an opera or footage from Vietnam, all gets interpreted by the subconscious as hard fact, experienced first-hand. The film is like a documentary of the process of the subconscious cycling through the assorted and disparate information it's given. The resulting confusion accounts for part of the film's disjointed plot.

The film industry itself is depicted in the film as a giant, dangerous factory full of uncaring middle managers who continually usher the Monkees into a large, black steel box. The film makes it seem like the Monkees are indentured servants to their director, label and even fans. They express frustration with a lack of creative control. Repeatedly throughout the film the Monkees try to rebel against the process of making the film itself, walking off the set and busting through the fourth wall in a jaded attempt to find reality again. In the mockumentary filmmaking portions the Monkees are treated like a disease by the other cast and crew in craft services ("I can't eat with those damned kids around" "Those guys are just awful" "Well if it isn't God's gift to 8-year olds"). In one scene, after a successful live performance, the Monkees are literally torn to shreds by their adoring fans.

Apparently most of this stuff was based on the real life making of "Head". According to the Wikipedia page for the film, the band brainstormed the plot of the movie with writer Jack Nicholson and writer/director Bob Rafelson one weekend while consuming copious amounts of marijuana. When they learned they weren't receiving any writing credits for the film, all of the Monkees (save the drummer, Pete) walked off the set and refused to act again until the terms of their contract were renegotiated. The cast and crew of the film really did hate the Monkees, and regularly left Craft Services en masse to avoid eating with them. And due to the Monkees' habit of wandering off of the set between shots, a large, black box was constructed with a heavy steel door to act as their personal waiting room in between takes.

If the process of filming weren't hard enough on the group, the film's critical reception at the time of its release was ice-cold. The Monkees effectively alienated the fan base they'd built on their clean-cut family-friendly images from their popular TV show while completely failing to draw in a new hip, adult audience. Only in retrospect did this film find the turned-on, groovy audience it was looking for, finally attaining its well-deserved cult status with college students and the art house crowd many years after its initial release.

So what does "Head" have to offer modern day groovy guys and gals? Monty-Pythonesque humor and transitions, a strong anti-war message (still pertinent today), groovy psychedelics, a film about filmmaking (which I personally love), random cameos ranging from Jack Nicholson (blink and you'll miss it) and Annette Funicello to Frank Zappa (pictured above), and more zany antics than the average Beatles' film.

As for my favorite Monkee (based on the film), I would have to pick Pete. He's the warm-hearted simpleton who lets an ice-cream cone melt down his hand rather than throwing it away because "There are starving Chinese". He's called "the dummy" of the group, but watch him closely. He will ultimately become the most enlightened one. The most fun Monkee to watch would be Micky, who energetically manhandles a Coke machine when he comes upon it in the desert only to find it empty. He later blows it up with a tank.

I gave "Head" (no jokes, please) a 9/10. If you are a fan of mystery, horror, suspense, documentaries, dramas, love stories, concert films, westerns, sketch comedy, action, or any of the other genres this film encapsulates, chances are this film will have something for you. So light up some.... incense, and get ready for a groovy trip back in time...


For those of you interested in "Head" (no jokes, please) and other American cinema from the late 60's and early 70's, I highly recommend the American Lost and Found: The BBS Story box set, available on DVD and Bluray. The set includes "Head", "Easy Rider", "Five Easy Pieces", "Drive, He Said", "A Safe Place",  "The Last Picture Show", and "The King of Marvin Gardens". This and other recommended viewing below: