Screening and Live Appearance: Star Spangled to Death

Introduced by Ken Jacobs.

Star Spangled to Death is an epic film shot for hundreds of dollars! Combining found films with my own more-or-less staged filming, it pictures a stolen and dangerously sold-out America. Racial and religious insanity, monopolization of wealth, the purposeful dumbing down of citizens, and addiction to war oppose a Beat playfulness. A handful of artists costumed and performing unconvincingly appeal to the imagination and understanding to complete the picture. Jack Smith’s pre-Flaming Creatures performance as The Spirit Not Of Life But Of Living (the movie has raggedly cosmic pretensions), celebrating Suffering (rattled impoverished artist Jerry Sims) at the crux of sentient existence, is a visitation of the divine.

Screening in four parts with complimentary refreshments during intermissions, including delicious all-beef franks in honor of the holiday.