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This bold, enthusiastic documentary details the role played by Barbara Rubin in the 1960s artistic counterculture. Made when she was just 18 years old, Barbara Rubin's art-porn masterpiece Christmas On Earth (1963-65) shocked NYC's experimental film scene and inspired NYC's thriving underground. For the next four years her filmmaking and irrepressible energy helped shatter artistic and sexist boundaries. A mythical 'Zelig' of the sixties, she introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to the Kabbalah. But beyond shaping the spirit of the sixties, Barbara was seeking the deeper meaning of life. After retiring to a farm with Allen Ginsberg, she shocked everyone by converting to Hasidic Judaism, marrying and moving to France to live an anonymous life. Tragically, she died in 1980 after giving birth to her fifth child. For years, Jonas Mekas treasured all of Barbara's letters and films and cherished her memory. Working with Mekas' footage, the film takes us inside the world and mind of Barbara Rubin; a woman who truly believed that film could change the world. Critics have christened her The American Rimbaud, for the poetry of her work, the trajectory of her life, and her legacy. This bold, enthusiastic documentary details the unsung yet important role played by Barbara Rubin in the 1960s artistic counterculture and provides an evocative portrait of a vibrant and mysterious artist. Media Watch trailer » Bonus Materials Bonus footage to be delivered Cast & Crew Actors: Amy Taubin as Herself Barbara Rubin Andy Warhol Allen Ginsburg Lou Reed Velvet Underground Richard Foreman as Himself Jonas Mekas as Himself Director: Chuck Smith Producer: Chuck Smith Additional Details Label: Juno Films Genre: Documentary Language: English Run Time: 78 mins Region: 1 Release Date: 12/17/19 UPC: 760137251590
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Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground (2018)
78 min
The 29-minute experimental film Christmas on Earth caused a sensation when it first screened in New York City in 1964. Its orgy scenes, double projections and overlapping images shattered artistic conventions and announced a powerful new voice in the city's underground film scene. All the more remarkable, that vision belonged to a teenager, 18-year-old Barbara Rubin. A Zelig of the '60s, she introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan to Kabbalah and bewitched Allen Ginsberg. The same unbridled creativity that inspired her to make films when women simply didn't, saw her breach yet another male domain, Orthodox Judaism, before her mysterious death at 35. Lifelong friend Jonas Mekas saved all her letters, creating a rich archive that filmmaker Chuck Smith carefully sculpts into this fascinating portrait of a nearly forgotten artist. An avante-garde maverick, a rebel in a man's world, Barbara Rubin regains her rightful place in film history.