The Monkees - Head

Starring:William Bagdad, Timothy Carey, Carol Doda, Micky Dolenz, June Fairchild, Annette Funicello, Percy Helton, Charles Irving (II), Davy Jones, T.C. Jones, Sonny Liston, Charles Macaulay, Michael Nesmith, Ray Nitschke, Bob Rafelson, Logan Ramsey, Vito Scotti, Abraham Sofaer, Peter Tork, Frank Zappa
Director: Bob Rafelson
Studio: Rhino / Wea
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Wonderful movie - lousy DVD production
It's Psychedelic! It's the Monkees!
The groundwork for "Easy Rider"
HEAD OF THE CLASS
weird but it grows on you

The Monkees - Head
Starring: William Bagdad , Timothy Carey , Carol Doda , Micky Dolenz , and June Fairchild
Director: Bob Rafelson
Manufacturer: Rhino Theatrical
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305038694
Release Date: 1998-07-21

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful movie - lousy DVD production.......2007-06-22

The trailers are wonderful. The menus are decent - better than some of the ones they've done for MST3K discs then or since. But there are so many things wrong with this issue it makes everyday without a "double-dip" a shame.

Even when this DVD was issued "pan and scan" was a dirty word. This DVD actually brags that it's going cut the picture off on either side so that your aren't traumazied by seeing (gasp) BLACK BARS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN! I guess having half of Dolenz's face cut out of the picture during "Circle Sky" is worth it to some people. I consider it unforgivable (and not just because he's my favorite Monkee).

Rhino then proceeds to give us chapter stops based on the songs and the celebrity cameos - but none having to do with the actual storyline of the movie. As if to say you couldn't possibly be watching this because you're interested in seeing The Monkees or the work that they did on this film.

Head is known among some of us First Generation Fans as "The Monkee Suicide Festival". It is a highly symbolic auto-biography/commentary on their lives since the TV show and the times. Micky's physical "suicide" is followed by a military suicide mission. They go in front of an audience to be torn apart. Davy commits artistic suicide by giving up the violin to go into the ring (TV?) for the money. Peter commits a suicide of his personal ethics by hitting a woman for a scene. Mike commits social suicide by telling people what he really thinks - especially about Xmas.

And then there's all the bits about their real lives while making the TV series - the search for Davy (when he had to go underground to avoid being drafted), the "Stop" telegram, the issues with the studio commissary...I'm still finding things in this movie after all these years.

The guys themselves have varying opinions of this movie. I think it's proof that you can unknowingly create a (modest) work of art.

Rhino needs to turn this film over to whoever produced the DVD sets of the TV series for them. Do an anamorphic transfer of the film. Round up the guys (seperately at this point would probably be best), Raefelson, a movie historian, a Monkees historian...maybe even Jack Nicholson would do it for a laugh....for commentary tracks. Put it in a plactic case.

Something you rarely hear from the public but...."Double-dip" this movie!!!! PLEASE!!!

It's Psychedelic! It's the Monkees!.......2007-06-17

The Monkees television show was terminated at the end of its second season. The reasons are complex, but one reason was that the Monkees, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, were dissatisfied with the format of the television show and they wanted to appeal to a more adult audience. Once the television show ended, the Monkees decided to declare their freedom with a movie, which eventually was called "Head."

The movie has no opening credits and no plot. Some have called the movie a visual "stream of consciousness." Others have called it psychedelic, anti-war, and anti-commercialism. In fact, the movie is all of the above as well as a uniquely artistic film. Elements of "Head" can be seen in some later films; perhaps most notably in the Mel Brooks film "Blazing Saddles."

The movie is free-form movie-making, with writer Jack Nicholson and director Bob Rafaelson tying together vignettes focusing on key images and concepts throughout the film. Some of the concepts are quite complex. The box seen in several places in the film represents the room built for the boys at the studio, but also represents the trap the boys felt they were in while making the Monkees television show. In another aspect, the box also represents the constraints of commercialism and being pigeon-holed by fans.

There are several songs used in this movie that count as some of the best ever made by The Monkees. "The Porpoise Song" is easily one of the best Monkees songs recorded. The live version of "Circle Sky" is another winner. Other good songs include "Can You Dig It" and "Do I Have to Do this All Over Again." There are some weak songs as well, and the soundtrack for this movie is definitely a mixed bag of quality.

Another interesting feature of this film is the cameos. Actor Annette Funicello, boxer Sonny Liston, Actor Vitto Scotti, football star Ray Nitschke, famed musician Frank Zappa, actor Teri Garr, and actor Victor Mature all made appearances. Jack Nicholson can be seen briefly in one scene. Gossip queen Rona Barrett appears. Toni Basil performs as a dancer. The list of cameos includes many more well known individuals.

This movie also contains a strong link to another ground-breaking film, "Easy Rider." Many of the people involved in the making of this movie participated in "Easy Rider" the following year, and the gold helmet used in that film came from this movie.

The question that one must inevitably face in any review is who will like this film and who will not. The people who will like this film fall into two groups. People who considered the Monkees a serious group and empathized with their desires to break out of the cookie cutter mold created by television will enjoy this film. Students of cinematography and avant-garde film techniques will see a rare example of a studio produced experimental film. Those students will also immediately see the inspiration for later films. Fans of the Monkees television show have had differing opinions about this movie. I was a fan of the show and I enjoyed the movie. However, others have felt that the movie is worthless. If you like experimentation and you enjoy psychedelic movies from the late 1960's, particularly if you ever liked The Monkees, you might wish to give this film a try.

The Monkees were a cultural phenomenon. The group was originally meant to capitalize on the success of the Beatles, but they ended up being much more. The four boys of the Monkees showed that just because they were chosen to be on a comedy show, they still had talent and they had an incredible amount of influence. The Monkees refused to be placed in a niche by television, even if it meant that they gave up an award-winning and successful television show to do so.

"Head" remains a unique film that would be impossible to imagine making today. We are fortunate that The Monkees were able to stay with this project long enough to see it made, and more fortunate that Jack Nicholson and many of the other people involved in the film were sufficiently enthused about the film to keep working on it even though several of the key individuals involved lost interest while it was being made. Though not for everyone, this film is special and belongs on the extremely short list of influential, experimental rock films.

Enjoy!

The groundwork for "Easy Rider" .......2007-05-06

To me this movie is prob. one of the most important films of all time, much like "Finian's Rainbow" is because it brought Coppola and Lucas together...this brought Rafelson and Nicholson together to make "Easy Rider". Add Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper into the mix (Hopper can be seen in this film), who had been working in the same studio Jack Nicholson had been working with for years.

As a commentary on the media in how it distorts reality, it is interesting and ahead of its time. It is sketch comedy similar to Monty Python although not as good. Put in the hands of Albert Brooks, Terry Gilliam or Robert Altman, this film would've gone in a whole other direction.

This really warrants commentary tracks from Nicholson and all the Monkees as well as a "making of".

It's a quirky, avant-garde, trippy, stoner midnight movie, and a pop group like The Monkees had no business doing it, it's extremely dark and full of black humor, but some AWESOME songs came out of the soundtrack.

The football helmet that Peter wears is the same one Jack is wearing in "Easy Rider".

HEAD OF THE CLASS.......2007-03-19

I found HEAD to be a great movie, great 60's music and very funny on top of that. The movie makes great fun of Hollywood movies of the time especially the war, western and spy genres (like Matt Helm and 007). Would definitely recommend this one. Thoroughly enjoyed it.....

weird but it grows on you.......2007-02-27

Last night, being the insomniac that I am, I watched the movie HEAD which was on late night cable T.V. for the third time in the past couple of months. The first couple of times I saw it, I hated it, 'cause it seemed to me to be a bit over the top, with no plot, no direction, and went against the grain of everything I remembered about the Monkees television show when I was kid. But the more I see it, the more I realize that at this point, the band knew it "was over", and just had a lot of fun making a movie that really didn't make any sense, there is no "message", as you would assume any "psychedelic" movie from the late 60's would have. My favorite scene is Frank Zappa standing outside with a cow, and both he and the cow have some "imporatnt" advice to give Davy Jones. This movie kind of grows on you, it is by no means Citizen Kane or the Godfather, but I like it now. It's funny in a weird way.

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