High (film)

High
Directed by Larry Kent
Produced by Larry Kent
Written by Larry Kent
Starring Michael A. Miranda
Helen Papas
Cinematography Paul Van der Linden
Edited by Pierre Savard
Production
company
Cinema Ventures
Release date
  • 2 April 1969 (1969-04-02)
Running time
 80 minutes
Country Canada
Language English

High is a film released in 1967, directed by Larry Kent and starring Lanny Beckman, Astri Thorvik, Peter Mathews, Joyce Cay, and Denis Payne. Filmed in Montreal, it is likely most-remembered for being banned by the censors of Quebec (immediately before its premiere at the Montreal Film Festival) for its use of drugs, nudity, and explicit sex scenes.

In defense, celebrities such as Jean Renoir, Fritz Lang, and even Warren Beatty came to High 's defense as a film of art, rather than gratuity. Alan King and Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, the winners of the 1967 Montreal Film Festival, went so far as to share with Larry Kent the prize money they had won.

Plot

High is the story of a dope-dealing university dropout (Lanning Beckman) and his straight-laced girlfriend (Astri Thorvik) whom he corrupts and leads down a path of petty crime and uninhibited sex. Considered Larry Kent’s best film, High is a tough-minded vision of the anarchic and violent underside of the 1960s culture of free love and ‘do-your-own-thing.’ The frank love making scenes and dope smoking led to a wide theatrical release in the U.S. and a ban by the censor boards in Ontario and British Columbia.[1][2]

Cast

  • Lanny Beckman as Tom (as Lanning Beckman)
  • Astri Thorvik as Vicky (as Astri Torvik)
  • Peter Mathews
  • Joyce Cay
  • Denis Payne
  • Laurie Wynn Kent
  • Doris Cowan
  • Mortie Golub
  • Carol Epstein
  • Al Mayoff
  • Melinda McCracken
  • Gary Eisenkraft
  • Jack Esbein

References

  1. ↑ Morris, Peter (1984). The Film Companion. Toronto: Irwin Publishing. pp. 142–143. ISBN 0 7725 1505 0.
  2. ↑ Clandfield, David (1987). Canadian Film. Toronto: Oxford University Press. p. 103. ISBN 0 19 540581 1.


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