Town Bloody Hall [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

D.A. Pennebaker

Overview

This routine documentary by Chris Hegedus records the much ballyhooed Town Hall Meeting between Norman Mailer defending his views in The Prisoner of Sex, and four independent-minded women, Germaine Greer among them. The intended debate was set up for raucous and raunchy goings-on well before its 1971 date. Intellectuals, lesbians, liberals, and who knows who else loaded the audience with less-than-passive viewers. One eloquent speech from Mailer managed to fight its way into the proceedings but otherwise, audience catcalls and comments and Jill Johnston's antics, especially when she cavorted and made out onstage with a few girlfriends, combined to bring the tone of the evening down to gut or gutter level, depending on one's point of view. This documentary catches it all.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2020
UPC:	0715515249911
Original Release:	1979
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:25:00
Sales rank:	25,052

Special Features

New 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Chris Hegedus, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; New interview with Hegedus; Audio commentary from 2004 featuring Hegedus and author Germaine Greer; Footage from a 2004 celebration of the film, which brought together participants Greer, Jacqueline Ceballos, and Jill Johnston, and directors Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker; Appearance from 1971 on The Dick Cavett Show by author Norman Mailer, promoting his book The Prisoner of Sex; Archival interviews with Greer and Mailer; English SDH subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Technical Credits

D.A. Pennebaker	Director,Producer
Chris Hegedus	Director