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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 scheduled premiere at the Montreal International Film Festival for its use of drugs, nudity, and explicit sex scenes.[1]
| High | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Larry Kent |
| Written by | Larry Kent |
| Produced by | Larry Kent |
| Starring | Michael A. Miranda Helen Papas |
| Cinematography | Paul Van der Linden |
| Edited by | Pierre Savard |
Production company | Cinema Ventures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
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.
High is the story of a dope-dealing university dropout (Lanning Beckman) and his strait-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.[2][3]
- 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
The film was screened at the 18th Berlin Film Festival in 1968 as part of Young Canadian Film, a lineup of films by emerging Canadian filmmakers.[4] It was later screened at the 1984 Festival of Festivals as part of Front & Centre, a special retrospective program of artistically and culturally significant films from throughout the history of Canadian cinema.[5]
It was part of a retrospective screening of Kent's films, alongside The Bitter Ash, Sweet Substitute and When Tomorrow Dies, which screened at a number of venues in 2002 and 2003, including Cinematheque Ontario in Toronto, the Pacific Cinémathèque in Vancouver and the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa.[6]
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