The short film TESTAMENT is "James Broughton 's exquisite self-portrait. A major figure in experimental filmmaking and poetry since the 1940s, Broughton views his life and life's work with irony, charm, humor, and a combination of joyous self-love and gentle self-depreciation. Scenes from his earlier films mix the elements of humor, magic, slapstick, melodrama, and romance which mark his aesthetic. A plethora of rich personal symbols is woven throughout the film, tied together by verbal games, Zen poems, anecdotes, songs, a child's prayer, dreams, and visions." – Karen Cooper
Years before the Beats arrived in San Francisco, the city exploded with artistic expressions – painting, theater, film, poetry. And at its center was the groundbreaking filmmaker and poet James Broughton. His remarkable story spans the post-war San Francisco Renaissance, escape to Europe during the McCarthy years, his special film prize at Cannes, his consorting with the Beats, making films celebrating the human body, meeting his soul mate at age 61, becoming a bard of Gay liberation, and dying a conscious death in 1999.
Years before the Beats arrived in San Francisco, the city exploded with artistic expressions – painting, theater, film, poetry. And at its center was the groundbreaking filmmaker and poet James Broughton. His remarkable story spans the post-war San Francisco Renaissance, escape to Europe during the McCarthy years, his special film prize at Cannes, his consorting with the Beats, making films celebrating the human body, meeting his soul mate at age 61, becoming a bard of Gay liberation, and dying a conscious death in 1999.
