Twist and shout!

sobota 1. září 2012

Jeans, Beatniks and cigarettes ... What was the spirit of the late 50's and the early 60's ?

Brigitte Bardot

James Dean

Rock'n'roll, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Jack Kerouac, Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando... those were the greatest icons of this decade. The teenagers read The Catcher in the rye by J.D.Salinger and books of the Beat Generations whose representatives were Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, William Seward Burroughs, Ken Kesey, etc.. They admired beauty of Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe and their heros were James Dean and Marlon Brando. James Dean was young actor who played in only three films- Rebel without a cause, East of Eden and The Giant, but he became the teen idol and legend in a very short time. He was a symbol of young cool rebelling people. Unfortunately, in 1955, he died at 24 in a car accident. Marlon Brando became an icon, when he presented himself as a wild guy on a motorbike in the movie The wild one. The french way: The existencialistic youth dressed in denim smoked and listened to Jean-Paul Sartre or Serge Gainsbourg in Paris Café de Flore in St.Germain.

Elvis Presley

Anna Karina- danish born actress living in Paris... most played in Jean Luc Godard films

Jane Birkin- english born actress living in France, also famous for her relationship with the singer Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she sang the famous love song Je t'aime...moi non plus

Jane Birkin

Anna Karina

Elvis Presley

France Gall - french singer of the 60's

James Dean

Brigitte Bardot

Jack Kerouac

Stuart Sutcliffe- scottish musician who was a member of The Beatles during their early years

Jean Seberg- american born actress, known especially for her role in Jean Luc Godard's Breathless

Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor

Marlon Brando

Marilyn Monroe

Jack Kerouac

MIa Farrow, Catherine Deneuve, Romy Schneider, Brigitte Bardot, Anna Karina, Edie Sedgwick, Jean Seberg, etc..

Neal Cassady- member of Beat Generation

James Dean

Francoise Hardy- french singer of the 60's

Francoise Hardy

Brigitte Bardot

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn in The Breakfest at Tiffany's (1961)

středa 8. února 2012

Psychedelic patterns (1964- 1969)

The Rolling Stones

In the mid sixties, the graphic of op-art and colours of pop-art connected into the expression of mind situation. The bus of Ken Kesey has started his tour across America and offered LSD to everyone, who wanted it. The turbulent coloured patterns which decorated the bus became the symbol of countercultural revolution. The psychedelics empowered even London as 14 Hour Technicolour Dream in Alexandra Palace, where the style of MOD mixed with long hair, beads and naked girls were painted to harmonize with the lights.

Ken Kesey bus

14 Hour Technicolour dream

After the release of Sgt.Pepper's lonely hearts club band, the Summer of Love in 1967 began. Its top took place when Scott McKenzie sang: ,,If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, if you're going to San Francisco, you're gonna meet some gentle people there.....´´. So the centre of Hippies was in California, especially in San Francisco and during the Summer of Love in 1967 the famous Monterrey Pop festival was held.

The WHO at Monterrey Pop Festival

Roger Daltrey (The Who)

Jimi Hendrix

The era of Hippies continued and on 15th,16th and 17th of August 1969, Woodstock took place. This legendary festival is known as 3 days of Peace and Music. It was held in White lake and about 500 000 people came. Some of the performers who participated during the festival: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Crosby- Stills- Nash & Young, Grateful Dead, Santana, Ravi Shankar, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez. The Band, ....
For more information find my article from July or August about Woodstock or read book about it by the main organizor of the festival Michael Lang, which I really reccommend.

Easy Rider (1969)
This amazing movie is directed by the main character Dennis Hopper. The another main character is Peter Fonda and the one of another role is acted by Jack Nicholson. It deals with two men traveling across America on choppers. They are knowing different cultures and they have to cope with then society and its prejudices. In the jail, they meet lawyer Jack Nicholson and he joins them. one night he is killed.They are driving alone again. At the end, they are both shot dead just because of their tramp look. This terrific film is decorated by cool music, beautiful countryside and unforgetable atmosphere.