Thursday, January 26th, 8pm
Brooklyn-based label Sacred Bones Records will present a selection of material and a rare-screening of Jacqueline Castel’s Twelve Dark Noons at Spectacle Theater. Expect an unearthed collection of underground weirdness, music videos, short films, works-in-progress. The evening will conclude with the presentation of a secret feature film.
The secret feature film was the 1973 documentary by Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick, Manson. The soundtrack for the film was created by Brooks Poston and Paul Watkins, two former members of the Manson tribe. Music performed by the Manson Family can also be heard on the soundtrack.There is no trailer online, but here is an interview with Hendrickson. You can stream the film here.
The film had many interviews with the members of the group, including Charles Manson, “Squeaky” Fromme, and Sandra Good. It contained original footage of the Charles Manson Family at their Spahn Ranch compound, Devil’s Canyon, their abandoned Hollywood set hideout–Barker Ranch in Death Valley, the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles and various other locations. When “Squeaky” Fromme attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, the Manson film was banned by US District Court Judge Thomas McBride in order to preserve Ms Fromme’s constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial. Robert Hendrickson’s right to “free speech” was thus set aside and the matter was taken by the ACLU to the US Supreme Court.
Fantastic.