Review of A Technicolor Dream (2008) by Keaton A — 11 Sep 2012

A TECHNICOLOR DREAM is a 2008 documentary of 1960s youth culture that culminates in the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream, a London fundraising concert held on April 29, 1967 that marked a certain milestone in the British counterculture. It is essentially two films in one. One strand is the history of the counterculture in general. The other strand is the early history of Pink Floyd, whom the filmmakers call the "house band of the underground" and who played a set at the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream.

To paint a portrait of the London underground, there are interviews with such people as John "Hoppy" Hopkins, Barry Miles, Kevin Ayers (of the band Soft Machine) and Phil May (of The Pretty Things). Their reminisces start with the C&D movement of the early 1960s, proceed through the massive poetry reading of Allen Ginsberg and others at the Albert Hall in early 1965, the establishment of the London Free School, the launch of the International Times and the UFO club, and finally the organization of the Technicolour Dream for IT's legal defence. We go no further than 1967, as several people interviewed felt that by the end of that year, the counterculture had grown too commercial.

For the history of Pink Floyd, there are interviews with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and their first manager Peter Jenner. While they mostly discuss the talents of Syd Barrett and his ultimate descent into mental illness, the interviews do touch on some other themes as well. Roger Waters says right out that he wasn't in tune with the idealism of the age, he just wanted to be a big rock star with the perks that it brought. Nick Mason is less forthcoming about anything, really.

Both fans of Pink Floyd and those interested in the London counterculture will find this an entertaining documentary. However, almost everything here can be found elsewhere in greatest detail. Even the contemporary footage comes from early documentaries. Also, for viewers who already know quite a bit about the history of the counterculture, the lack of any interview with Jim Haynes (one of the founders of IT and the Arts Lab) is a big gap.