Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/28

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Subject: [Leica] Frankly Chappaqua Appeals to Burroughs...or, Beat Photographers
From: Buzz Hausner <Buzz@marianmanor.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 09:56:05 -0500

Thanks, Dave.  I grew up adjacent to Chappaqua and vaguely knew Rooks and
his family.  As a desultory scholar of the "Beat" era, I had better find the
video and see this movie.  To stay on topic, William Burroughs (of
Burroughs-Welcome fame) took snap-shots of everything and everyone he knew
(he did not photograph his wife's killing), and I would be interested to
know if he ever used a Leica to take any of his well known pictures of Alan
Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Neil Cassady, et alii.  Ginsberg was known to use a
Leica for his "snap-shots."

	Buzz Hausner

- -----Original Message-----
From: Dave Fisher [mailto:tekapo@golden.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 9:18 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Re: Frank


> From: Buzz Hausner <Buzz@marianmanor.org>
> Subject: RE: [Leica] Frank
>
> I thought "Chappaqua" was directed by Conrad Rook (or Rooks, or
something).
> I didn't know that Robert Frank was involved...or there may be more than
one
> "Chappaqua" for all I know, except that I grew up in a village adjacent to
> THE Chappaqua, so just forget I said anything.

You're correct that Rooks directed in it (also starred in it), but Frank was
a cinematographer on the film. It also *stars* William S. Burroughs, Ornette
Coleman and Allen Ginsberg. Ravi Shankar (who also appeared) did the
original music, and the music supervisor was Philip Glass. An eclectic bunch
to be sure, but the film is a confusing out-there mish-mash. Looks nice, and
a couple moments of rip-roaring hilarity.


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