I have never really cared very much for the Monkees. Because of this, I never saw "Head" until recently. It's incredible. Fans of the Monkees will hate the movie, but the rest of us will love it!

So although I can't stand The Monkees, "Head" is now one of my favorite movies. Go figure.

And I'm willing to bet that no one will ever say that the love the Monkees and the Monkees' movie.

You just could be right.Although I was a big fan of the Monkees' show I couldn't sit through Head.And even they say that in Head they definitely wanted to avoid a mere..."90 minutes Monkees episode."

Also,I felt they got too far-out and less humane in their second season.

Members and Moderator,

I am a fan of THE MONKEES.

I remember my father and I have rented HEADS (with Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork) -- we couldn't make heads or tails out of the movie. My father said everyone who was involve with this movie much had been on drugs.

Mindy Roberts,
Senior Member

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M.R.

I recently tried to see Head again on AMC.Again I couldn't sit through it.I suppose the purpose of it was just having fun while deflating the Monkees' teenybopper image-but the film was a flop initialy.

Teenyboppers didn't want to see a symbolic surreal film.Intellectuals didn't want to see a movie with the Monkees-so nobody came and saw the movie in November of '68.

I like the show and the movie, but I think they should have done a 90 minute version of the show. Much more commercial.

That's some er... interesting logic. I don't know of a Monkees fan who hates Head. It's a great movie, and we all love it. Actually you have to know a lot about The Monkees, and their history to truly understand the movie, so yeah Monkees fans love it.

I loved the movie Head and I love the Monkees T.V. Show and I loved the album Head! I grew up watching the Monkees and I am a big fan! So anything they did was good!

Ugh! I don't like the storyline (or lack thereof) of the movie HEAD, but I love the soundtrack.. especially "Daddy's Girl"

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Jenny

The first time I saw this movie was a couple of Christmases ago when I got it as a gift. My mom and I watched it that afternoon and we just thought it was so weird. Of course, I was hoping for a "90-minute Monkees episode." But later, I went back and watched it again, and it wasn't as bad. Maybe I was on something. Anyway, I think it's one of those movies that grows on ya. Certainly not one of my faves though. The soundtrack rocked!! The Porpoise Song is my favorite.

Jack Nicholson wrote the screenplay to Head. I'm not a big fan of Italian or Swedish art films from the 60's, but I view this really as an American art film. Nicholson himself considers it one of his favourite movies, one that he watches at least a couple times a year. I think that when The Monkees jumped off the bridge, it was supposed to represent a baptism. Whereby they made the film to once and for all destroy the image they had of being a manufactured band. Although the film flopped financially, on a critical level at least, I believe it can be looked on now as a success.

I am probably one of THE biggest Monkee fans out there,and I have to say "Head" is a kickawesome movie! I think everyone did want to see a "90-minute Monkees episode" but the movie is weird, and it's really awesome that way! I love it! The Porpoise Song is probably one of the best songs ever recorded! And I love Micky's shoes in the movie! (the white Adidas with the black stripes--I have some http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif) Later!

I watched HEAD the first, I'll admit, purely for the music. I wasn't looking for any deep meaning, just a bunch of jokes and great music. My music crave was definatly supplied, but I didn't really like the movie itself because I didn't think about anything but the apperant lack of structure and anything "Monkee-ish", but after a few weeks we were studying symblism in school and I started to think about the movie again, and realized that it did have strusture and meaning and a heck-of-a lot to say. Infact, for that class I wrote an essay on the symlisms of HEAD and I got an A+! =) So, to sum up, to really like and get a feel for HEAD you have to watch it, then take a few steps back and and then take a second look. Peace out! =)

I like the Monkees alot they are one of my favorite groups. I like the show alot also but I have never seen the movie Head though.

As one of the fans of this movie. I enjoyed the music and the movie. I agree with the person who said you have to understand the Monkee humor back then to really appreciate the movie. Back then when the movie came out we were enjoying the Beatles and Sargents Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band. It was a truly magical time. I can see this movie over and over. :wave:

Yup, Torkoise has got it. I'm a huge Monkees fan, and you really have to know the whole Monkees story inside and out to get Head. But, if you do, it's a fabulous piece of art that's BEAUTIFULLY done. It's most definitely underrated.

Peace,
Manda

I agree with ya Jenny Lee. As a Monkees fan I like anything they do. I do agree that if you aren't a Monkees fan you might not get it. Still it is fun to watch anyways. :)

I love the show,and Head. Head is so trippy and different, and every scene is something new and interesting, and of course, it has some great music.

Also in "Head" is Toni Basil (sp?)the girl who later in 1982 sing the hit song "Mickey" (and she was in the music video of it, where she kicked up her legs like a cheerleader).

Yeah that was a great movie a little different but the music was kewl. Mike and the" little crab" oops sorry Davy! hee hee! Just recalling a moment I had with him in Miami Beach there people!
(Wink) Both were great in the movie . Peter as well as Micky were stud muffins back then too hee hee! Head is a movie that stands the test time during that era.

Originally posted by hue_mee
Yeah that was a great movie a little different but the music was kewl. Mike and the" little crab" oops sorry Davy! hee hee! Just recalling a moment I had with him in Miami Beach there people!
(Wink) Both were great in the movie . Peter as well as Micky were stud muffins back then too hee hee! Head is a movie that stands the test time during that era.

Meeting Davy at the Stevens Point Mall during there 89 tour. He was quite the "Little Crab" all because a slight hang over. Slight hang over? We got even with him when they played the song " Little Willie" LMAO! :lol:

I love 'Head', it's not as well known as it deserves to be, I think, a real 60's treasure. OK, ok, any a good one for a late night doobie!

The movie Head seems to me to be a recreation of someone's dream, where events are murky and just don't make clear sense. People in your life are there in your dream and they're doing random, puzzling things.
But for a movie made after the TV series, a must would be scenes showing them performing music live to disspell the belief that they couldn't play their instruments. Circle Sky in the movie was great. A lot more appearences on variety shows and talk shows performing live would of helped, too, during and after the series.

I didn't get to see it until about ten years ago, but I loved it. Particularly the songs. And I'm a major Monkees fan.

-Roy

I have never really cared very much for the Monkees. Because of this, I never saw "Head" until recently. It's incredible. Fans of the Monkees will hate the movie, but the rest of us will love it!

So although I can't stand The Monkees, "Head" is now one of my favorite movies. Go figure.

And I'm willing to bet that no one will ever say that the love the Monkees and the Monkees' movie.

hey hey! i'm a really big monkees fan but you all just need to stop saying stuff like that! i mean i know the movie head wasn't there greatest one i mean they could have at least had a plot but they didn't and the only one reason i like head was because the monkees were in it! thats it....just kills me when people say stuff like that man! the monkees are great they always will be! long live the monkees!

I recently tried to see Head again on AMC.Again I couldn't sit through it.I suppose the purpose of it was just having fun while deflating the Monkees' teenybopper image-but the film was a flop initialy.

Teenyboppers didn't want to see a symbolic surreal film.Intellectuals didn't want to see a movie with the Monkees-so nobody came and saw the movie in November of '68.

I understand that the Monkees were probably trying to make a stand for creative integrity. That they realized they were a manufactured pop culture cash maker. The whole Monkees project had them representing a culture they really didn't want to be attached with.

I love The Monkees, their music, and their TV show, and I especially love the movie. I'm a huge fan of psychedelia/acid trip movies.

The movie Head seems to me to be a recreation of someone's dream, where events are murky and just don't make clear sense. People in your life are there in your dream and they're doing random, puzzling things.
But for a movie made after the TV series, a must would be scenes showing them performing music live to disspell the belief that they couldn't play their instruments. Circle Sky in the movie was great. A lot more appearences on variety shows and talk shows performing live would of helped, too, during and after the series.


(That would be a good topic for another thread.
Just how many people have vivid dreams that follow a reasonable story line?
I know I dream very abstractly).
However, the last time I looked, "Head" in its entirety was available on YouTube.
I have yet to watch the complete movie. I have been a Monkee's fan but am not sure if it would apply to me about liking the Monkees and hating the movie.

A lot of season 1 has not held up well, but it's amazing what from season 2 remains fantastic. In part due to the jokes being aimed at different demographics.

But that's the TV show.

The movie "Head" is a clever piece of work. It's more a catharsis for the four guys first and foremost - the movie deliberately matches up its ending with its beginning to make an obvious statement of having to perform the same thing out of the box week after week.

"Head" must have been expensive - the number of extras, scene edits, and so on, there's always one other bit that I instantly think of along with the "Daddy's Song" segment: As I recall, the "solarization" process for the underwater "Porpoise Song" colorized/psychedelic mermaid scenes was very new and was very expensive and difficult to produce with good results. But, wow, it looks stellar. Even to this day. I still am awed by the technique, and wonder if they used standard film or infrared film to shoot on prior to creating the effect.

There's a ton of 4th wall breaking, to help deconstruct and break the image of the band's perception. And yet Peter Tork remained the least changed from the TV persona.

For a kid movie, we see things like - and at the very start - an ante-up of the joke that Davy sees a girl and it's all sparkles and sunshine as Mireille Machu (guess who she was girlfriend of!) was blatantly frenching all four of them in full view on screen. And yet the movie is rated G, to invite the 8 year olds in for something beyond their comprehension and for something that would be at least PG13 nowadays. But that's nothing, pay attention to the infamous Vietnam gun-at-head photo in a montage of images, with gunshot resulting in fan girls screaming and jumping up and down all excited and thus driving home a rather shocking allegorical parallel in the process. It must have been a shock then and still is now. Later TV specials would also try to shake off the boy band image and do the allegory, but is tame and confined with the limitations of what television would allow. "Head" despite its G-rating clearly had no restriction and the movie takes full advantage of getting to tell all they wanted and in the way they wanted it.

The songs hit another high point after the absolutely first rate "Headquarters". Songs like "Purpose Song" - oops, "Porpoise Song" clearly are morbid in a subtle hint at suicide. Not for kids. "Daddy's Song" is a precursor to 70s/80s new wave (catchy music with lyrics that turn morbid out of the blue at some point and given this was 1968, the time needed to do that choreography with the inestimable Toni Basil - never mind the lyrics of that song, the visuals and song and dancing are a real treat to behold, even if it was agonizing to put together - remember, there were no computers - that was all done by hand and it can not be understated what a masterpiece the song and visuals are. Just hope Junior doesn't ask questions.) "Do I have to do this all over again" (a fantastic piece that also spells out the repeating theme of repetition by the show's stars.) And wasn't "Circle Sky" on this film as well?

One other thing about Basil - despite the name of her 1981 hit "Mickey" having one extra letter, I always thought she might have had a thing for Micky. That may have been true as I just looked this up and the original song was "Kitty", which she did a cover of but changed the name as a form of homage or fondness to Micky (SongFacts.com tells that tale). Am a fan of her albums in the 80s as well...

Frank Zappa is an inspired and instant win just by being there. An iconoclast if one ever existed under those conditions.

I hadn't known until a few minutes ago that the Mike's Birthday Party scene was taking place on a set used for "Rosemary's Baby". A set that would be far more recognizable in 1968. These guys went all out with this movie, I swear...

Teri Garr was interesting casting, considering what she was doing. Also notice that Annette Funicello was an original Mousketeer but is now in a no-way-is-it-for-kids movie. That's warped but it took chutzpah to do it and no tawdry dancing was required as a cheap cop-out. T C Jones was an accomplished female impersonator (drag queen) - you wouldn't ever see that in anything for kids back then. And his scenes are easy to like, especially given the context put in by the 4 players (Peter, Davy, Mike, Micky).

And, of course, Bob Rafelson was on screen a couple of times as well. One of them with the T C Jones segment as I recall.

But there's so much jammed in that it works equally well as a "time capsule" of sorts about the 1960s. Most obviously the coke dispensing machine scenes, general turbulent and seemingly nonsensical cacophony of the presentation.


I still wish the movie's release in the blu-ray collection had the mirror eyeball scene processed fully (the teal border from the superimposed cel for the optical effect (pun not intended) is not present in the previous DVD and VHS releases.) But I recall reading the film source used was by far the best (suggesting time and other limitations prevented those few seconds of footage from being fixed :( ).

In the end, forget other music-based movies if you want to see a real slice of the 1960s. "Head" feels a lot more honest, and raw, than all of those put together. Especially if one knew anything of the behind the scenes issues at the time.

Or, to cut a long story short, I absolutely love this movie and anyone who hates The Monkees honestly should see this movie after being told a little of their backstory. I think haters would be floored and then be appreciative of this movie to varying degrees, even more so if they're 60sphiles. I think it's a marvel, if not controversial (that gun photo alone is still pretty hefty stuff - then or now), as far as creative motion picture art with soul is concerned. The best works are not about encouraging copulation but telling actual stories. "Head" story is the band's angst with the show's production and disagreement with its producers and using some remarkable metaphor and allegory to do it.

(That would be a good topic for another thread.
Just how many people have vivid dreams that follow a reasonable story line?
I know I dream very abstractly).
However, the last time I looked, "Head" in its entirety was available on YouTube.
I have yet to watch the complete movie. I have been a Monkee's fan but am not sure if it would apply to me about liking the Monkees and hating the movie.

Try a couple scenes on YT but then buy it on blu-ray for the best viewing experience possible. Digital compression, especially for a YT clip, takes a lot of color vibrance, some audio crispness, and even some sharpness out of the image to keep bandwidth usage reduced. The end result is muddy. "Head" is Criterion quality. :)

I love anything Monkee! They’re FUN & always will be to me.

The Monkees' psychedelic Head trip revolutionized the pop-star ego death (https://www.avclub.com/the-monkees-head-revolutionized-pop-star-ego-death)

The myth of the band explodes in Head, a channel-flipping satire that's one of the 1960s' strangest and most revolutionary movies.