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Released by: Magnolia Films
Released on: November 1, 2011.
Director: Allison Ellwood, AlexGibney
Cast: Ken Kesey, Stanley Tucci
Year: 2011
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The Movie:
In the early sixties, author Ken Kesey and a few like minded individuals, were sort of disenfranchised with America and with society in general. Unsure what to do about this situation, Kesey bought a school bus and, with those aforementioned individuals, painted t in bizarre colors and hopped on board for a cross country road trip. Loaded with booze and more LSD than anyone could probably imagine, they drove the bus from the west coast of California to New York City to attend the 1964 World's Fair - and they brought a 16mm film camera along for the ride.
Loads of footage was shot on the trip, but it wasn't until recently that directors Allison Ellwood and Alex Gibney were able to get their hands on it. The result is Magic Trip, a documentary that takes that footage and puts it into a cohesive narrative and attempts to make some sort of sense out of it all. Presented in what is essentially linear fashion, we realize very early on that Kesey and his 'Band of Merry Pranksters' are more likely to fall victim to drug related idiocies than they are to 'find America' but that doesn't take away from the documentary's worth. We know that they're damned from the start, that they're going to spend more time tripping and drinking and fucking than philosophizing or offering introspection into the direction that the country was taking at the time this all happened, nut the intent, to do away with what society would force upon them, is at least a noble one.
This is a trip more concerned with the journey than the destination, no one on board the bus really seems too concerned about making it to the fair, and you can't help but get the impression that Kesey and company were merely using that as an excuse to get stoned and drive around the country. This documentary reinforces that with on the fly interviews shot by and with the crew which offers us some insight into what these guys and gals were thinking when they thought this entire idea up in the first place. Everything from the painting of the bus to their thoughts on authority figures to bizarre socio-political rants are here, all presented through an acid filled haze of sorts. As the journey progresses, however, you can almost see the change in Kesey as it dawns on him that this trip isn't going to change the world and that he and his accomplices are just way too whacked out of their heads to have ever even had a legitimate shot at making much of a difference.
In a sense it's sad to watch their optimism, as misguided and unrealistic as it might have been in the first place, get smashed to bits fairly quickly but realists will know that given their tendency to turn on, tune in and drop out, that there wasn't any other way this could have gone. Nowhere in the film is this more apparent than the scene where Kesey and his crew meet up with Timothy Leary and Jack Kerouac - two much bigger icons than Kesey (especially at the time it all happened) who wind up wanting to get as far away from the Merry Pranksters as they can. As depressing as it might sound, however, the documentary is equally fascinating. It gives us a look at one of the country's more important counter culture authors in his wild prime, and on top of that it's an interesting document of a drug culture that, while altered, still exists and which many still see as a viable source of inspiration for their own creativity, which is inevitably the path that Kesey would follow with some of his writing throughout his life.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Magic Trip looks a little better than it probably has any right to, presented here in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen. The footage generally seems to have been kept in pretty good shape and while it's frequently grainy and shows minor wear and tear, the colors are nicely represented. The disc is well authored, showing no problems with compression artifacts or edge enhancement. Something like this won't and shouldn't ever look perfect, but this is certainly more than watchable.
The English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix mainly uses the rear channels to spread out the score with the dialogue more or less all coming from the front of the mix. Levels are well balanced and everything comes through nice and clear for the most part. A bit of background hiss and the occasional pop on the mix is forgivable given the use of the archival footage here.
Extras are plentiful starting off with a commentary from co-directors Alex Gibney and Allison Ellwood who speak about what drew them to this project, what it was like putting this film together and the research that was involved in making it. It's an interesting discussion and worth listening to if you want to know more about the subject. Also included here is an audio recording of Ken Kesey's first trip (which is just kind of odd), some deleted scenes, and an HDNet promo spot for the movie. Trailers for a few other Magnolia titles are included as are animated menus and chapter stops.
The Final Word:
A strangely moving look back at a decade that has been romanticized to death over the years, Magic Trip lets its subjects speak for themselves rather than make any sort of attempt at glorifying or spinning the content. As such, we get a pretty honest look at Kesey and company's 'trip' through America, warts and all. The end result is a fascinating cultural artifact that's well worth seeking out and Magnolia have done right by the film with a solid DVD offering.
