I first heard of William Greaves’ avant-garde freakout Symbiopsychotaxiplasm at the height of my own avant-garde filmmaking days in the mid 2000’s. I believe I read about the film in an interview with Sonic Youth, and knowing the band this is no surprise. Soon after I read another interview I believe with actor Steve Buscemi which referenced it. When I was finally able to get a copy (I believe rented from Video Renaissance from Sarasota, or borrowed from Del Jacobs’ film class at Manatee Community College) I was not at all disappointed.
The Criterion Blu-ray release is called Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Two Takes. The first “take” was shot by director Greaves in 1968, and follows the director as he attempts to shoot a screen test for a film called “Over the Cliff” within Central Park, NYC. The screen test is being shot by a crew of documentary filmmakers of various levels of expertise, and though it should be a simple project for them, it becomes a heady and difficult exercise, putting on display the struggle for creativity.
The film definitely fits into the avant-garde NYC of the 1960’s that gave us filmmakers like Mekas, Warhol, and Downey Sr. Outside of saying a lot about the conventions it takes to make film and art, it seems to have a lot to say about the political and societal views at the time.
We then get a follow up Take 2 ½, this was shot around 2003 and produced by the aforementioned Steve Buscemi, and Steven Soderbergh. This film takes footage from the prior piece (as it should having to continue 3 + decades later, and blends it with a narrative that takes up after all that time taking up the concerns and questions left by the prior film. William Greaves died without a third take, but the two he left were truly monumental, and even having created 2 distinct films decades apart managed to make them complement each other wonderfully.
The film is given a wonderful naturalistic 1080p transfer from Criterion that looks positively splendid. Textures and details look fantastic, and detail is excellent. The English audio track faithfully reproduces the sound of the film. Extras include an hour long documentary called Discovering William Greaves giving an overview of his career. We also get an excellent interview with Buscemi detailing his love for the first film, and his adventures getting funding for a 2nd. There is also an excellent essay by Amy Taubin. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.