''Heartbeat in the Brain'' is a 1970 documentary film produced and directed by

Amanda Feilding Amanda Claire Marian Charteris, Countess of Wemyss and March (; born 30 January 1943), also known as Amanda Feilding, is an English drug policy reformer, lobbyist, and research coordinator. In 1998, she founded the Foundation to Further Conscio ...

, an advocate of

trepanation Trepanning, also known as trepanation, trephination, trephining or making a burr hole (the verb ''trepan'' derives from Old French from Medieval Latin from Greek , literally "borer, auger"), is a surgical intervention in which a hole is drille ...

. It was filmed by Joseph Mellen.

Summary

In the film, Feilding, a 27-year-old student at the time, drills a hole in her forehead with a dentist's drill. In the documentary, surgical scenes alternate with motion studies of Feilding's pet pigeon Birdie.

Release and rediscovery

In 1978, Feilding screened the movie at the Suydam Gallery in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. More than one audience member fainted during the climax. The 1998 documentary ''A Hole in the Head'' contains footage from ''Heartbeat in the Brain''. The documentary, long believed to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

, was publicly screened at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 28 April 2011.

References

{{Reflist

External links

MUBIIMDbVICE's interview with filmmaker about the 1970 short documentary
1970 films 1970 documentary films British documentary films Body modification 1970s rediscovered films Rediscovered British films 1970s British films