''High'' is a film released in 1967, directed by Larry Kent and starring Lanny Beckman, Astri Thorvik, Peter Mathews, Joyce Cay, and Denis Payne. Filmed in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, it is likely most-remembered for being banned by the censors of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

immediately before its scheduled premiere at the

Montreal International Film Festival The Montreal International Film Festival was an annual Canadian film festival, which took place in Montreal, Quebec from 1960 to 1967.

for its use of

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

, and explicit sex scenes.Eric H. Wilson, "Larry's At It Again: Movie-maker Kent reels opinions and talks about High, his new banned film". ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', August 11, 1967. In defense, celebrities such as

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s. His films '' ...

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. ...

, and even

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

came to ''High'' 's defense as a film of art, rather than gratuity.

Plot

''High'' is the story of a dope-dealing university dropout (Lanning Beckman) and his strait-laced girlfriend (Astri Thorvik) whom he corrupts and leads down a path of petty crime and uninhibited sex. Considered Larry Kent's best film, ''High'' is a tough-minded vision of the anarchic and violent underside of the 1960s culture of free love and ‘do-your-own-thing.’ The frank love making scenes and dope smoking led to a wide theatrical release in the U.S. and a ban by the censor boards in Ontario and British Columbia.

Cast

* Lanny Beckman as Tom (as Lanning Beckman) * Astri Thorvik as Vicky (as Astri Torvik) * Peter Mathews * Joyce Cay * Denis Payne * Laurie Wynn Kent * Doris Cowan * Mortie Golub * Carol Epstein * Al Mayoff * Melinda McCracken * Gary Eisenkraft * Jack Esbein

Legacy

The film was screened at the

18th Berlin Film Festival The 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June to 2 July 1968. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Swedish film '' Ole dole doff'' directed by Jan Troell. Jury The following people were announced as being on the jury fo ...

in 1968 as part of Young Canadian Film, a lineup of films by emerging Canadian filmmakers. It was later screened at the 1984 Festival of Festivals as part of Front & Centre, a special retrospective program of artistically and culturally significant films from throughout the history of Canadian cinema.

Carole Corbeil Carole Corbeil (1952 – 2000) was a Canadian arts critic and novelist.John Levesque, "Voice-Over a smash success". '' Hamilton Spectator'', May 9, 1992. Born in Montreal to Québécois parents, her writing was often informed by the cultural di ...

, "The stars are coming out for Toronto's film festival". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', September 6, 1984. It was part of a retrospective screening of Kent's films, alongside ''

The Bitter Ash ''The Bitter Ash'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Larry Kent and released in 1963. One of the first narrative feature films ever shot in Vancouver, the film stars Alan Scarfe as Des, an unhappy blue collar man who is drawn into the city's ...

'', '' Sweet Substitute'' and '' When Tomorrow Dies'', which screened at a number of venues in 2002 and 2003, including Cinematheque Ontario in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, the

Pacific Cinémathèque The Cinematheque (legal name: Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique), founded in 1972, is a Canadian charity and non-profit film institute, media education centre, and film exhibitor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The organization’s mission i ...

in Vancouver and the

Canadian Film Institute The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) (french: Institut canadien du film (ICF)) Canadian Film Institute involves Canada in the film production, study, appreciation process of film/moving images for cultural and educational purposes. The Canadian Film ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Matthew Hays Matthew Hays is a Canadian film critic, writer, film festival programmer and academic. He won a Lambda Literary Award for his 2007 book '' The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers''. Hays teaches film studies, journalism ...

, "Catch up on your Kent". ''

'', February 1, 2003.

References

External links

* 1967 films Canadian drama films Quebec films Films shot in Montreal English-language Canadian films Films directed by Larry Kent Canadian films about cannabis 1960s English-language films 1960s Canadian films {{1960s-Canada-film-stub