Star Spangled to Death (2004) dir. Ken Jacobs 3, 4

STAR SPANGLED TO DEATH is an epic film shot for hundreds of dollars combining foundfilms with my own moreorless staged filming, it pictures a stolen and dangerously soldout America, allowing examples of popular culture to selfindict. Racial and religious insanity, monopolization of wealth and the purposeful dumbing down of citizens and addiction to war oppose a Beat playfulness. A handful of artists costumed and performing unconvincingly appeal to audience imagination and understanding to complete the picture. Jack Smiths preFLAMING CREATURES performance as The Spirit Not Of Life But Of Living (the movie has raggedly cosmic pretensions), celebrating Suffering (rattled impoverished artist Jerry Sims) at the crux of sentient existence, is a visitation of the divine. K. J.