TOWERS OPEN FIRE
Production: UK, 1963
Director: Antony Balch
Category: Experimental
The first experimental film collaboration between Balch and writer William S. Burroughs, with input from Brion Gysin and Ian Sommerville, is seemingly inspired by the section “Towers Open Fire” from Burroughs’ key SF/cut-up novel, Nova Express. Running at around 12 minutes, the film consists of various sequences featuring Burroughs, including an attack on a sinister boardroom, as well as self-filmed shots of Balch masturbating, stock news footage, dream machine images, and shots of Paris. The narration by Burroughs is initially taken from his novel The Soft Machine, and ends with the spoken command “towers open fire!”. Recommended reading: Nova Express (William Burroughs).
Posted by Captain Nightshade
