Hallelujah the Hills (film)

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Hallelujah the Hills
Screenshot of Peter in HTH 1963.jpg
Directed by Adolfas Mekas
Written by Adolfas Mekas
Produced byDavid C. Stone
Starring Peter H. Beard
Martin Greenbaum
Sheila Finn
Peggy Steffans
Jerome Raphel
Blanche Dee
Jerome Hill
Taylor Mead
Emsh
Cinematography Ed Emshwiller
Edited by Adolfas Mekas
Music byMeyer Kupferman
Production
company
Vermont Productions
Release date
  • 1963 (1963)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hallelujah the Hills is a 1963 American comedy film written, directed and edited by Adolfas Mekas. The picture was his first feature film.

Contents

In 1963, after screenings in the Cannes Festival Critics’ section, the Montreal International Film Festival, and the Locarno Festival, where it won the Silver Sail, [1] Hallelujah the Hills made its US debut at the First New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center on September 14, 1963. [2] It received rave reviews and went on to a 15-week engagement at the 5th Avenue Cinema in New York, and movie theaters around the country. It is available in 16mm and 35mm from Anthology Film Archives [3] and the Museum of Modern Art.

Plot

Jack and Leo have visited a small town in Vermont for seven consecutive years for outdoor sports and to court the same woman Vera. Upon their return for an eighth year, both are shocked at the news that she has married another man. [4] They attempt to forget about her by getting drunk but end up reminiscing about all the whimsical memories they had with her. [5] Two different actresses play Vera in flashbacks depending on whether its Jack or Leo telling the story. [6]

Cast

Publicity

At its debut at the New York Film Festival, Mekas introduced his inspiration for the film, a woman who posed in a bikini. [7] He also parodied Academy Awards ceremonies by formally thanking such "contributors" as Thomas Edison, Sergei Eisenstein and D. W. Griffith. [2]

A pair of black and white photographs pertaining to the movie appeared in the 20 December 1963 year-end double issue of LIFE . One had Mekas and his older brother Jonas who was the picture's assistant director, the other a scene from the film with Beard stuck in an awkward position amongst bare tree branches. [8] Finn, who stars as Jack's Vera, was featured on the cover of the 17 March 1961 issue of the same publication two years earlier. [9] [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1963 16th Locarno Festival". www.locarnofestival.ch. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 Archer, Eugene. "Festival Shows 8 More Movies; Hallelujah the Hills Is Seen on Weekend Program," The New York Times, Monday 16 September 1963. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "Anthology Film Archives : Film Screenings". anthologyfilmarchives.org. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  4. ↑ Leonard, William. "Movie Lacks a Plot, but It's Lots of Fun," Chicago Tribune, Tuesday 10 March 1964. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  5. ↑ Metz, Nina. "Funniest comedy you never heard of," Chicago Tribune, Friday 7 February 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "Newcomers Present Hallelujah the Hills, a Vermont Farce," The New York Times, Tuesday 17 December 1963. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "Fade-In On Philharmonic Hall". Variety . September 18, 1963. p. 7. Retrieved February 11, 2024– via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "Everybody Wants to Say It in Films," LIFE (magazine), 20 December 1963 (scroll down to page 43). Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  9. ↑ LIFE (magazine) 17 March 1961 issue cover featuring Sheila Finn. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Sheila Finn (biography) – Sheila Finn Sculptures. Retrieved 15 October 2025.


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