The Committee (1968)
The Committee, starring Paul Jones of Manfred Mann fame, is a unique document of Britain in the 1960s. After a very successful run in London’s West End in 1968, viewings of this controversial movie have been few and far between. Stunning black and white camera work by Ian Wilson brings to life this “chilling fable” by Max Steuer, a lecturer (now Reader Emeritus) at the London School of Economics. Avoiding easy answers, The Committee uses a surreal murder to explore the tension and conflict between bureaucracy on one side, and individual freedom on the other. Many films, such as Total Recall, Fahrenheit 451 and Camus’ The Stranger, see the state as ignorant and repressive, and pass over the inevitable weaknesses lying deep in individuals. Drawing on the ideas of R.D. Laing, a psychologically hip state faces an all too human protagonist.
Director: Peter Sykes
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Arthur Brown as Himself |
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Jimmy Gardner as Boss |
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Paul Jones as Central figure |
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Tom Kempinski as Victim |
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Robert Langdon Lloyd as Committee Director |
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Pauline Munro as Girl |
| Sound | Arthur Brown | Music |
| Writing | Max Steuer | Writer |
| Directing | Peter Sykes | Director |
| Editing | Peter Elliott | Editor |
| Production | Max Steuer | Producer |
| Writing | Peter Sykes | Writer |
| Camera | Ian Wilson | Director of Photography |
