Larry Kent (filmmaker)
Encyclopedia
Larry Kent is a Canadian
filmmaker.
to Vancouver
, Canada in 1957 and immersed himself in the world of theatre.
A devout film buff and scholar, Kent made the transition from the stage to screen in the early 60's. Kent wrote and directed the existential Canadian indie, post-beatnik, pre-hippie classic The Bitter Ash in 1962 and tirelessly toured the film despite the controversy it garnered nationwide. Filled with profanity and brief nudity, the picture was produced on a shoestring, shot silent with audio dubbed in later and boasted a brilliant, relentless jazz music
score.
His followup film, Sweet Substitute made money in the United States, a first for any Canadian independent picture. Together with his third picture, the proto-feminist film When Tomorrow Dies, these three movies comprise Kent's "Vancouver Trilogy".
Kent moved to Montreal
in the late 1960s where he began making films that exemplified the wild, drug informed spirit of the youth driven counterculture. His 1967 film High premiered at the Montreal Film Festival the same year as the groundbreaking Arthur Penn
film Bonnie and Clyde. That film's star, Warren Beatty
, was one of High's strongest supporters, along with legendary German filmmaker Fritz Lang
, who headed the jury that year.
During the 1970s and throughout the 80's, Kent continued to explore various aspects of the human condition
in his work. Though he slowed down in the 90's somewhat, he made a stunning return to form in 2005 with what is perhaps his finest effort, The Hamster Cage, a demented black comedy/psychodrama that is as funny as it is disturbing. The Hamster Cage won the jury prize at the 2005 Austin Fantastic Fest.
In 2009, Kent completed work on another, as yet untitled film and has plans for several more in the near future.
He is the mentor to director Jared Pelletier
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
filmmaker.
Biography
Larry Kent emigrated from South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada in 1957 and immersed himself in the world of theatre.
A devout film buff and scholar, Kent made the transition from the stage to screen in the early 60's. Kent wrote and directed the existential Canadian indie, post-beatnik, pre-hippie classic The Bitter Ash in 1962 and tirelessly toured the film despite the controversy it garnered nationwide. Filled with profanity and brief nudity, the picture was produced on a shoestring, shot silent with audio dubbed in later and boasted a brilliant, relentless jazz music
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
score.
His followup film, Sweet Substitute made money in the United States, a first for any Canadian independent picture. Together with his third picture, the proto-feminist film When Tomorrow Dies, these three movies comprise Kent's "Vancouver Trilogy".
Kent moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in the late 1960s where he began making films that exemplified the wild, drug informed spirit of the youth driven counterculture. His 1967 film High premiered at the Montreal Film Festival the same year as the groundbreaking Arthur Penn
Arthur Penn
Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
film Bonnie and Clyde. That film's star, Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
, was one of High's strongest supporters, along with legendary German filmmaker Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
, who headed the jury that year.
During the 1970s and throughout the 80's, Kent continued to explore various aspects of the human condition
Human condition
The human condition encompasses the experiences of being human in a social, cultural, and personal context. It can be described as the irreducible part of humanity that is inherent and not connected to gender, race, class, etc. — a search for purpose, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of...
in his work. Though he slowed down in the 90's somewhat, he made a stunning return to form in 2005 with what is perhaps his finest effort, The Hamster Cage, a demented black comedy/psychodrama that is as funny as it is disturbing. The Hamster Cage won the jury prize at the 2005 Austin Fantastic Fest.
In 2009, Kent completed work on another, as yet untitled film and has plans for several more in the near future.
He is the mentor to director Jared Pelletier
Jared Pelletier
Jared Pelletier is a Canadian director, responsible for a number of films including award winner In the Hearts of Men. Pelletier's Halo: Faith has been regarded as revolutionary and a technological feat in micro-budget filmmaking. - Early Life :Pelletier was born in the affluent community of...
Select Filmography
- The Bitter Ash (1963)
- Sweet Substitute (1964)
- When Tomorrow Dies (1965)
- HighHigh (1967 film)High is a film released in 1967, directed by Larry Kent and starring Lanny Beckman, Astri Thorvik, Peter Mathews, Joyce Cay, and Denis Payne...
- Facade (1968)
- The Apprentice (1971)
- Keep it in the Family (1973)
- The Slavers (1977)
- Yesterday (a.k.a. This Time Forever) (1981)
- High Stakes (1986)
- Mothers and Daughters (1992)
- The Hamster Cage (2005)
- Hastings Street (2007)
External links
- http://www.montrealmirror.com/2005/081805/cover_film.html
- http://www.canuxploitation.com/review/bitterash.html