Now Available on DVD: Films by John Carney
Posted July 18th, 2014 in Announcements, New DVDs, News / Events
Two films by John Carney, Bal-Anat and Black Jackets and Choppers, are now available to purchase on DVD!
Bal-Anat(1975, 20 min)
There was a time in the 1970’s when Middle Eastern culture and dance gained widespread popular attention in the Bay Area through the offerings of Jamila Salimpour and her exciting and exotic dance troupe, Bal-Anat. For those students studying with Jamila and dancing with Bal-Anat, it was a complete immersion into Middle Eastern culture. Tribal, temple, folk, interpretive story dance and club dancing were all part of the Bal-Anat repertoire. A Bal-Anat performance with ethnic costumes, intoxicating tribal rhythms, and variations of expressive dance forms, both ritualistic and celebratory, would captivate an audience whenever they performed. This film record captures a little bit of that experience and honors Jamila and the Bal-Anat dance troupe, which continues to perform under the guidance of her daughter Suhaila.
Click here for more information and to buy this title!
Black Jackets and Choppers (1979, 25 min)
John Carney and Gary Partlow got together one day in the mid 70’s and decided to make a documentary about Gary building his motorcycle. John at that time was attending the San Francisco Art Institute. Partlow had been riding his HD Sportster for a while and wanted to give his bike a new look. This resulted in a complete tear down and rebuild with a new hand-build frame and fresh motor. This chance meeting was just the beginning of something much bigger. It kick-started a wave of excitement and with the help of his brother, “Late” Lonnie, bike riders all through the West came forward with stories and opinions about motorcycle culture. What they created in the end was the documentary cult film Black Jackets and Choppers.
