简介：NicholasRayendedhisHollywoodcareerwithhismostexpensiveproduction,55DaysinPeking(1963),andfollowedittenyearslaterwithhisleastexpensive,anexperimentalandpoliticallyradicalindependentfeaturemadewithhisfilmstudents.Eachmovieisashambles,thoughifIhadtochoosebetweenthemI'dprobablyoptforthisone,whichiscertainlythemoreoriginal.RayandhisstudentsplaythemselvesindocudramasituationsthatculminateinRay's(fictional)suicide,andoftenhecombinesseveralimagesintocrowdedfrescoes.Thefilmreeksofcounterculturalalienationandanguish,andwhenitpremieredatCannesin1973,Rayspokeoftryingtomake"whatinourmindsisaGuernica"outofsuchmaterialsas"abroken-downBolex"and"aMitchellthatcosts$25outofnavysurplus."Hetinkeredwiththefilmforyears,andthe1976datecommonlyassignedtoitreferstoasecondunfinishedversion,which,lamentably,isunavailable.It'supsettinginmanyways,butasadocumentofitstimethere'snothingremotelylikeit. From1971to1973,RaytaughtfilmmakingwhereheandhisstudentsproducedWeCan'tGoHomeAgain,anautobiographicalfilmemployingmultiplesuperimpositions.Inthespringof1972,Raywasaskedtoshowsomefootagefromthefilmataconference.TheaudiencewasshockedtoseefootageofRayandhisstudentssmokingmarijuanatogether.AnearlyversionofthefilmwasshownattheCannesFilmFestivalin1973,butRay,neversatisfiedwiththeproject,continuededitingituntilhisdeathin1979.HesecuredteachingpositionsattheLeeStrasbergInstituteandNewYorkUniversitywiththehelpofoldfriends.…