Nova ’78 is one of the more unusual documentaries I’ve seen recently and certainly the least conventional feature-length film playing at this year’s QFest St. Louis. Constructed entirely of archival footage, it eschews many of the conventions of documentary filmmaking, like identifying people with chyrons upon their first appearance (which I assume is a convention left over from old-school journalism) or editing to create a conventional narrative throughline. Instead, it goes for more of a vibe that attempts to reflect that of the underground creative scene in New York City in 1978 as evident at the Nova Convention which was organized to celebrate the work of queer icon and St. Louis native* William S. Burroughs.
It seems that publicity materials can’t mention the Nova Convention without attaching the adjective “legendary” to it, but it was notable enough in its day to be covered by the New York Times, and audio selections from the Convention were released on a two-LP set. That recognition was probably based in part on Burroughs’ importance as a writer and public figure (he was a major Beat Generation figure and his novel Naked Lunch was the focus of a highly-publicized censorship trial) and partly the notable list of performers who took part (including Merce Cunningham, Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, Philip Glass, Frank Zappa, Timothy Leary, and Terry Southern).
Nova ’78 is made up of archival footage shot by Howard Brookner (who later directed two successful documentaries, about Burroughs and Robert Wilson, and one absolute flop of a feature film, Bloodhounds of Broadway), Tom DiCillo (who shot several films for Jim Jarmusch) and James A. Lebovitz (cinematographer of, among other things, three Toxic Avenger films) that was long thought to be lost. It was later rediscovered, restored by Tom Cottey and Maria Netto, and used by directors Rodrigo Areias and Aaron Brookner (nephew of Howard and also credited as the film’s writer and one of the editors, the latter task shared with Tomás Baltazar) to create this film.
I suspect watching Nova ‘78 will give you little idea what it was like to be at the Convention when it was happening, since some of the clips suggest a fairly straightforward succession of speakers and performers who come on stage, introduce themselves, and do their set. What you get, instead, is an attempt to capture the wildly anarchic creative process of Burroughs and some of the featured performers and more specifically to imitate Burroughs’ famous “cut up” technique which he used to create the Nova trilogy of novels which give the Convention its name.
Watching Nova ’78 is a marmite experience—if you come in expecting a conventional documentary, you’ll probably hate it, while if you’re willing to tune in to the film’s vibe and go with it, you might find yourself loving it. If you are interested in the period and can recognize many of the major players already, watching it will be much more fun, while if you’re coming to them for the first time it may be largely frustrating (you have to wait until the end of the film for the people you’ve been watching for 80+ minutes to be formally identified). It certainly is what it is, which is a true reflection of the character of Burroughs and many of the people who appear in this film, and faithfully reflects the vibe of a certain subculture at a certain time.
There’s no point wondering why some performers are included at length while others are barely glimpsed (Allen Ginsburg is the king of the former category, and in particular I could have used a lot less of him and Peter Orlovsky performing William Blake’s “The Tyger” and a lot more of Patti Smith being Patti Smith)—maybe that was the footage the directors and editors had to work with, maybe some other reason—what makes more sense is to bask in the richness of what is on offer and the fact that such an event took place at all. | Sarah Boslaugh
*Burroughs was born in the 4600 block of Pershing Place and is one of four authors featured in the Central West End’s “Writer’s Corner”: his spot is, most appropriately, is just outside Left Bank Books.
Nova ‘78 will screen on June 20 at 6:30 pm as part of QFest St. Louis at the Hi-Pointe Theatre (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis 63117; 314-644-1100). Individual tickets are $15, or $12 for students and Cinema St.Louis members. More information about QFest is available from the festival web site.
