Jack Smith
Birth: Nov. 14, 1932 (Columbus, Ohio)
Death: Sept. 25, 1989
Major Works: No President (1967)
Normal Love (1963)
Flaming Creatures (1963)
Scotch Tape (1961)
Notes: Although making a splash in the NYC underground film scene in 1963 with the work that he’s most associated with, Flaming Creatures, Smith continued to make films throughout his life, but focused more on avant-garde theater pieces that frequently included movie bits.
As of 2008, Smith’s artistic works, including his films, are tied up in litigation between his sister, Sue Slater, and the Plaster Foundation, a group formed by Smith acolyte Penny Arcade and film critic J. Hoberman that is actively working on the restoration of Smith’s movies.
Director Mary Jordan has made a feature-length documentary called Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis that provides an in-depth examination of the artist’s life and work.
Other Resources: IMDB: Profile
Bad Lit: Posts
Bright Lights Film Journal: Profile
Video: None
[...] foremost authority on the 1963 underground film classic Flaming Creatures, directed by Jack Smith. Preceding a screening of the film, Hoberman will discuss the film’s creative origins and the [...]
[...] Come see the Winnipeg premiere of Guy Maddin’s latest film The Little White Cloud That Cried at the AceArtInc. gallery as part of their Winter Warmer annual members show. I can’t find much info on the film on the web, but it is a short and, according to the Cineflyer website, it is an “explicit tribute to legendary underground filmmaker Jack Smith.” [...]
[...] such as Gerard Malanga. Born Rene Rivera, Montez previously starred in two underground films by Jack Smith, the legendary Flaming Creatures and Normal Love, as well as several off-off-Broadway plays. The [...]