Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One

1968 · 75 min · ★ 6.9 · Documentary

In Manhattan's Central Park, a film crew directed by William Greaves is shooting a screen test with various pairs of actors. It's a confrontation between a couple: he demands to know what's wrong, she challenges his sexual orientation. Cameras shoot the exchange, and another camera records Greaves and his crew. Sometimes we watch the crew discussing this scene, its language, and the process of making a movie. Is there such a thing as natural language? Are all things related to sex? The camera records distractions - a woman rides horseback past them; a garrulous homeless vet who sleeps in the park chats them up. What's the nature of making a movie?

Directed by William Greaves · Written by William Greaves

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Cast

Patricia Ree Gilbert Self - Actress Testing for Alice
Don Fellows Self - Actor Testing for Freddy
Jonathan Gordon Self - Soundman
William Greaves Self - Director
Susan Anspach Self - Actress Testing for Alice (uncredited)
Audrey Heningham Black Lady Clapping Her Hands (uncredited)
Stevan Larner Self - Cameraman (uncredited)
Terence Macartney-Filgate Self - Cameraman (uncredited)
Maria Zeheri Self - Camera Assistant (uncredited)
Robert L. Rosen Self - Production Manager (as Bob Rosen)
Louise Archambault Greaves Self - Actress Testing for Alice (uncredited)

Make it a double feature

2h 35m together

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One

Nationtime: Gary

Both from William Greaves.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm CollectionSee all →

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½ · 2005

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½

MovieDocumentary

A movie about making movies about making movies. In 1968, William Greaves shot several pairs of actors in a scene in which a woman confronts her husband and ends their relationship. In "Take 2 1/2," Greaves starts with 1968 takes of one of these pairs of actors plus footage of the crew discussing the film's progress. Then, 35 years later, Greaves brings back to Central Park those actors and some of the original crew (plus others) to film a reunion of the characters Alice and Freddie. We watch scenes of these characters and discussions among the actors and crew. Greaves explores and dramatizes the dialectic in the creative process.

More from William GreavesSee all →

The Dikes

The Dikes · 1955

MovieDocumentary

A look at the destruction that follows the breaking of long-neglected dikes and the measures being taken to prevent future problems.

Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey

Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey · 2001

Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey

MovieDocumentary

Few remember the name, much less the historical achievements, of Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche. Yet, this African American mediator and United Nations diplomat was the first person of color anywhere in the world to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Nationtime: Gary

Nationtime: Gary · 1972

Nationtime: Gary

MovieDocumentary

A report on the National Black Political Convention held in Gary, Indiana, in 1972, a historic event that gathered Black voices from across the political spectrum, among them Jesse Jackson, Dick Gregory, Coretta Scott King, Richard Hatcher, Amiri Baraka, Charles Diggs, and H. Carl McCall.

The Fighters

The Fighters · 1974

MovieDocumentary

Documentary about Ali's rise to glory, beginning with his "Cassius Clay" days back in Louisville.

The Fight Never Ends

The Fight Never Ends · 1948

The Fight Never Ends

MovieCrimeDrama

Joe Louis, portraying himself, is a good influence on a group of Harlem youths who are tempted to "go bad" by a gangster known as Caper, an older brother of one of the youths.

Miracle in Harlem

Miracle in Harlem · 1948

Miracle in Harlem

MovieRomanceMystery

A crooked real estate tycoon tricks a trusting young woman out of her small candy store. When he is found dead, the girl is suspected of the crime.

Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class

Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class · 1968

Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class

MovieDocumentary

The Black middle class, torn between white goals and Black needs, are examined by producers William Greaves and William Branch in a 90-minute NET Journal documentary.

Souls of Sin

Souls of Sin · 1949

Unsuccessful gambler 'Dollar Bill' Burton lives in a crummy New York basement room with old friend Bob and a new roommate, friendly blues singer 'Alabama' Lee. But, tired of being broke, Dollar Bill gets more steady employment...doing illegal errands for gangster Bad Boy George. The now prosperous Bill ignores pretty, adoring Etta and takes up with sultry singer Regina. Will Bill's way of life catch up with him? Will his upright friends be more successful in the end?

Lost Boundaries

Lost Boundaries · 1949

Lost Boundaries

A light-skinned African-American family are "passing" in an all-white New England town. When the truth comes out, the more prejudiced neighbors demand their expulsion from the community.

Bustin' Loose

Bustin' Loose · 1981

MovieComedyDrama

After ex-con Joe Braxton violates his probation, he is given a second chance. All he has to do is drive a group of special kids across the country.

Black Power in America: Myth or Reality?

Black Power in America: Myth or Reality? · 1986

Black Power in America: Myth or Reality?

MovieDocumentary

The film questions whether the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s effectively changed the Black community, and American society more widely, and examines the notion of Black power itself. Greaves interviewed major Black leaders, such as Franklin Thomas, Clifton Wharton Jr., Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Lerone Bennett Jr. to present a candid take on issues within the African American community, revealing wider societal problems in America at large.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½ · 2005

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½

MovieDocumentary

A movie about making movies about making movies. In 1968, William Greaves shot several pairs of actors in a scene in which a woman confronts her husband and ends their relationship. In "Take 2 1/2," Greaves starts with 1968 takes of one of these pairs of actors plus footage of the crew discussing the film's progress. Then, 35 years later, Greaves brings back to Central Park those actors and some of the original crew (plus others) to film a reunion of the characters Alice and Freddie. We watch scenes of these characters and discussions among the actors and crew. Greaves explores and dramatizes the dialectic in the creative process.

Sepia Cinderella

Sepia Cinderella · 1947

Sepia Cinderella

A struggling songwriter abandons his girlfriend for a flashy woman after landing a hit.

Black Journal: 26; Alice Coltrane

Black Journal: 26; Alice Coltrane · 1970

Black Journal: 26; Alice Coltrane

MovieDocumentaryMusic

In this intimate portrait—produced for a segment of National Education Television's "Black Journal" television program—legendary jazz musician Alice Coltrane plays the harp and discusses her thoughts on music, spirituality, family, and the legacy of her late husband, John Coltrane.

Every Nigger Is a Star

Every Nigger Is a Star · 1974

Every Nigger Is a Star

MovieDocumentary

A man returns to his home of Jamaica from journey. Along the way, he meets up with famous reggae bands of the time.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

Once Upon a Time in Harlem · 2026

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

MovieDocumentary

A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance.

More Like This

Bob Dylan – Don't Look Back

Bob Dylan – Don't Look Back · 1967

Bob Dylan – Don't Look Back

MovieDocumentaryMusic

In this wildly entertaining vision of one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists, Bob Dylan is surrounded by teen fans, gets into heated philosophical jousts with journalists, and kicks back with fellow musicians Joan Baez, Donovan, and Alan Price.

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat · 1896

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

MovieHistoryDocumentary

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City · 1927

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

MovieDocumentary

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter