Sheldon Rochlin

Signals Through the Flames

Sheldon Rochlin

Julian Beck, Judith Malina

Signals Through the Flames is at once a history and a celebration of the Living Theatre. Founded in the late 1940s by husband-and-wife performers Julian Beck and Judith Malina, the Living Theatre was for many years the predominent American outlet for the avant-garde movement. There were occasional self-imposed exiles to Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, but the group returned full-force during the Aquarius Age to entertain a new generation of theatregoers.

The Alchemical Dream - Rebirth of the Great Work

Maxine Rochlin, Sheldon Rochlin

Terence McKenna, John Claude

Mystical, ephemeral and nearly lost to time, alchemy was a "magical theory of nature" widely held in pre-Enlightenment Europe. Author Terence McKenna portrays John Dee, court magician to Queen Elizabeth I, in this history of the discipline. McKenna discusses the role of the science as he travels to key sites in alchemic lore throughout Eastern Europe, including Heidelberg, home to the world's only contemporary alchemy lab.

Dope

Diane Rochlin, Sheldon Rochlin

A feature documentary about a young girl's descent into drugs. Shot in 1960s London, we see Caroline, a ravishing sixties naif, become a junkie, caught in the contemporary drug culture of the age.

Joseph Campbell: Sukhavati

Maxine Harris, Sheldon Rochlin

Joseph Campbell

Travel with mythology expert Joseph Campbell as he explores shared iconic imagery that marks the human experience and influences our ability to dream and find our spiritual center. Campbell suggests that all religions share the same path to enlightenment, but it's up to us to make the actual journey. Evidence of the commonality of mythological symbols is investigated in the ruins of Ajanta in India, Delphi in Greece and Stonehenge in England. -

Paradise Now

Sheldon Rochlin

Diana Van Tosh, Jim Anderson

At least forty films have been made about the Living Theatre; it remained to the American underground filmmaker Sheldon Rochlin (previously responsible for the marvellous Vali) to make the 'definitive' film about one of the most famous of their works, Paradise Now, shot in Brussels and at the Berlin Sportpalast. Made on videotape, with expressionist colouring 'injected' by electronic means, this emerges as a hypnotic transmutation of a theatrical event into poetic cinema, capturing the ambiance and frenzy of the original. No documentary record could have done it justice.

Vali

Sheldon Rochlin

Vali Myers, Rudi Rappold

A documentary portrait shot in Positano, Italy in 1965 about Australian artist and occultist Vali Myers.

Asian Health Secrets

Sheldon Rochlin

Letha Hadady, Ming Tsai

Herbalist Letha Hadady shares the secrets of her trade in this fascinating lesson in nontraditional medicine, revealing which Chinese herbs help mitigate conventional Western diseases such as high blood pressure, depression and diabetes. You'll also discover certain food products that contribute to overall health. Follow Letha to her kitchen, where she concocts her potent potions, and find out how you can replicate her approach in your home.

Diane the Zebra Woman

Diane Rochlin, Sheldon Rochlin

Diane Rochlin, William Levy

Diane the Zebra Woman follows four women’s misadventures through the streets of New York City in 1962. All played by Flame Schon, the characters consist of The Detective, The Mother, The Child, and the Medium. Evocative of the scene from which it emerged, the film features cameos from integral figures like William Levy, Jonas Mekas, Paul Morrissey and features an original score composed by Malcolm Goldstein.