Greaves Is The Word.

In 1968, a subversively brilliant director named William Greaves, decided to round up
a few adroit and budding actors from the famed Actor's Studio, mandate them to
Central Park, film a never-ending screen test and simulataneously test the nerves
of his entire cast and crew. The result was one phenomenal revolt that was captured
on film the good ol' cinema verite way. The working title at the time was
Over The Cliff , but in the eleventh hour, Greaves opted for a much catchier hook
of a title with Symbiopsychotaxiplasm ( Can you recite that 10 times fast)?



Character actor Don Fellows, a jolly good one at that, took it all on the chin - however there were a lot
of frustrated other fellows on set. The limited dialogue, was chockful of misogynistic references, and nearly cartoonish in effect, and the director, all the while, feigned his convictions about this.

It was not until 25 years after it's release, that Steve Buscemi would happen upon a screening of this iconoclastic experiment , fell in love with it and raised all the money along with Steven Soderbergh to restore
this 35mm obscuro gem.

And so pleased he did.

Director Greaves is far from slouch status. He was passionate for the cause of Black civil rights and the United Nations actually hired him to shoot documentaries regarding the cause. He studied in Actor's Studio in it's heyday with the likes of Marlon Brando and Shelley Winters.

I personally see him as the African American Cassavetes. An irrefutable pioneer.