Wikipedia

Troika (1969 film)

Troika is a 1969 American comedy anthology-art film written, directed, and produced by artist-turned-filmmaker Carl Fredric Hobbs. It stars Hobbs, Richard Faun, Morgan Upton, Nate Thurmond, Gloria Rossi, and members of the San Francisco Art Institute. It comprises three separate stories threaded together around a central fictional version of the director attempting to gain financing for a film titled "Troika".

Troika
Troika promotional poster, depicting a tall insect-like humanoid walking through a grassy field
1969 promotional poster
Directed byFredric Hobbs
Gordon Mueller
Written byFredric Hobbs
Produced byFredric Hobbs
StarringFredric Hobbs
Richard Faun
Morgan Upton
Nate Thurmond
Gloria Rossi
Parra O'Siochain
CinematographyWilliam Heick[1]
Edited byGordon Mueller
Music byFredric Hobbs
Gordon Mueller
Production
company
Inca Films
Distributed byEmerson Film Enterprises[2]
Release dates
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hobb first conceived the film after working with the filmmakers Ron Bostwick and Robert Blaisdell on the short Trojan Horse, made to showcase a recent sculpture of the same name. Inspired, he began to develop the film into what he referred to as a "modern morality play", with its name taken from the Russian word for a set of three, referencing the three overlapping stories. The film was shot in early to mid-1969, utilizing various locations in and around California. The film's score was composed in a collaborative effort between Hobbs and editor/co-director Gordon Mueller.

Troika had a preview screening on October 12, 1969 before officially premiering that year on November 8. It received little attention from film critics, with reviews being mixed to positive. The film served as a foundation for Hobbs' continued work in the industry, developing three additional films until his retirement in the late 1970s. It has currently not been released on home video, as Hobbs has expressed dissatisfied with the print and refused distribution rights. A copy was acquired by Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts, who restored it in collaboration with Hobbs' estate. The restored version was screened at the Weird Weekend Cult Film Festival on October 28, 2022.

Plot edit

Troika's storyline does not follow a conventional narrative, being composed of four stories told in differing narrative styles. This plot synopsis and chapter titles are adapted from an interview of Hobbs in the non-fiction book Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of Exploitation Independents written by Stephen Thrower, and an article for the Daily News.[4][5]

The film is structured in three segments, with the main story centering around an artist–Fredric Hobbs portraying a fictional version of himself– as he attempts to convince millionaire Gordon Goodloins (Richard Faun) to invest in a proposed art film titled Troika. In a series of increasingly desperate encounters with Goodloins, Hobbs tries to pitch the idea for the film only to be rebuffed and insulted by Goodloins. The sequence ends with Goodloins driving off in a limousine as Hobbs angrily chases behind him, shouting, "Up yours, Mr. Goodloins!"

Part One: The Chef edit

A seemingly crazed chef, played by Hobbs, in ritualistic face paint is in the process of crafting an alchemical brew in a large vat, with various items such as war medals and emblems thrown into the bubbling mixture. Nearby, a homunculus (a miniature but fully formed human) fashioned out of cloths lies still as the chef uses pieces of it as ingredients for the potion. Unsatisfied with the brew's current state, the chef introduces a woman, played by Gloria Rossi, covered in similar ritualistic face paint, they both dance to a tango before he tosses her into the pot. Picking up a rose dropped by the woman, the chef gazes at it before tossing it into the vat.

Part Two: Alma Mater edit

Presented as a fake "expressionist documentary", the sequence depicts a student demonstration shot in the late 1960s. It opens during a sit-in on a college campus while police mounted on horseback gather outside. In the classroom, students covered in white face paint rest on toilet seats and chaise longues, while various college professors present lecture downcast students who view it all with waning interest. After six individual professors complete their lecture to the crowd, the frustrated students boo their dunce-capped teacher out of the classroom as the segment ends.

Part Three: The Blue People edit

The segment opens with an old-west-style train stopping in a grassy landscape to let off its passengers. Exiting the train, a tall insect-like humanoid named Rax (Morgan Upton), who journeys into the nearby coastal hills. Making his way there, Rax encounters and is brutally attacked by a savage warrior (Parra O'Siochain) who leaves him for dead. The injured Rax staggers onto a beach where he collapses and convulses in pain as an orange-colored woman (Rossi) emerges from the ocean, pushing a large sculpture. Seeing the injured Rax, the woman turns her attention to him, caressing his wounds and eventually masturbating in front of him.

The segment abruptly cuts to a seemingly rejuvenated Rax entering an ice-covered cave where he encounters a seven-foot-tall shaman known as the Attenuated Man (Nate Thurmond). Addressing Rax in Arabic, the attenuated man induces a vision of a sculpture depicting three corpse-like beings which emerges from the ceiling of the cave. Dispersed throughout the segment is a procession of the blue people as they proceed across an otherworldly countryside accompanied by a strange vehicle. At this point, the segment cuts from the cave, as Rax, alongside the attenuated man, join the blue people who embrace him as their "savior". The procession escorts Rax in regal splendor as it marches through a ghost town, sparsely populated by blue and purple people before they arrive at a railway terminal. There Rax bids the group goodbye as he boards the same train he disembarked from at the beginning, and the segment ends with a shot of Rax as he merges with the sculpture of the three beings.

Production edit

Development edit

Troika was written, directed and produced by Hobbs from early 1969. He studied at Cornell University, graduating in 1953.[6][7] After producing a series of acclaimed paintings and sculptures in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Hobbs collaborated with the filmmakers Ron Bostwick and Robert Blaisdell in 1967 on a twenty-five minute[Note 1] short documentary titled Trojan Horse, which showcased his sculpture of the same name.[10][11] While working on the project, Hobbs became fascinated with film as an artistic medium and began to develop the concept for his own potential film, which he described as a "modern morality play".[8][12]

Hobbs structured the film around three different stories threaded around a central storyline involving a fictional version of himself. The title refers to the Russian word тройка, meaning 'a set of three', referencing the three overlapping stories.[13] The film was partially financed by Hobbs and the independent production company Inca Films.[12][14]

The film's genre was categorized by media outlets at the time of the film's release as a "comedy" or "art film".[15][16] Troika incorporates several different narratives and genres for each segment. Hobbs crafted the narrative structure as a series of increasingly bizarre segments, with the final segment being the one he later took the most satisfaction from.[8] For the "Alma Mater" segment, shot in the narrative style of a documentary, Hobbs reportedly took his inspiration from the Kent State riots,[5] which occurred in 1967 and later in April 1969.[17]

Casting edit

Troika's cast was composed of unknown performers, several of whose only acting credit was the film. Hobbs appears as a fictional version of himself in addition to the characters of the chef and Fantom.[18] The San Francisco-based basketball player Nate Thurmond of the Golden State Warriors, was hired to portray the mystical attenuated man in the final segment;[4][5] one commentator described his role as a Christ-like figure.[19] Morgan Upton, later known for his roles as Wally Henderson in The Candidate (1972)[20] and Mr. Gilfond in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986),[21] starred in the film as Rax, the bug-man.[4][5]

Members of the San Francisco Art Institute play several other characters, including the students in the "Alma Mater" scene and the blue and purple people.[3][4] Some of the characters in the marching sequence were student activists of the UC Berkeley School of Law, who volunteered for small parts.[5]: 359 

Filming edit

 
Facilities at the San Francisco Art Institute were used as one of the film's shooting locations.

Principal photography began in early-mid 1969. Gordon Mueller was hired as the film's editor, and also directed scenes where Hobbs was on-camera.[5] The photographer and filmmaker William Heick was hired as cinematographer. Heick was a close friend of Hobb and had worked with the avant-garde filmmaker Sidney Peterson on various short films between 1948 and 1953.[8] The "Chef" sequence was shot inside a local brewery, where Hobbs was permitted to shoot, with the crew also utilizing their brewer's vat as a stand-in for the chef's alchemy pot.[5]: 358 

For the "Alma Mater" sequence, Hobbs utilized the faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute, with the San Francisco Examiner reporting that additional filming locations took place in Hillsborough, California.[22] The documentary footage in the segment was shot during the 1960s Berkeley protests.[15] Scenes of the ghost town in the final "Blue People" sequence were filmed in Collinsville, California, while the "otherworldly" landscape was shot in the outskirts of the town where a brush fire had recently occurred. The student activists portraying the characters during the marching sequence were extensively drilled by Hobbs to march in step.[5]: 359  Hobbs had intended to include a sequence involving Thurmond's character as he runs alongside the skyline. The scene was filmed at Fort Cronkhite, but was abandoned after Hobbs claimed that during the take the military began firing Nike missiles as an artillery exercise, ruining the shot.[23]

In addition to the costume designs, all of the paintings and sculptures in the film were created by Hobbs. He worked closely with co-director Mueller to create the soundtrack, which Thrower described as echoing the works of the avant-garde composer La Monte Young.[5]: 359 

Release edit

Troika received a preview screening on October 12, 1969.[19] Artwork and sculptures created for the film were exhibited at the John Bolles Gallery in San Francisco on November 8 that year,[22] and the film had its official premiere in New York on November 21.[3] It was also screened at the Granada Theater in Wilmington, California on November 28, receiving doubling-billing alongside John Perry's short film Dandelion (1969).[24] During its release, some theaters ran advertisements with the caption "Means Three",[25] a translation of the Russian name the title was based on.[13] Troika was aired on UK and Canadian television between May to December 1979.[26][27][28]

 
Promotional poster for the film for the Weird Weekend Cult Film Festival

Troika has never been released on home video,[8] as Hobbs refused to grant any distribution rights for the film as he was dissatisfied with the existing print and had been working on further edits.[8] Until his death in 2018, Hobbs denied any attempts to release the film; the only known print is stored at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives.[29][30]

It was considered unobtainable for many years, until October 2022, when the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, in collaboration with Hobbs' estate, had acquired a print and began restoration at the American Genre Film Archive.[31] [30] The film was screened for the first time in over fifty years at the Weird Weekend Cult Film Festival on October 28, 2022, with the showing accompanied by an introductory presentation by Stephen Thrower.[32] As of 2024 there have been no further screenings or announcements.

Reception edit

Reviews of Troika have been largely positive, with critics highlighting its unique visual style and narrative approach. In 1969, Howard Thompson of The New York Times highlighted the unconventional story and plot, describing the film as "a cluttered and disconnected collage of art objects, paintings, live-action fantasy and symbolism".[16] Its surreal and psychedelic visuals were also praised by video retail company Blockbuster Video, in their annual movie guide, described as a "wildly offbeat look at the movie business".[33] The TV Guide echoed this sentiment, while also noting that the film would only appeal to viewers who did not mind its unconventional narrative.[34]

While the film's visuals and narrative were generally received positively, some criticized the same aspects. Cue magazine highly criticized its visuals, which they called "grotesque", lambasting the film as a self-indulgent parade of sequences which were "devoid of talent".[35] Kevin Thomas of The Los Angeles Times offered similar criticism, commenting on the narrative, while admittedly unique, was largely incoherent. Thomas further highlighted the comedic aspects which he opined were too heavy-handed to be funny.[15] A later summary of the film by the publication referred to the film as "obscure and boring".[36] In her 1969 review, Wanda Hale of the Daily News wrote that the film had artistic merits but was undone by 'amateurish' production values.[4]

Legacy edit

After the release of Troika, Hobbs continued to work in the film industry, developing three additional films throughout the 1970s.[7][11] A year after its release, Hobbs was approached by pornographic film producer Habib Afif Carouba with the proposition that he would finance the director's next film with the stipulation that it would be a porn film.[12][37] Hobbs' resulting film, titled Roseland: A Fable (1970), was a surreal philosophical satire on the porn industry itself. The film gained some controversy during production and after its release due to its content, which was considered scandalous for a mainstream film at the time.[38]

In 1973 Hobbs increased his theatrical output, writing and directing what would be his final two films.[39] The first of these was Alabama's Ghost (1973), a horror film that combines the themes and motifs of blaxploitation and vampire films.[40] His final film, Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973), continued his exploration of the blaxploitation genre, placing the film in a horror western setting.[11] Both were critical and commercial failures,[39][41] which, combined with behind-the-scenes conflicts with producers of both films caused Hobbs to grow discontent with the film industry, who later retired from filmmaking.[39]

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ While some sources list the runtime as thirty minutes,[6][8] a 1968 publication from the Library of Congress gives the runtime as twenty-five minutes.[9]

Citations edit

  1. ^ Nash & Ross 1985, p. 1290.
  2. ^ Aros 1977, p. 461.
  3. ^ a b c "Troika". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hale 1969, p. 56.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Thrower 2007, pp. 357–359.
  6. ^ a b Albright 1985, p. 107.
  7. ^ a b Thrower 2007, p. 363.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Thrower 2007, p. 364.
  9. ^ Library of Congress 1968, p. 487.
  10. ^ The Art Gallery 1967, p. 59.
  11. ^ a b c Hinckle & Hobbs 1978, p. 173.
  12. ^ a b c Albright, Thomas (April 29, 1971). "Visuals: Two films from San Francisco artist Frederic Hobbs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Thrower 2007, p. 357.
  14. ^ Jimenez, Laird (July 3, 2018). "Fredric Hobbs And The Cult Afterlife Of GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS". Birth.Movies.Death. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Thomas 1969a, p. 106.
  16. ^ a b Thompson 1969.
  17. ^ Means 2016, pp. 22–26.
  18. ^ Lee 1972, p. 504.
  19. ^ a b Lewis 1969, p. 88.
  20. ^ Aros 1977, p. 64.
  21. ^ Welsh, Phillips & Hill 2010, p. 267.
  22. ^ a b Morch 1969, p. 51.
  23. ^ Lynch 1971, p. 8.
  24. ^ The Los Angeles Times 1969, p. 26.
  25. ^ Los Angeles Evening Citizen 1969, p. 8.
  26. ^ Red Deer Advocate 1979, p. 50.
  27. ^ Birmingham Post 1979, p. 1.
  28. ^ Edmonton Journal 1979, p. 90.
  29. ^ "Troika". Berkeley Library. University of California Berkeley. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Troika (Fredric Hobbs, 1969)". Weird Weekend Cult Film Festival. October 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  31. ^ Matchbox Cine (October 12, 2022). "Matchbox Cine on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  32. ^ "WEIRD WEEKEND III: Troika". Center for Contemporary Arts. October 28, 2022. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  33. ^ Castell 1995, p. 1159.
  34. ^ "Troika - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  35. ^ Glankoff 1969, p. 3.
  36. ^ Thomas 1969b, p. 28.
  37. ^ Weldon 1996, p. 474.
  38. ^ Bladen 1971, p. 13.
  39. ^ a b c Thrower 2007, p. 371.
  40. ^ Renshaw, Jerry (January 1, 1999). "Scanlines: Alabama's Ghost". The Austin Chronicle. Vol. 18, no. 18. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  41. ^ Renshaw, Jerry (October 17, 1997). "Scanlines: The Godmonster of Indian Flats". The Austin Chronicle. Vol. 17, no. 7. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

Sources edit

Books edit

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External links edit

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