Acid Delirium of the Senses (1968) - full transcript
Film showing the effects of drug taking: hallucinations, etc.
Happiness and peace are one:
The purpose of all humanity
But the path to peace and
happiness is little known.
It's a belief followed by this
tribe of hippies in New York,
A group of people like those
found in London, Paris...
Hippies are descendants
of the Beatniks.
They dance, sing, have long
hair and wear strange clothes.
Above all, they rebel
against a society...
...that doesn't accept them.
There are millions of
hippies today.
But, in youth revolts
around the world...
...today there is a
new phenomenon:
The phenomenon of
hallucinogens...
...a violent medium used
to escape reality.
For some, an extravagant curiosity.
For others, it's a religious medium:
It's a psychedelic movement,
an expansion of the mind.
One of the tribe writes;
'We are glad'
Acid.
Delirium of the Senses
Based on the book:
LSD the Paradise at 5 Dollars.
The images in this film are real,the people are real.
The facts have been collected from newspaper reports.
It means 'Acid' or LSD:
Diethylamide lysergic acid.
It's the most famous
of the hallucinogens.
It's use has defined the
psychedelic generation.
It is a tool of protest
amongst the youth.
Faces from the protest
in New York. In the village...
An area made famous by Jazz
and then the Beatniks.
Today, it's a centre for hippies,
and the protest movement.
The free men.
The youth say there's a
contradiction between what...
...society promises,
and what it's actually doing.
They say our society
is insincere and lazy.
So they protest; in their
beliefs, their dress...
...with their famous slogans
written on buttons, on flyers...
Expressing themselves with
a particular symbiology.
Sometimes, protest becomes
an evasion of reality...
So, the youth turn to
hallucinogens.
In the neuropsychology unit
in Princeton college, New Jersey....
We spoke to Prof. Henry Osmond.
I think that, for the first time,
the Cartesian man...
...is becoming a real possibility.
I think people today are turning...
...away from the notion that from
birth till death we're just numbers.
This possibility attracts people
who want to express themselves.
But don't be surprised that there
are others who oppose these ideas.
Expanding individuality to oppose
this process of mechanisation.
Interestingly, the psychedelic
generation aren't hostile.
In their opposition, they don't
seek to destroy the machine...
What they object to is being
a part of this mechanised state...
...and we cannot readily
condemn this point of view.
The youth believe hallucinogens
make their lives more diverse...
So, it's harder to classify
them within the 'system'...
Consequently, they are
more likely to stay out of it.
At Bellevue hospital, the president
of the commission for drugs in New York...
...Dr. Donald Lorrier,
spoke to us about LSD.
I think LSD is a manifestation
of the rebellion in young people.
There are three reasons why
people take a drug like LSD:
Those who have taken it once
and become hooked have...
...pre-existing problems. People who
are uninterested in anything else.
Those who are disaffected by
society, who choose to rebel.
This is one reason.
The second, is that many school
kids, around 50%, smoke mild...
...hallucinogens like marijuana.
Having had this experience...
...they turn to LSD and other
more powerful stimulants.
The third, are those who have
taken LSD and become missionaries...
...persuading others to try.
In summary, LSD is a worrying
phenomenon within our society.
Acid is cheap and it's
hard to control.
Only a few micrograms on a sugar
cube, or piece of paper, for one dose.
Or, as they say, one 'trip'.
The Village Voice is the most popular
paper amongst the non-conforming youth.
Here, we met Paola Miller.
Paola, what is the purpose
of this youth rebellion?
How do we link this movement
with hallucinogenic drugs?
Two and a half million
Americans have taken LSD.
According to the youth, LSD enables a person
to overcome the barriers we are conditioned to...
...and explore our individuality.
This is why acid is used
in a wide variety of places...
Perhaps out of a need for evasion.
The phenomenon has deep roots...
The society of consumption, of a self
serving exhorts a sweet tyranny...
...which is exciting to many, but not all
agree with its method of conditioning...
...and the youth rebel.
Pessimism?
Maybe...
Following Paola, we entered
into the world of LSD...
Here, in New York, we searched for
the most important stories...
This is Shelley, a noted photo model
working around Madison Avenue...
One of the faces in our story.
Shelley is also a student...
Every morning she goes to Washington
Square on her way to university...
But this time it's different; she had a
strange experience the previous night...
Shelley celebrated her twentieth
birthday with some friends...
Ursula, one of her class-mates and the
rich daughter of a southern oil baron...
...couldn't make it to the party,
so she sent her a cake as a present...
The sugar in the cake contained LSD but
none of them knew this at the time...
It was meant to be a joke.
It didn't take long for
them to feel its effect.
Fortunately, the effects were mild
and Shelley was released later.
Was it really LSD?
-It's illegal, you don't have the right.
Get these photographers out of here.
Just a comment?
I won't be making any comment,
I've already called a lawyer.
A lawyer will be here soon.
These three were arrested recently
in a noted restaurant in Brooklyn...
It was an entertaining, but
also quite significant, case.
...we have to check areas
around the universities.
Gentlemen, please come with me, the
captain wants something cleared up.
Lawyer Green.
-I'll take care of it, let's go.
Another three martini's,
we'll be back soon Victor.
Shortly after, Green, one of the
most noted lawyers in New York...
...paid the $210,000 bail bond. The
police found 2kg of LSD in their car...
The street value was in the thousands.
Hey, Victor, we're back.
I didn't think it would be that easy!
That really was fun.
Don't worry about it.
-These were prepared earlier.
But how did they know?
No, take it away.
To our business.
-Cheers.
This is Frankie Russo, he manages
a bowling alley on the west side.
Sal Martin, a former pilot. A few
months ago he was in the papers:
He was caught with his
plane full of marijuana.
James Burton, known in
the business as 'Burt'...
...he's involved with the nightclub
circuit, and striptease clubs.
I heard the way to achieve an orgasm
is to sleep with the right man, but who?
Me!
Hello, Nick.
-Hi, Sal.
Is the boss upstairs?
-Yes, he's waiting for you.
Do you know who talked?
-Some ideas, I'm looking around.
Will it take long?
-We'll see, my friends weren't impressed.
There's something new in the drug scene...
Two million students are taking acid...
The more they try to ban it,
the more popular it gets...
I'm with you Burton,
but I wouldn't want to mix in...
Well, you know me; I
don't like to take risks...
If, for example, you asked me to hijack a
plane and kidnap the president of Guatemala...
...and then drop him off on the roof
of this building, I'd be all for it...
...but I don't like violence!
-In this world it's either kill...
...or be killed.
Let's get back on topic,
we need to find out about LSD...
Hang out with the kids,
you get me?
Okay guys, we've finished.
George, I'll meet you at the show.
-Okay, see you tonight.
Hi Josh, everything okay?
-Hi Patricia, how's the casting going?
Really well.
I brought you a poster...
This is Helen, she's
acting in my new comedy.
The decoration here is very original.
-Yes, it's been a success...
What's it like working
in Patricia's comedy?
It's great fun!
'Ideals in a can' will be a success, after
Macbeth people will be talking about it!
Where's Nicky? I thought
he'd be here this afternoon.
He left a few minutes ago.
-I'll try and catch up with him.
Goodbye, Josh.
See you on opening night.
Forgive me, Nicky!
Forget about today...
You know I hate it when
you're with other women.
See...
Anything that gets in the
way of my freedom hurts me...
It hurts me!
I'm getting tired of your ways...
You can't make me decide.
Your possessive instincts offend me.
-Try to understand, it's just different...
It's me who should listen,
wanting to belong to you...
I'm not being possessive,
it's just my need for you...
...and nothing else.
One evening, Paola was invited to a
party in a large hotel on Park Avenue...
It was in Eddie's apartment,
a friend of hers...
From that night on, Paola becomes
the subject of one of our stories.
Friends, let's have a toast for the new
vice president of the company...
Eddie Stone.
One of our youngest exponents
in the financial sector.
A champion for tomorrow.
-It's incredible someone so young...
...is the vice president
of such a large company.
Paola!
Thanks for coming.
How could I miss it? Since
we met I'm curious to know...
...how much of the kid is
left in today's vice president!
Yesterday I met tomorrow's
man from last year...
He's a tramp who hangs
around the Bowery.
You haven't met my ex have you?
We've been together for four years...
It's a record! It's a shame he's always
travelling, that's why we divorced...
You don't know how happy
I am that you've met.
According to you, who is the most
important man in the world today?
The man who serves me
coffee in the morning.
Who would you invest in?
-Mine.
What do you think
about charitable causes?
Better than causes that aren't.
-Original!
What cigarettes do you prefer?
-The ones I don't smoke.
Which do you prefer, the Wall
Street Journal or Esquire?
I read Snoopy.
-Do you play any sports?
Only the elevator,
the most relaxing one.
There's a lot of gossip about
you and Ms. Huxley of Richmond?
What a great slogan...
'A man of today, for a great
fortune from the old America.'
What do you say, Mr. Stone?
-Go and talk to her in Richmond.
Excuse me.
It's from London, the office.
There's less noise in there.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Put the call from London through.
-There's no call.
I understand,
thank you.
You haven't changed much, you're
probably different at work...
I wanted to get you away
from all that hassle.
This party is boring,
why don't we leave?
I brought my friends from the village,
the most formidable group around!
Come over here!
-Come in, come in.
I've had a great idea!
We'll all dance the fireball!
Can we just leave?
-It's better.
Remember, whoever puts
out the flame is eliminated.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
that's the time of day..."
"All good children go to heaven,
so some people say..."
"Tinker tailor, soldier, sailor,
wish upon a star..."
"Just don't tell me
not to play with fire!"
"Never tell me not to play with fire..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
Where do you want to go?
-I want you to decide tonight.
Then I've got a surprise for you,
perhaps you'll see me differently...
This is the centre of my business...
Over two thousand people work
underneath these bright lights...
...and I give them their orders.
It's strange...
To get up here most people work
their way up, floor by floor...
Most only get half way, but it
feels like I've taken the elevator.
This is my room,
my small empire.
It's an impressive empire! To think that
not so long ago you were still studying.
You remind of someone returning
to the scene of the crime.
Perhaps you've killed
yourself in this office?
Perhaps I shouldn't
have brought you here?
No, don't say that...
I always used to admire you
when we were at school...
You were so...
...so great! It's hard to remain
ourselves in the real world...
Compromising with each day,
perhaps that's what changed you?
I don't know...
Perhaps I'm looking for
something I've missed out on.
To be, or not to be...
Rebel or conform?
This is the problem!
Is it so noble to follow the heavy
imposition of false ideals?
To submit to a
swathe of hypocrisy...
Or go away from the power that
sustains him, even if it means death!
Die?
And why? It's so simple...
Just change the car once a year, buy
frozen food from the supermarket...
Believe in all those prefabricated
ideals, and be robbed of your liberty...
Synthetic progress,
and artificial faith.
Die, sleep...
Sleep? Dream, perhaps...
This is the point...
Stop with the conditioning and say;
enough with these offences against truth!
Against personality! Enough with
the prejudices of imposition.
We won't just fit in to the
chain that we call society...
We won't be influenced
by the stock exchange...
We won't fall into the
abyss of economic depression.
Fear will make us feel more alive,
and noble ideals will be pulverised...
...and tinned, ready for distribution
to the brainwashed masses...
Ideals for everyone;
'False ideals in a can!'
You know, lately, I've been thinking
about how great we are together.
What are you talking about?
About us two together.
-Can I really make you happy?
Isn't this happiness?
Are you so sure?
Listen...
Commercial programs, television,
songs, sport, is that also happiness?
I bet that in one of those
houses, behind a window...
...they're making love, watching an
ad for the latest model refrigerator.
When saw each other again recently...
I thought I could
find myself with you...
But it hasn't turned out like that...
...maybe I never will.
I've always refused to take LSD.
-Yes, I know.
As an observer of this phenomenon I
never imagined I'd be involved in it...
...but now it's about my life.
With LSD we've cured grave cases of
alcoholism and schizophrenia...
Whether this therapy can be used
to cure sexual inhibitions...
...with positive results, or help
men perform better, is unknown...
Others remain positive, claiming
LSD has positive mystical effects...
...like Harry Allen.
What I feel inside me is different,
it's hard to be precise...
A necessity to reach an effective solitude,
freezes before a physiological desire...
Distortions like this aren't rare, they
derive from physiological factors...
...and childhood traumas, that
lay dormant in the body forever...
...while our conscience
has forgotten them.
In my case...
It could be something
that's broken up in me...
Very slowly, as I distanced
myself from my family...
From my mother!
-LSD can find in the individual...
...your conscience and real truth, and
not only in the physiological sense...
But also how you are attracted to women.
Your skin feels like it was born today.
The wind...
It's cold... So cold!
No, it's my mother...
Annie... Annie!
So much time...
I was so close to her.
-Eddie.
It was all dark...
Since always.
Then... Red, red!
The light...
The cold air...
Cold!
My mother!
It hurt...
Like my life, red!
-Eddie?
Eddie?
Eddie?
Ursula!
Tom!
Welcome back.
Did you know I missed you?
-Want me to drive?
Yes, thanks.
You know how selfish I am.
Let's go.
-Thanks for coming to the airport.
Has anything changed in New York?
-Nothing, it's boring.
Hang around with me.
-We know each other too well.
Go to San Francisco then, it's
the psychedelic centre of America.
Tell me more.
-One trip after another...
Every night is a happening.
The women in the bars are all topless.
I'll go, but I'm sure I'll get bored.
I need to be shocked, hurt someone...
I'd like to play with someone's life.
-That has to be done on occasions...
...which are presented every hour,
every minute, unplanned.
Do you read James Bond?
-Yes, but it's an atomic Bond.
Over two hundred trips,
look...
On each page there's a red dot,
each dot is a hit of LSD.
Fantastic, when will we read it?
-I've already started...
I'm still high. I hope you're not worried?
-No, a bit of danger excites me.
When will we read it then?
-Tomorrow, if you want...
With your friends. Bring Shelley,
I wonder what she's like on LSD...
She might be fun.
How many red dots have you found?
-One for each shot he fires...
How many for each kiss?
-Two.
Shelley, you'll really
enjoy your second trip.
Let?s put it here.
We must start with the flame.
There, now it's your turn.
Come on, a little distilled
water and it'll taste better.
Hey, can I get some?
-Ursula! I'll be your pilot, bon voyage!
A bit of acid on a piece of
James Bond, it surely will be.
Tom...
What colours can you see?
It's me, Ursula.
I really miss you.
I'll meet you at mine in half an hour...
Yes, yes... Park Avenue.
I'm telling you, there
won't be anyone there.
Bye.
See you soon.
Yuri...
I don't want to...
Maybe it's a rainbow?
No, I don't want to come down
from this trip, It scares me...
Reality... Reality!
I'm scared.
Shelley.
No, Tom...
...reality is grey!
Grey, grey, grey...
It's all grey.
I don't have the courage to substitute my
daily reality for an artificial paradise.
Every hour...
My bond with Nicky is like hanging on
to a floating log, trying not to drown.
Why don't you try to exist by yourself?
By yourself, Patricia! Find yourself.
I do think about it, and then
I say; what's the point?
If you feel like dreaming one day, here,
don't hesitate to go on your trip...
Detach yourself from him
forever, and find yourself.
I'm scared... How hard
will it be to come back?
Helen, Nicky is my reality.
Don't hurry,
you know what I like.
You infuriate me!
I could strangle you!
What's up?
You aren't so aggressive.
Come closer.
Here...
Smoke as much as you want, Nicky.
Don't you smoke it?
-No, I'm not interested in marijuana...
But it helps you.
-How?
To forget your complexes,
to forget what you are.
Kiss me!
More.
You're not used to it,
I like it when you're like this...
But I sense that you're nervous,
you don't want to play this game...
We're both from the south,
do you want to play, Nicky?
Aim at what you want,
even me if you want to?
Come on, shoot.
Marijuana makes your hands shake,
that's why I don't smoke it...
LSD, on the other hand,
develops my superiority...
Don't you want to shoot me?
Then choose another target...
That one, for example...
Be brave! It's a portrait of one
of my illustrious ancestors...
Benjamin Perkins from Atlanta,
Georgia, he should interest you...
He kept hundreds of slaves.
-Enough!
Shoot!
But mind the frame.
It's a special blend made
only for my father, in Scotland.
We've known each other for so long
but you've never told me who she is.
She's a script writer.
-Black?
No, white.
-Does she have blue eyes?
Brown.
-What's her name?
Patricia, Patricia Adams.
-She's crazy about you, but you?
I don't know, but we've lived
together for three years.
She dominates you, right?
Maybe it's because she's a writer...
Or because she's white?
But I'm whiter than her, look at me...
I've got blue eyes,
look at how blonde my hair is...
Tell me you're crazy for me.
I don't understand you...
You weren't like this before,
what game are you playing tonight?
It's not an unusual game in New York,
it's a game of power, of possession...
It's not easy to do it Nicky,
you've got to be cut out for it...
They say that in twenty years
you'll have a black president...
But to govern a country, one must first
learn how to dominate a white woman...
Yes, a woman from the south,
just like me!
You won't hit me, just like
you didn't hit the other one...
Just like you couldn't shoot
at grandpa Benjamin...
Come.
Look...
All children of God have wings, so you say,
but I bet you're getting vertigo up here...
Careful, Nicky. Be careful of
vertigo, it's too high up for you here.
Now slap me,
I deserve it.
I'll still stay with you,
but not here Nicky...
Only in your home. In the
home where you live with her.
Patricia...
Patricia...
This is... Ursula.
Ursula?
She's of no importance...
...I am free.
I'm flying high.
-She's tripping hard, I know the effects.
Look, Patricia, even Nicky can fly.
High!
No... No! Crows can't
fly above the clouds!
Go, Patricia.
What are you trying to do?
Nothing, she's trying to escape
from you and I'm not stopping her.
What are you trying to do?
-Let go of me. You can't stop me!
Now I see what you're
really like! Liar! Let me go.
Go on Patricia, don't be scared!
Go on!
Fly!
Only you can fly!
Fly...
Fly!
Dirty negro!
The afternoon papers carried the
announcement of Patricia's suicide...
Nicky gave himself up.
...more dangerous than LSD.
The dangers are immense...
In this hospital, Belle View Hospital,
in the last eighteen months we've seen...
...more than one hundred and thirty
young adults, average age, twenty two...
...with psychosis brought on by LSD. Their
rate of recovery varies enormously...
In San Francisco, one hospital
sees ten to twenty people a week...
...with an average ago of sixteen.
All with psychosis brought on by LSD
There are two reactions; the
first is an acute reaction...
The second is longer term toxic damage.
Regarding the acute reaction, there
are two consequences...
One requires a longer stay in hospital,
the other often leads to suicide...
Hence the growing suicide rate...
There have also been
cases of self-mutilation...
In California, a youth who had taken
LSD, looked at himself in the mirror...
...and said "Christ has
suffered, why shouldn't I?"
Went in to the bathroom and
slashed his throat and both wrists.
The next day, we went to see
a psychedelic show with Paola...
The venue was called 'The Underground"...
It seemed to symbolise the entire
underground psychedelic movement.
We are against a society that
us youth didn't create or accept.
That's anarchy.
-Call it what you want...
We may be anarchists, but we aren't
dropping bombs on each other...
It's a velvet revolution.
Paola.
All of New York is asking why you
resigned from Tilley investments?
I've got no comment.
Someone on a $60,000 salary must
have their reasons for quitting?
What will you do now?
-Exist.
We hadn't seen Paola since that night...
It seemed like we were
destined not to meet again...
Then, one day at our hotel...
Hello? Hello?
Oh! It's you Paola.
-Remember that day at The Underground?
We'd just gone in, and you'd
started filming, when...
Shortly after, as you know,
I met up with Eddie...
I felt the need to get out,
away from all that noise...
I felt alone.
With a sense of boredom...
I didn't think you'd get in.
-Pessimist?
Depends on the case.
You see, half a bottle of whiskey...
...is half full to an optimist,
but it's half empty to a pessimist.
Where did you pick up
this bit of philosophy?
On the street, I learnt it all there.
That's what happens in Brooklyn...
College, university, experience.
I was born down there.
-Really?
Yes, Ellis island, in quarantine,
right next to the statue of liberty...
My folks were from Italy. Back then
they put them on Ellis island...
They became Americans straight
away, instead of waiting for years.
On the other hand...
I was born in the countryside.
Do you know what I used to do as a kid?
-What?
I used to chase after rainbows.
-Why?
Why? Because us girls thought you'd
get a man if you could get there.
Sounds tough! Did you make it?
I thought I did, sometimes.
Understood? Just live.
You'll feel better, you'll see.
What type of man is he?
-Burton?
I don't know much about him, he's a
bit mysterious if you know what I mean.
Do you remember that day in the
village? It was the day we met...
I was doing some 'market
research' for Burton...
But that morning...
No, I can't tell you.
It's incredible! I've known
Frankie since we were this high...
And he would've betrayed me as well!
-That's how it is, and now he's hiding...
We've got to get him out of the way.
Hi, uncle Nick, how's it going?
Aren't you playing?
You know Frankie has
always been a loose cannon...
He's hiding somewhere, tell him I
want to see him tomorrow morning.
Is it because I talked?
The immigration office
is chasing after me now...
If you let me go I'll leave for Mexico
today, I promise. It's your call.
Listen Frankie, I've never ratted on
anyone, and I won't start with you...
But I warn you, don't ever
show your face around here!
Leave today!
Stop looking for
Frankie, he's in Mexico.
Then I'll look for Sal.
You understand what I'm thinking.
What's wrong, Sal?
Our relationship is over,
I don't want any luggage...
We've got to leave immediately.
No, Paola, it would be a mistake to
continue. It's too dangerous for you.
Sal.
Sal!
Paola never saw Sal again...
He disappeared without a trace...
We thought about his fate...
Perhaps he got a pair
of concrete shoes?
Shelley, the model
from Madison Avenue...
The student from Washington Square,
the last part of our story.
Reality is grey.
Who is it?
-Shelley, it's Tom.
No...
I don't want to, I can't.
If you're still high
we can trip together.
Attention, attention!
There's Dick from Los Angeles...
He's a wizard dressed in plastic!
And this is Beverly...
...painted in a psychedelic tapestry;
You're a supersonic venus!
Borne out of a splendid hallucination!
Guys, let's catch up with the news...
One paper each, underneath
the classifieds you'll find a venus!
She had fallen down suddenly.
Violence,
excitement...
Escape from reality...
Psychosis of our times...
Wait until society is dissatisfied
with its well-being...
It's a common story.
The purpose of all humanity
But the path to peace and
happiness is little known.
It's a belief followed by this
tribe of hippies in New York,
A group of people like those
found in London, Paris...
Hippies are descendants
of the Beatniks.
They dance, sing, have long
hair and wear strange clothes.
Above all, they rebel
against a society...
...that doesn't accept them.
There are millions of
hippies today.
But, in youth revolts
around the world...
...today there is a
new phenomenon:
The phenomenon of
hallucinogens...
...a violent medium used
to escape reality.
For some, an extravagant curiosity.
For others, it's a religious medium:
It's a psychedelic movement,
an expansion of the mind.
One of the tribe writes;
'We are glad'
Acid.
Delirium of the Senses
Based on the book:
LSD the Paradise at 5 Dollars.
The images in this film are real,the people are real.
The facts have been collected from newspaper reports.
It means 'Acid' or LSD:
Diethylamide lysergic acid.
It's the most famous
of the hallucinogens.
It's use has defined the
psychedelic generation.
It is a tool of protest
amongst the youth.
Faces from the protest
in New York. In the village...
An area made famous by Jazz
and then the Beatniks.
Today, it's a centre for hippies,
and the protest movement.
The free men.
The youth say there's a
contradiction between what...
...society promises,
and what it's actually doing.
They say our society
is insincere and lazy.
So they protest; in their
beliefs, their dress...
...with their famous slogans
written on buttons, on flyers...
Expressing themselves with
a particular symbiology.
Sometimes, protest becomes
an evasion of reality...
So, the youth turn to
hallucinogens.
In the neuropsychology unit
in Princeton college, New Jersey....
We spoke to Prof. Henry Osmond.
I think that, for the first time,
the Cartesian man...
...is becoming a real possibility.
I think people today are turning...
...away from the notion that from
birth till death we're just numbers.
This possibility attracts people
who want to express themselves.
But don't be surprised that there
are others who oppose these ideas.
Expanding individuality to oppose
this process of mechanisation.
Interestingly, the psychedelic
generation aren't hostile.
In their opposition, they don't
seek to destroy the machine...
What they object to is being
a part of this mechanised state...
...and we cannot readily
condemn this point of view.
The youth believe hallucinogens
make their lives more diverse...
So, it's harder to classify
them within the 'system'...
Consequently, they are
more likely to stay out of it.
At Bellevue hospital, the president
of the commission for drugs in New York...
...Dr. Donald Lorrier,
spoke to us about LSD.
I think LSD is a manifestation
of the rebellion in young people.
There are three reasons why
people take a drug like LSD:
Those who have taken it once
and become hooked have...
...pre-existing problems. People who
are uninterested in anything else.
Those who are disaffected by
society, who choose to rebel.
This is one reason.
The second, is that many school
kids, around 50%, smoke mild...
...hallucinogens like marijuana.
Having had this experience...
...they turn to LSD and other
more powerful stimulants.
The third, are those who have
taken LSD and become missionaries...
...persuading others to try.
In summary, LSD is a worrying
phenomenon within our society.
Acid is cheap and it's
hard to control.
Only a few micrograms on a sugar
cube, or piece of paper, for one dose.
Or, as they say, one 'trip'.
The Village Voice is the most popular
paper amongst the non-conforming youth.
Here, we met Paola Miller.
Paola, what is the purpose
of this youth rebellion?
How do we link this movement
with hallucinogenic drugs?
Two and a half million
Americans have taken LSD.
According to the youth, LSD enables a person
to overcome the barriers we are conditioned to...
...and explore our individuality.
This is why acid is used
in a wide variety of places...
Perhaps out of a need for evasion.
The phenomenon has deep roots...
The society of consumption, of a self
serving exhorts a sweet tyranny...
...which is exciting to many, but not all
agree with its method of conditioning...
...and the youth rebel.
Pessimism?
Maybe...
Following Paola, we entered
into the world of LSD...
Here, in New York, we searched for
the most important stories...
This is Shelley, a noted photo model
working around Madison Avenue...
One of the faces in our story.
Shelley is also a student...
Every morning she goes to Washington
Square on her way to university...
But this time it's different; she had a
strange experience the previous night...
Shelley celebrated her twentieth
birthday with some friends...
Ursula, one of her class-mates and the
rich daughter of a southern oil baron...
...couldn't make it to the party,
so she sent her a cake as a present...
The sugar in the cake contained LSD but
none of them knew this at the time...
It was meant to be a joke.
It didn't take long for
them to feel its effect.
Fortunately, the effects were mild
and Shelley was released later.
Was it really LSD?
-It's illegal, you don't have the right.
Get these photographers out of here.
Just a comment?
I won't be making any comment,
I've already called a lawyer.
A lawyer will be here soon.
These three were arrested recently
in a noted restaurant in Brooklyn...
It was an entertaining, but
also quite significant, case.
...we have to check areas
around the universities.
Gentlemen, please come with me, the
captain wants something cleared up.
Lawyer Green.
-I'll take care of it, let's go.
Another three martini's,
we'll be back soon Victor.
Shortly after, Green, one of the
most noted lawyers in New York...
...paid the $210,000 bail bond. The
police found 2kg of LSD in their car...
The street value was in the thousands.
Hey, Victor, we're back.
I didn't think it would be that easy!
That really was fun.
Don't worry about it.
-These were prepared earlier.
But how did they know?
No, take it away.
To our business.
-Cheers.
This is Frankie Russo, he manages
a bowling alley on the west side.
Sal Martin, a former pilot. A few
months ago he was in the papers:
He was caught with his
plane full of marijuana.
James Burton, known in
the business as 'Burt'...
...he's involved with the nightclub
circuit, and striptease clubs.
I heard the way to achieve an orgasm
is to sleep with the right man, but who?
Me!
Hello, Nick.
-Hi, Sal.
Is the boss upstairs?
-Yes, he's waiting for you.
Do you know who talked?
-Some ideas, I'm looking around.
Will it take long?
-We'll see, my friends weren't impressed.
There's something new in the drug scene...
Two million students are taking acid...
The more they try to ban it,
the more popular it gets...
I'm with you Burton,
but I wouldn't want to mix in...
Well, you know me; I
don't like to take risks...
If, for example, you asked me to hijack a
plane and kidnap the president of Guatemala...
...and then drop him off on the roof
of this building, I'd be all for it...
...but I don't like violence!
-In this world it's either kill...
...or be killed.
Let's get back on topic,
we need to find out about LSD...
Hang out with the kids,
you get me?
Okay guys, we've finished.
George, I'll meet you at the show.
-Okay, see you tonight.
Hi Josh, everything okay?
-Hi Patricia, how's the casting going?
Really well.
I brought you a poster...
This is Helen, she's
acting in my new comedy.
The decoration here is very original.
-Yes, it's been a success...
What's it like working
in Patricia's comedy?
It's great fun!
'Ideals in a can' will be a success, after
Macbeth people will be talking about it!
Where's Nicky? I thought
he'd be here this afternoon.
He left a few minutes ago.
-I'll try and catch up with him.
Goodbye, Josh.
See you on opening night.
Forgive me, Nicky!
Forget about today...
You know I hate it when
you're with other women.
See...
Anything that gets in the
way of my freedom hurts me...
It hurts me!
I'm getting tired of your ways...
You can't make me decide.
Your possessive instincts offend me.
-Try to understand, it's just different...
It's me who should listen,
wanting to belong to you...
I'm not being possessive,
it's just my need for you...
...and nothing else.
One evening, Paola was invited to a
party in a large hotel on Park Avenue...
It was in Eddie's apartment,
a friend of hers...
From that night on, Paola becomes
the subject of one of our stories.
Friends, let's have a toast for the new
vice president of the company...
Eddie Stone.
One of our youngest exponents
in the financial sector.
A champion for tomorrow.
-It's incredible someone so young...
...is the vice president
of such a large company.
Paola!
Thanks for coming.
How could I miss it? Since
we met I'm curious to know...
...how much of the kid is
left in today's vice president!
Yesterday I met tomorrow's
man from last year...
He's a tramp who hangs
around the Bowery.
You haven't met my ex have you?
We've been together for four years...
It's a record! It's a shame he's always
travelling, that's why we divorced...
You don't know how happy
I am that you've met.
According to you, who is the most
important man in the world today?
The man who serves me
coffee in the morning.
Who would you invest in?
-Mine.
What do you think
about charitable causes?
Better than causes that aren't.
-Original!
What cigarettes do you prefer?
-The ones I don't smoke.
Which do you prefer, the Wall
Street Journal or Esquire?
I read Snoopy.
-Do you play any sports?
Only the elevator,
the most relaxing one.
There's a lot of gossip about
you and Ms. Huxley of Richmond?
What a great slogan...
'A man of today, for a great
fortune from the old America.'
What do you say, Mr. Stone?
-Go and talk to her in Richmond.
Excuse me.
It's from London, the office.
There's less noise in there.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Put the call from London through.
-There's no call.
I understand,
thank you.
You haven't changed much, you're
probably different at work...
I wanted to get you away
from all that hassle.
This party is boring,
why don't we leave?
I brought my friends from the village,
the most formidable group around!
Come over here!
-Come in, come in.
I've had a great idea!
We'll all dance the fireball!
Can we just leave?
-It's better.
Remember, whoever puts
out the flame is eliminated.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
that's the time of day..."
"All good children go to heaven,
so some people say..."
"Tinker tailor, soldier, sailor,
wish upon a star..."
"Just don't tell me
not to play with fire!"
"Never tell me not to play with fire..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
"Fireball, fireball..."
Where do you want to go?
-I want you to decide tonight.
Then I've got a surprise for you,
perhaps you'll see me differently...
This is the centre of my business...
Over two thousand people work
underneath these bright lights...
...and I give them their orders.
It's strange...
To get up here most people work
their way up, floor by floor...
Most only get half way, but it
feels like I've taken the elevator.
This is my room,
my small empire.
It's an impressive empire! To think that
not so long ago you were still studying.
You remind of someone returning
to the scene of the crime.
Perhaps you've killed
yourself in this office?
Perhaps I shouldn't
have brought you here?
No, don't say that...
I always used to admire you
when we were at school...
You were so...
...so great! It's hard to remain
ourselves in the real world...
Compromising with each day,
perhaps that's what changed you?
I don't know...
Perhaps I'm looking for
something I've missed out on.
To be, or not to be...
Rebel or conform?
This is the problem!
Is it so noble to follow the heavy
imposition of false ideals?
To submit to a
swathe of hypocrisy...
Or go away from the power that
sustains him, even if it means death!
Die?
And why? It's so simple...
Just change the car once a year, buy
frozen food from the supermarket...
Believe in all those prefabricated
ideals, and be robbed of your liberty...
Synthetic progress,
and artificial faith.
Die, sleep...
Sleep? Dream, perhaps...
This is the point...
Stop with the conditioning and say;
enough with these offences against truth!
Against personality! Enough with
the prejudices of imposition.
We won't just fit in to the
chain that we call society...
We won't be influenced
by the stock exchange...
We won't fall into the
abyss of economic depression.
Fear will make us feel more alive,
and noble ideals will be pulverised...
...and tinned, ready for distribution
to the brainwashed masses...
Ideals for everyone;
'False ideals in a can!'
You know, lately, I've been thinking
about how great we are together.
What are you talking about?
About us two together.
-Can I really make you happy?
Isn't this happiness?
Are you so sure?
Listen...
Commercial programs, television,
songs, sport, is that also happiness?
I bet that in one of those
houses, behind a window...
...they're making love, watching an
ad for the latest model refrigerator.
When saw each other again recently...
I thought I could
find myself with you...
But it hasn't turned out like that...
...maybe I never will.
I've always refused to take LSD.
-Yes, I know.
As an observer of this phenomenon I
never imagined I'd be involved in it...
...but now it's about my life.
With LSD we've cured grave cases of
alcoholism and schizophrenia...
Whether this therapy can be used
to cure sexual inhibitions...
...with positive results, or help
men perform better, is unknown...
Others remain positive, claiming
LSD has positive mystical effects...
...like Harry Allen.
What I feel inside me is different,
it's hard to be precise...
A necessity to reach an effective solitude,
freezes before a physiological desire...
Distortions like this aren't rare, they
derive from physiological factors...
...and childhood traumas, that
lay dormant in the body forever...
...while our conscience
has forgotten them.
In my case...
It could be something
that's broken up in me...
Very slowly, as I distanced
myself from my family...
From my mother!
-LSD can find in the individual...
...your conscience and real truth, and
not only in the physiological sense...
But also how you are attracted to women.
Your skin feels like it was born today.
The wind...
It's cold... So cold!
No, it's my mother...
Annie... Annie!
So much time...
I was so close to her.
-Eddie.
It was all dark...
Since always.
Then... Red, red!
The light...
The cold air...
Cold!
My mother!
It hurt...
Like my life, red!
-Eddie?
Eddie?
Eddie?
Ursula!
Tom!
Welcome back.
Did you know I missed you?
-Want me to drive?
Yes, thanks.
You know how selfish I am.
Let's go.
-Thanks for coming to the airport.
Has anything changed in New York?
-Nothing, it's boring.
Hang around with me.
-We know each other too well.
Go to San Francisco then, it's
the psychedelic centre of America.
Tell me more.
-One trip after another...
Every night is a happening.
The women in the bars are all topless.
I'll go, but I'm sure I'll get bored.
I need to be shocked, hurt someone...
I'd like to play with someone's life.
-That has to be done on occasions...
...which are presented every hour,
every minute, unplanned.
Do you read James Bond?
-Yes, but it's an atomic Bond.
Over two hundred trips,
look...
On each page there's a red dot,
each dot is a hit of LSD.
Fantastic, when will we read it?
-I've already started...
I'm still high. I hope you're not worried?
-No, a bit of danger excites me.
When will we read it then?
-Tomorrow, if you want...
With your friends. Bring Shelley,
I wonder what she's like on LSD...
She might be fun.
How many red dots have you found?
-One for each shot he fires...
How many for each kiss?
-Two.
Shelley, you'll really
enjoy your second trip.
Let?s put it here.
We must start with the flame.
There, now it's your turn.
Come on, a little distilled
water and it'll taste better.
Hey, can I get some?
-Ursula! I'll be your pilot, bon voyage!
A bit of acid on a piece of
James Bond, it surely will be.
Tom...
What colours can you see?
It's me, Ursula.
I really miss you.
I'll meet you at mine in half an hour...
Yes, yes... Park Avenue.
I'm telling you, there
won't be anyone there.
Bye.
See you soon.
Yuri...
I don't want to...
Maybe it's a rainbow?
No, I don't want to come down
from this trip, It scares me...
Reality... Reality!
I'm scared.
Shelley.
No, Tom...
...reality is grey!
Grey, grey, grey...
It's all grey.
I don't have the courage to substitute my
daily reality for an artificial paradise.
Every hour...
My bond with Nicky is like hanging on
to a floating log, trying not to drown.
Why don't you try to exist by yourself?
By yourself, Patricia! Find yourself.
I do think about it, and then
I say; what's the point?
If you feel like dreaming one day, here,
don't hesitate to go on your trip...
Detach yourself from him
forever, and find yourself.
I'm scared... How hard
will it be to come back?
Helen, Nicky is my reality.
Don't hurry,
you know what I like.
You infuriate me!
I could strangle you!
What's up?
You aren't so aggressive.
Come closer.
Here...
Smoke as much as you want, Nicky.
Don't you smoke it?
-No, I'm not interested in marijuana...
But it helps you.
-How?
To forget your complexes,
to forget what you are.
Kiss me!
More.
You're not used to it,
I like it when you're like this...
But I sense that you're nervous,
you don't want to play this game...
We're both from the south,
do you want to play, Nicky?
Aim at what you want,
even me if you want to?
Come on, shoot.
Marijuana makes your hands shake,
that's why I don't smoke it...
LSD, on the other hand,
develops my superiority...
Don't you want to shoot me?
Then choose another target...
That one, for example...
Be brave! It's a portrait of one
of my illustrious ancestors...
Benjamin Perkins from Atlanta,
Georgia, he should interest you...
He kept hundreds of slaves.
-Enough!
Shoot!
But mind the frame.
It's a special blend made
only for my father, in Scotland.
We've known each other for so long
but you've never told me who she is.
She's a script writer.
-Black?
No, white.
-Does she have blue eyes?
Brown.
-What's her name?
Patricia, Patricia Adams.
-She's crazy about you, but you?
I don't know, but we've lived
together for three years.
She dominates you, right?
Maybe it's because she's a writer...
Or because she's white?
But I'm whiter than her, look at me...
I've got blue eyes,
look at how blonde my hair is...
Tell me you're crazy for me.
I don't understand you...
You weren't like this before,
what game are you playing tonight?
It's not an unusual game in New York,
it's a game of power, of possession...
It's not easy to do it Nicky,
you've got to be cut out for it...
They say that in twenty years
you'll have a black president...
But to govern a country, one must first
learn how to dominate a white woman...
Yes, a woman from the south,
just like me!
You won't hit me, just like
you didn't hit the other one...
Just like you couldn't shoot
at grandpa Benjamin...
Come.
Look...
All children of God have wings, so you say,
but I bet you're getting vertigo up here...
Careful, Nicky. Be careful of
vertigo, it's too high up for you here.
Now slap me,
I deserve it.
I'll still stay with you,
but not here Nicky...
Only in your home. In the
home where you live with her.
Patricia...
Patricia...
This is... Ursula.
Ursula?
She's of no importance...
...I am free.
I'm flying high.
-She's tripping hard, I know the effects.
Look, Patricia, even Nicky can fly.
High!
No... No! Crows can't
fly above the clouds!
Go, Patricia.
What are you trying to do?
Nothing, she's trying to escape
from you and I'm not stopping her.
What are you trying to do?
-Let go of me. You can't stop me!
Now I see what you're
really like! Liar! Let me go.
Go on Patricia, don't be scared!
Go on!
Fly!
Only you can fly!
Fly...
Fly!
Dirty negro!
The afternoon papers carried the
announcement of Patricia's suicide...
Nicky gave himself up.
...more dangerous than LSD.
The dangers are immense...
In this hospital, Belle View Hospital,
in the last eighteen months we've seen...
...more than one hundred and thirty
young adults, average age, twenty two...
...with psychosis brought on by LSD. Their
rate of recovery varies enormously...
In San Francisco, one hospital
sees ten to twenty people a week...
...with an average ago of sixteen.
All with psychosis brought on by LSD
There are two reactions; the
first is an acute reaction...
The second is longer term toxic damage.
Regarding the acute reaction, there
are two consequences...
One requires a longer stay in hospital,
the other often leads to suicide...
Hence the growing suicide rate...
There have also been
cases of self-mutilation...
In California, a youth who had taken
LSD, looked at himself in the mirror...
...and said "Christ has
suffered, why shouldn't I?"
Went in to the bathroom and
slashed his throat and both wrists.
The next day, we went to see
a psychedelic show with Paola...
The venue was called 'The Underground"...
It seemed to symbolise the entire
underground psychedelic movement.
We are against a society that
us youth didn't create or accept.
That's anarchy.
-Call it what you want...
We may be anarchists, but we aren't
dropping bombs on each other...
It's a velvet revolution.
Paola.
All of New York is asking why you
resigned from Tilley investments?
I've got no comment.
Someone on a $60,000 salary must
have their reasons for quitting?
What will you do now?
-Exist.
We hadn't seen Paola since that night...
It seemed like we were
destined not to meet again...
Then, one day at our hotel...
Hello? Hello?
Oh! It's you Paola.
-Remember that day at The Underground?
We'd just gone in, and you'd
started filming, when...
Shortly after, as you know,
I met up with Eddie...
I felt the need to get out,
away from all that noise...
I felt alone.
With a sense of boredom...
I didn't think you'd get in.
-Pessimist?
Depends on the case.
You see, half a bottle of whiskey...
...is half full to an optimist,
but it's half empty to a pessimist.
Where did you pick up
this bit of philosophy?
On the street, I learnt it all there.
That's what happens in Brooklyn...
College, university, experience.
I was born down there.
-Really?
Yes, Ellis island, in quarantine,
right next to the statue of liberty...
My folks were from Italy. Back then
they put them on Ellis island...
They became Americans straight
away, instead of waiting for years.
On the other hand...
I was born in the countryside.
Do you know what I used to do as a kid?
-What?
I used to chase after rainbows.
-Why?
Why? Because us girls thought you'd
get a man if you could get there.
Sounds tough! Did you make it?
I thought I did, sometimes.
Understood? Just live.
You'll feel better, you'll see.
What type of man is he?
-Burton?
I don't know much about him, he's a
bit mysterious if you know what I mean.
Do you remember that day in the
village? It was the day we met...
I was doing some 'market
research' for Burton...
But that morning...
No, I can't tell you.
It's incredible! I've known
Frankie since we were this high...
And he would've betrayed me as well!
-That's how it is, and now he's hiding...
We've got to get him out of the way.
Hi, uncle Nick, how's it going?
Aren't you playing?
You know Frankie has
always been a loose cannon...
He's hiding somewhere, tell him I
want to see him tomorrow morning.
Is it because I talked?
The immigration office
is chasing after me now...
If you let me go I'll leave for Mexico
today, I promise. It's your call.
Listen Frankie, I've never ratted on
anyone, and I won't start with you...
But I warn you, don't ever
show your face around here!
Leave today!
Stop looking for
Frankie, he's in Mexico.
Then I'll look for Sal.
You understand what I'm thinking.
What's wrong, Sal?
Our relationship is over,
I don't want any luggage...
We've got to leave immediately.
No, Paola, it would be a mistake to
continue. It's too dangerous for you.
Sal.
Sal!
Paola never saw Sal again...
He disappeared without a trace...
We thought about his fate...
Perhaps he got a pair
of concrete shoes?
Shelley, the model
from Madison Avenue...
The student from Washington Square,
the last part of our story.
Reality is grey.
Who is it?
-Shelley, it's Tom.
No...
I don't want to, I can't.
If you're still high
we can trip together.
Attention, attention!
There's Dick from Los Angeles...
He's a wizard dressed in plastic!
And this is Beverly...
...painted in a psychedelic tapestry;
You're a supersonic venus!
Borne out of a splendid hallucination!
Guys, let's catch up with the news...
One paper each, underneath
the classifieds you'll find a venus!
She had fallen down suddenly.
Violence,
excitement...
Escape from reality...
Psychosis of our times...
Wait until society is dissatisfied
with its well-being...
It's a common story.