The Connection

Waiting for My Man: Junkies wait in a flat for a heroin delivery – in the presence of an inexperienced filmmaker who has slipped them the money for their fix in order to document ‘the truth’ unvarnished. The naive director and his cameraman (a powerful voice-over debut for Roscoe Lee Browne) become more deeply entangled in the situation than they could have imagined – in their intoxication, the focus eventually shifts to a cockroach. The adaptation of Jack Gelber’s legendary Living Theatre play featuring “real” drug addicts draws on many of the original cast members, including the jazz quartet led by Freddie Redd and Jackie McLean, whose jam sessions contribute as much to the authentic beatnik vibe as Gelber’s blend of dark humour and provocation. Clarke countered the much-vaunted “Vérité” style of New American Cinema early on with biting scepticism: a truly independent filmmaker. (C.H.)