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Town Bloody Hall

Play trailer Poster for Town Bloody Hall 1980 1h 28m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus document a debate between Norman Mailer and four feminists.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Melissa Anderson Artforum The entire debate at Town Hall is defined by a manic, stimulating energy -- the kind that's hard to replicate via Twitter wars. Jun 20, 2014 Full Review Mark Holcomb Village Voice What finally makes Town Bloody Hall so compelling -- and unsettling -- is the impression that such serious, spirited debate is a thing of the past. Nov 12, 2001 Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film It’s a documentary, but when watching, you can easily forget about that. Mar 8, 2023 Full Review CJ Sheu Critics at Large At first I wanted to say that the presentation perfectly matched the subject, but in truth I don't know if what we have is form following content or content following form. Oct 26, 2021 Full Review David Harris Spectrum Culture Town Bloody Hall is a fascinating document of a time and place where such ideas could be debated in front of an audience in a wild and free-wheeling way, in a forum where everyone's outlandish ideas could be heard, no matter how incendiary... Mar 3, 2021 Full Review Johanna Fateman 4Columns We witness a debate on a topic as big as the world in Town Bloody Hall, one with no fixed terms or single proposition. The tension is ambient, abstract, roaming; the camera seems to scan the room wildly in hopes of catching it flare. Sep 21, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
Audience Member This film is a perfect representation of what occurs when the world's greatest minds sit together and have a well-orchestrated argument. Norman Mailer is annoyingly witty, and Germaine Greer sweeps the audience away with her articulation. It is well worth sitting through the few incomprehensible comments and angry reactions this documentary is sure to induce. After a while, one will realise the true genius in this work of art. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Just had the misfortune of watching this on YouTube. Obnoxiousness all around, although a couple of the more famous questioners (Susan Sontag and Cynthia Ozick) acquitted themselves well. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Love it .. a must see for all woman and men who wish to have their eyes opened. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member So, not surprisingly, I am the first person to review this movie. I saw the movie in my Gender and American Literature class. The VHS copy of the movie came from the course instructor's personal collection. Norman Mailer plays the role of the moderator. All the ladies deliver quasi-papers. Mailer accuses feminists of not being cool when they lose their cool, and yet at one point he himself loses his cool. My favourite part is when Cynthia Ozick makes a clever little comment about Mailer confusing the penis with the pen. I'm paraphrasing: "When you dip your dick in the ink pot, what color is the ink?" Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member I did never understand if it was for real or for not, but it was funny. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Town Bloody Hall

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus document a debate between Norman Mailer and four feminists.
Director
D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus
Producer
D.A. Pennebaker
Production Co
Hammer Films, 20th Century Fox
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 28m