Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place Essay example -- Film

magic trick Trip Ken Keseys Search for a Kool Place was written and directed by Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood. The documentary is based on the delivery and recordings of Ken Kesey and the unseen footage from the 1964 cross country set off. The voiceover is done by Stanley Tucci. Magic Trip was produced by Will Clarke, Mr. Gibney and Alexandra Johnes and released by Magnolia Pictures. This documentary was compiled from home videos shot by Kesey and the Pranksters, which lends itself to a sense of authenticity because there are to actors trying to portray the Pranksters. This compilation of original footage shot by Ken Kesey and his friends, known as the prosperous Pranksters, follows their cross country bus trip in 1964 from California to New York to see the Worlds Fair. Besides Kesey, the most well-known Prankster was Neal Cassady, who was the intake for Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouacs On the Road and the driver for the first leg of the journey. The film begins with a short bi ography of Kesey, a author known for his novels One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest and Some sequences a Great Notion. The Merry Pranksters are introduced by their nicknames. Stark Naked, Intrepid Traveler, Mal Function, Gretchen Fetchin, generally Famished and Zonker, and Sometimes Missing, just to name a few. The film tells some of the stories behind the nicknames. On one of the Pranksters stops they accidentally left Babb behind. By the time they had realized he was missing Babb had hitchhiked and caught up to the bus, leading to the nickname of Sometimes Missing. Generally Famished was given because as a pregnant woman, she was unendingly hungry. Zonker was named so because he always fell asleep before anything happened. The bus receives the moniker of ... ... me a lot of background information. However, I was unfamiliar with The Merry Pranksters trip across country. My reception of this film was so positive because of my knowledge, experiences and values. I have always enjoyed learning about the 1960s and admired the political activism and change that occurred in that time period. I grew up in a very liberal home, where we were freely able to discuss controversial topics and form our own opinions. Works CitedMagic Trip. Magic Trip. IMDb.com. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. .Magic Trip. (Official Movie Site). Magnolia Pictures. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. .Magic TripKen Keseys Search for a Kool Place. Dir. Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney. Prod. Will Clarke and Alexandra Johnes. Perf. Ken Kesey and Neal Cassady. Magnolia Pictures, 2011. DVD.