A Technicolor Dream

The old line that “anyone who remembers the ’60s wasn’t really there” holds very true here, as a number of individuals who produced, attended or performed at an event called “the 14-hour Technicolor Dream” offer their hazy recollections of what took place. The 1967 event was a fundraiser for an underground newspaper and featured as its headliners Pink Floyd in the group’s initial, Syd Barrett-led incarnation. The film augments its cloudy reminiscences and documentary footage with social context, from the British worship of the American Beat writer to the functioning of the London Free School and the U.K. underground press. The film’s focus inevitably becomes the oft-chronicled, sad and strange journey of Barrett from would-be pop idol to acid casualty.

Shelf Talk: Though the film covers many topics related to the ’60s counterculture, it wisely focuses on Pink Floyd. The band remains one of the strongest classic rock franchises, and Barrett is one of the period’s greatest “lost” rockers. Recommend to ’60s cultists and baby boomers who can’t get enough of … whatever happened back then.