PELHAM, NY — The Picture House Regional Film Center (TPH) will show an advance screening of the new documentary DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: The Story of National Lampoon followed by a discussion and Q&A with the film’s director Douglas Tirola. The film will be shown in Pelham before opening nationwide on September 25th.
Years before Saturday Night Live exploded into American culture in the mid-70s, Harvard graduates Henry Beard, Doug Kenney, and Robert Hoffman launched National Lampoon, America’s first national humor magazine. No topic was off limits for this brilliant publication that mocked and re-imagined the world in a truly surreal way. What started as a fringe counterculture magazine grew into a media conglomerate including albums, theater productions, television programs, books, radio shows, and blockbuster films like Animal House and Vacation.
DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: The Story of National Lampoon follows the rise and fall of this revered comic institution. Director Douglas Tirola braids both classic and never-before-seen archival footage with the magazine’s stunning art and interviews with comedy greats. Featuring John Goodman, Chevy Chase, Kevin Bacon, Beverly D’Angelo, Christopher Guest, and Tim Matheson, with archival footage of Bill Murray, Gilda Radner and John Belushi, the documentary showcases the cultural significance of Lampoon and its keen ability to capture the comic zeitgeist during the ‘70s and ‘80s.
DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: The Story of National Lampoon was the official selection at both the Sundance Film Festival — where it premiered in January 2015 as well at the Tribeca Film Festival. It has been shown at film festivals both nationally and internationally since its premiere and was nominated as best documentary at Cleveland International Film Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the Little Rock Film Festival.
After the film, TPH critic-in-residence Marshall Fine will host a discussion and Q&A with the film’s director Douglas Tirola. Tirola is an American filmmaker and writer and is the founder, owner, and president of 4th Row Films, a movie and television studio based in New York City. Having started his show business career as a production assistant on When Harry Met Sally, Tirola has done everything on film sets from scouting locations to serving as executive producer. Through 4th Row Films, Tirola has overseen numerous documentaries and has made films on subjects ranging from poker (All In) to the cocktail-culture resurgence (Hey Bartender), among others.
Tickets to the special advance screening of DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: The Story of National Lampoon are $12/general admission, $6/members, $10/students and seniors and are available at www.thepicturehouse.org or at the box office, 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, NY 10803.
