Kiss the Past Goodbye: A Tribute to Danny Seymour

Film

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Image of Danny Seymour. Photographed by Francisco Grande. Courtesy Remy Weber

Perhaps best known for his remarkable photobook A Loud Song (1971) and his camerawork on Cocksucker Blues, Danny Seymour also made a number of unflinchingly personal independent films (with John Lennon and Yoko Ono and others) before disappearing in 1973. Robert Frank, who regarded Seymour as a second son, shot two of his films, and these are presented along with an excerpt from Remy Weber’s work-in-progress documentary portrait in a tribute to this underappreciated and remarkably vital artist.

Home Is Where the Heart Is. 1971. USA. Directed by Danny Seymour. Cinematography by Robert Frank. With Jessica Lange, Paco Grande, Danny Seymour. 16mm. Courtesy Raoul Van Kirk. 16 min.

Jessica Lange makes her screen debut as a diner waitress who flirts with a restless drifter (played by her real-life husband Paco Grande). Reckoning with his own demons in this, his only narrative film, Danny Seymour himself appears as an ever-obliging friend. Reckoning with his own demons, Seymour himself appears as an ever-obliging friend who lends the junkie some scratch to score some heroin.

Kiss the Past Goodbye [work-in-progress]. 2024. USA. Directed by Remy Weber. DCP. 20 min.

Remy Weber shares an excerpt from Kiss the Past Goodbye, his forthcoming film portrait of the photographer and filmmaker Danny Seymour, which he describes as “the hidden history of a singular, prolific, self destructive, and enigmatic bohemian who helped shape the trends and visual style of 1960s and 1970s counterculture before mysteriously disappearing off the coast of Colombia.” The excerpt features interviews with Jessica Lange, Robert Frank, and Larry Clark about the making of Home Is Where the Heart Is.

That’s Alright, Mama. USA. 1969. Directed by Danny Seymour. Cinematography by Seymour, Robert Frank. With Tracy Nelson. 16mm courtesy Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Courtesy Raoul Van Kirk and Tracy Nelson. 52 min.

Danny Seymour and Robert Frank follow a Nashville studio session with the country and blues singer Tracy Nelson, who at the time was striking out on her own after a pair of successful albums with the band Mother Earth. The session, led by Scotty Moore, features members of Elvis’s backing group.

Program approx. 88 min.

This film accompanies The Complete Robert Frank: Films and Videos, 1959–2017.

Past events

Wed, Dec 4, 4:00 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2
Tue, Dec 3, 6:30 p.m.

Introduced by Remy Weber

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

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