Tally Brown, New York is a 1979 documentary film directed, written and produced by Rosa von Praunheim, centring around the career of Tally Brown.

Tally Brown, New York
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRosa von Praunheim
Produced byRosa von Praunheim
Joachim von Mengershausen
StarringTally Brown
Holly Woodlawn
Divine
Taylor Mead
Ching Ho Cheng
Edward Caton
CinematographyEdvard Lieber
Michael Oblowitz
Rosa von Praunheim
Juliana Wang
Lloyd Williams
Edited byMike Shephard
Rosa von Praunheim, Rosa von Praunheim
Music byTally Brown
Holly Woodlawn
Release date
  • 4 May 1979 (1979-05-04)
Running time
97 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Germany
LanguageEnglish

The film received international attention and was shown, for example, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1979.[1]

Plot

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The film follows the singing and acting career of Tally Brown, a classically trained opera and blues singer who became a star of the New York underground scene in the late 1960s. In this documentary, von Praunheim draws on extensive interviews with Brown, in which she shares her collaborations with Andy Warhol, Taylor Mead and other artists, and friendships with Ching Ho Cheng, Holly Woodlawn and Divine. Brown opens the film with a cover of David Bowie's Heroes and closes with Rock 'n' Roll Suicide. The film not only captures Tally Brown's career, but also a certain New York milieu of the 1970s.[2]

Production notes

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The documentary is also notable for being the first of Praunheim's many portraits of women, mostly aging performers, who have become iconic figures in the LGBT community.

Awards

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Reception

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The Village Voice wrote: "In its way, Tally Brown, New York is the best documentary about New York since Chantal Akerman's News From Home",[4] and "a must-see for all those interested in performance and the cultural history of New York in the ’70s."[5]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Recent Films From West-Germany" (PDF). Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  2. ^ Anderson, Melissa (June 3, 2009). "The Films of Rosa von Praunheim at Anthology". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  3. ^ a b "Rosa von Praunheim - Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  4. ^ "Tally Brown, New York". Rosa von Praunheim Filmproduktion - Village Voice, 1979. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  5. ^ "The Films of Rosa von Praunheim at Anthology". Village Voice. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
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References

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  • Murray, Raymond. Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Guide. TLA Publications, 1994, ISBN 1880707012