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Me and My Brother (film)

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Me and My Brother
Directed byRobert Frank
Written byRobert Frank
Allen Ginsberg
Peter Orlovsky
Sam Shepard
Produced byHelen Silverstein
StarringJulius Orlovsky
Peter Orlovsky
CinematographyRobert Frank
Edited byBob Easton
Helen Silverstein
Release date
February 2, 1969 (1969-02-02)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Me and My Brother is a 1969 independent film directed by Robert Frank. The film stars Julius Orlovsky, Peter Orlovsky, John Coe, Seth Allen and Christopher Walken in his feature film debut. It is Sam Shepard's film debut. The film tells a story of Julius and Peter Orlovsky. Christopher Walken speaking with the dubbed voice of Robert Frank.

Plot

The "Me" and "My Brother" of the title are interchangeably Peter Orlovsky (poet and protégé of Allen Ginsberg), and his schizophrenic brother Julius. Peter arranges for Julius' release from Bellevue and proceeds to drag him all over the Beat landscape with a film crew in tow. Robert Frank does yeoman work following the manic Peter and catatonic Julius from one situation to another until Julius wanders off camera and out of the picture. At this point the actor Joseph Chaikin takes Julius' place and fills in for a time. The overall effect is fascinating, and the film has a great deal to say about what we consider normal and acceptable behavior vs. what we consider "mad" behavior.