A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory
Esther Robinson
Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download this movie.
Plot Summary
A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and The Warhol Factory is director Esther Robinson's personal inquiry into the truth behind her Uncle Danny Williams' mysterious 1966 disappearance. Virtually unknown today, Danny was Andy Warhol's lover, and a promising young filmmaker. The discovery of 20 never-before-seen films William's made during his time at the Factory-- and whose many subjects include Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, Paul Morrissey, Brigid Berlin, Billy Name and what may be the earliest known footage of the Velvet Underground— reveals a luminous talent and a stark gap in the historical record. Combined with Robinson's intimate interviews of surviving Factory members, the film gets beyond the icons and quietly dismantles the Warhol myth-making machine, allowing a deeper examination of the human fragility on which Andy Warhol's empire was built.
Movie Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
TOMATOMETER
79%- Reviews Counted: 24
- Fresh: 19
- Rotten: 5
- Average Rating: 6.4/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: A Walk Into the Sea is Esther B. Robinson's documentary about Danny Williams, a former Harvard student who was a part of Andy Warhol's Factory scene.
Fresh: Combining contemporary interviews with Factory survivors and an astounding treasure trove of archival footage shot by Williams himself, the film is an enigmatic, atmospheric portrait of a guy apparently too nice for the notorious Warhol crowd.
Fresh: A lovely, dreamlike concoction.
Rotten: This is one for the Warhol archives, not theaters.
Customer Reviews
Venus In Films
A wonderfully affective tale of someone who got lost in the shuffle of the brouhaha that was Warhol's Factory. Everyone interviewed speculates Danny's disappearance and in turn reveal more about their sensibilities and take on the whole scene, not really ever answering the question "what happened to Danny?" But Danny is revealed in his films and his take on his wacky surroundings by way of segments his films shown here for the first time. This is a beautiful film unveiling more beautiful film. Dreamy, scary, sad. This is Danny's 15 minutes.
Terrific Perspective on Warhol's Famous Factory
The film operates well on different levels. There is the mystery of Danny William's disappearance. Then there is the disappearance of the youthfulness of the Factory "volunteers." Then, too, there is the consistent disappearance of Warhol into his manipulative self. For anyone interested in the Warhol years, this offers another point of view on the entanglements and pressures at the Factory. For those interested in film, this is a terrific look at the work of a young, brilliant, 1960 filmmaker, Danny Williams. In the end you feel like the Maysles brother who was interviewed (Williams edited their first film), sad and bewildered by the loss. The film provides a unique look at the world of the Warhol culture with never before seen footage. Also, there are the strange encounters with the aged members of the Warhol cult, none of whom, even now, seems comfortable in their skins. The film moves like a poem of light and darkness, seeing and blindness. Niece of Danny Williams and Director, Esther Robinson shows her skillful documentary talent, and Shannon Robinson displays restrained, pitch perfect editing, but it is Danny's experimental film work that, properly, steals the show. I think it is an artful, touching and very intriguing film.
Incredibly powerful and really fun
This movie does so many things so elegantly. It is a moving, rich look into one fascinating life. It gives a full and candid view of a fascinating and bizarre moment in history (effective for people obsessed with Warhol or for those, like me, who really don't care too much about the guy). It is also a human look at the long-term impact of a life of experimentation and indulgence (put another way: it's really fun to see what hip, wild young people become in older age).
It does all of this important stuff without ever feeling like a history lesson. It's just a joy.
Viewers Also Bought
- Strange Culture
- Lynn Hershman Leeson
- View In iTunes
- Painters Painting
- Emile De Antonio
- View In iTunes
- Keep the River On Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale
- David Shapiro & Laurie Gwen Shapiro
- View In iTunes
- Herb & Dorothy
- Megumi Sasaki
- View In iTunes
