Walking On Water Wasn't Built in a Day (1971)

Shot at the first Earth Day in 1970, this new release features Allen Ginsberg reflecting on the state of American culture and society at the end of the 60s. In April 1970 the first Earth Day in Philadelphia was actually a week of celebrations for Mother Earth. This film was shot in and around the city, with cameo appearances and observations by the likes of Terry Southern, Jerry Rubin, mayor John Lindsay, and Wavy Gravy. But the film features Allen Ginsburg, both at the main event on Belmont Plateau and during a van ride across Pennsylvania, in which he riffs on American culture and society, at a meal at HoJo's and reading a poem on the banks of the Susquehanna. The talk is of polarization and the battle for the soul of America. Fifty years later, the argument goes on.