Letter from James Broughton to Bill Judson
(1983)
by James Broughton & Joel Singer
Music by Lou Harrison
16mm. Color/sound. 22 minutes,
DEVOTIONS is the vision of a world where men have forsaken rivalry and taken up affection, thereby creating a society that relishes a variety of comradely devotions.
The film takes delight in observing the friendly things men can do together, from the odd to the rapturous, from the playful to the passionate.
These events appear in a series of cameo duets performed by men of all ages and appetites.
The tapestry of changing scenes is strung on a narrative thread: the personal romance of the two makers of the film, as they discover their own affections and interweave them with those of their friends. In the end they assert their hope that loving comradeship may yet be the happy norm for the world.
The film was made over a nine month period on locations from Seattle to San Diego, and included the participation of some forty-five couples.
The music, scored for flutes and gamelan, was especially composed by Lou Harrison.
