This film is part of Free
Davy Jones
The Manchester-born Monkee reflects on Britain and America in the aftermath of the shooting of Robert Kennedy.
Overview
Britain's sole representative in the Monkees was at a junction in his career when this interview was filmed. But the bulk of the interview is taken up by the still fresh news of the shooting of Robert Kennedy. A visibly shaken Jones offers some tentative thoughts on the cultural differences that make assassinations so rare in the UK but so common in the US (Dr Martin Luther King's assassination came just two months earlier, in a decade that had already seen the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Malcolm X).
By June 1968, The Monkees TV show had been cancelled, and while a feature film spin-off, Head, directed by Bob Rafaelson, was in the can, it would bomb at the box office on its release that November. Only one of the four planned TV specials that Jones mentions in the interview ever appeared. The Monkees as a band would soon begin to splinter, with Peter Tork's departure in December 1968 followed by Mike Nesmith's some 18 months later. During the 1970s, Jones would develop parallel careers in music, acting and clothing retail.
Related
Discomania Discomania
Drama 1979 24 mins Location: London
Nerdy teenage mummy's boy David dreams of wowing the girls with his disco dance moves - but alas he was born with two left feet.
Shellshock Rock Shellshock Rock
1979 48 mins Location: Belfast
The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers play live in this vivid music doc capturing all the vibrancy of the 1970s Northern Irish punk scene.
The Jah People The Jah People
Documentary 1981 22 mins Location: Handsworth
Followers of the Rastafari way of life bring tales of Haile Selassie, Jah and Zion to the streets of inner-city Birmingham.
Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper
Promotional 1961 3 mins
Screaming Lord Sutch belts out his bloodthirsty, Joe Meek-produced single in this splendidly tasteless full-colour promo film
The Adventures of the Son of Exploding Sausage The Adventures of the Son of Exploding Sausage
1969 13 mins
The Bonzo Dog Band freak out at the farm and strange sounds abound in this cheery, charmingly childlike stream-of-consciousness music short.
The Organ of a Thousand Moods The Organ of a Thousand Moods
Performance 1951 5 mins Location: Minnis Bay
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails in the company of organ maestro Nick Olson, tickling the ivories at Uncle Tom's Cabin, Minnis Bay, Birchington.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.
Edgar Wright on The Running Man Edgar Wright on The Running Man
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
The director talks to Mark Kermode about putting Stephen King's dystopian life-or-death gameshow thriller through its paces.
Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 69 mins
Richard Linklater discusses his remarkable and wide-ranging body of work, including Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.