Tassajara 1968 film

Tassajara Spring 68

A 4.5 minute film made by Larry Cooper in the spring of 1968 at Tassajara with Shunryu Suzuki, students working, bells, han, and creek. Read more below.

It's easiest to watch on the Cuke Video YouTube page for Tassajara Spring 68. Individual film links marked with 🎥 below are to download and play on your own device.

🎥 Tassajara Spring 68

Smaller file 🎥 Tassajara Spring 68 (thanks Peter Ford) - almost 11 MB

🎥 Download the slide show

9-23-14 - Here's the note that Larry sent when he first contacted me:

Hello David,

Larry Cooper here. I found your Suzuki Roshi blog and thought you might be interested in the short film I made in 1968 of Tassajara Zen Center. It's possible you have even seen the film at the SFZC, but I doubt it. I tried to send them the only complete print of the film around 30 years ago, and I'm not sure whether they ever received it. The orginal 4 1/2 minute color with sound film was shot with permission from Dick Baker et al in March (I think) of 1968, and when you see it, I'm sure there will be several recognizable folks including, of course, a few seconds of Suzuki Roshi. I just got around to digitizing the original 8mm film and 16mm sound to create a DVD of the film which I would be happy to send to you. I just need an address. I live in Ashland, Oregon. I visit Berkeley several times a year and would be happy to share my story of being a 20 year old film student dropping in on the Zen Center for a few days 45 years ago. Still crystal clear memories of a magical time.

12-23-13 - On yesterday's posting of the film Tassajara 68, I first became aware of that film a few months ago. I'd just had the film in the SFZC safe redigitized. I didn't know what some of it was, like this film from Larry Cooper which I hadn't digitized back around the turn of the century, didn't know it existed.

Reviewing the results of the new digitizing of the films, I was surprised to see and read in the report from the technician what poor condition it was all in. A lot of color loss. I was also pleased to see footage I'd never seen before - outtakes from the Sunseed film and the four and a half minute film that I figured had been made in 1968 - looking at the people and work that was going on. I was getting ready to go to Asia so I decided to deal with it from there after Katrinka and I had gotten settled. How surprised I was to get an email from Larry Cooper saying he'd been looking at my blog (cuke.com, not a blog), telling me about the film, and offering to send it. I wrote back: How serendipitous. More later [above] about him and his version of the film which is what is posted.