Huxley on Huxley

A few weeks ago, Cosmic Citizen went to a film evening, organized by our friends at the October Gallery as part of the Cosmos and Consciousness talk series. This one was held in the small cinema in Birkbeck College, where Docurama Film's Huxley on Huxley was screened. This film, directed, produced and written by Mary Ann Braubach, was a look at the life of Aldous Huxley, mainly through the eyes of his second wife Laura. In addition, the film featured interviews with Ramm Dass, Michael Murphy, Don Bachardy, Huston Smith, Nick Nolte and David Dunaway.

The film was mostly reminiscences of Aldous life via Laura. Laura (1911--2007) was Aldous' second wife. They met in 1949, while Laura was working as a freelance documentary filmmaker in Los Angeles. She contacted Aldous in the hope that he would provide a screenplay for a movie. The movie was never made, but they remained in touch, and married after Huxley's first wife died in 1955. Huxley himself died in 1963.

Laura had a career of her own as, amongst other things, a psychotherapist. Like Aldous, she was interested in alternative health and spirituality. A more complete bibliography can be found here, which also mentions their role in the psychedelics movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Both experimented with mescalin and LSD when it was legal, and Aldous Huxley's book on mescalin, the Doors of Perception was of course the inspiration behind the name of Jim Morrison's band.

The film was an enjoyable reminiscence and a window into the final years of a lady who'd plainly lived a full life. Especially interesting was the input from Aldous' granddaughter -- who intimated that growing up in such an alternative environment was not always easy. It was also quite touching to see Laura playing with Huxley's great grandson.

The film's maker, Mary Ann Braubach, was present to answer questions afterwards. She discussed how the film had taken a number of years, and also the influence Laura had had on her life.

Some dissatisfaction was expressed to me by a couple of people about the particular content of the film; it was felt that there had been perhaps too much of an emphasis on Laura's home life. I think a different sort of film had been expected, given the themes of earlier lectures in this series. However, it was perfectly satisfying for what it was, a reminiscence. I'm also fond of Hollywood nostalgia, of which this film is an example.

My favorite Aldous Huxley books;

Brave New World -- eerily prescient dystopia. We are living in Huxley's future.
Island -- a psychedelic Utopia, threatened by the outside world.
After many a summer -- Read this if you think immortality's a good idea.
Brave New World Revisited. (Non-fiction)
Science, Liberty and Peace. (Non-fiction)

Both the non-fiction works make explicit Huxley's concerns about science being used as instruments of tyranny. Both even more relevant today than when they were written, because many of his fears have come or are coming to pass. He was also concerned about the environment and overpopulation before they became popular subjects for discussion. Huxley thought that science could be used to serve people -- but only if we lived in a more egalitarian society. On this, I agree.

See here for a complete bibliography of Aldous Huxley.

Laura Huxley's key work is probably You Are Not the Target, a 'recipe for living and loving.'