Written and directed by Adolfas Mekas.
Starring Peter H. Beard, Sheila Finn, Martin Greenbaum, Peggy Steffans.
1963.

Bennington College Girl Tree	Ford Model Girl Tree

"A highpoint from the 'innocent' years of American underground cinema, and something of an enduring delight for real film buffs. Mekas' comedy starts from an enthusiastic parody of French 'new wave' concepts like using two actresses to play one character, and manages to go on to incorporate references (part satire, part homage) to what seems like every other branch of cinema extant. It ranges from samurai movies to Chaplinesque slapstick, and it hits the intended tone between love and scepticism far more often than you'd have thought possible. The main thing is that it's recklessly enthusiastic about itself and about cinema in general -- and the enthusiasm is infectious." -- Time Out Film Guide

"Next to the two big shots of the New York School, Clarke and Cassavetes, he seemed a poor relative, especially
since people got him confused with his brother. "HALLELUJAH THE HILLS" proved clearly that Adolfas is someone to be reckoned with. He is a master in the field of pure invention, that is to say, in working dangerously - 'without a net.' His film, made according to the good old principle - one idea for each shot - has the lovely scent of fresh ingenuity and crafty sweetness. Physical efforts and intellectual gags are boldly put together. The slightest thing moves you and makes you laugh - a badly framed bush, a banana stuck in a pocket, a majorette in the snow. He shows life as defined by Ramuz: 'As with a dance, such pleasure to begin, a piston, a clarinet, such sorrow to be done, the head spins and night has come." -- Jean Luc Godard in CAHIERS DU CINEMA

"All hail Adolfas Mekas, an impecunious director who in his first feature film has produced a far-out and very funny farce, the first cubistic comedy of the new world cinema. The weirdest, wooziest, wackiest comedy of the year. A gloriously fresh experience in the cinema." -- Time Magazine

"The wildest and wittiest comedy of the season -- an outrageous lark." -- The New York Times

"The revelation of the festival [Cannes] was Hallelujah the Hills. It has irresistible drolleries; it is a slice of joie de vivre which lacks the most elemental gravity, but nevertheless reveals a spontaneous poetry, a genuine freshness of feeling. It is a work which captures, in a marvelous way, a certain natural exuberance of America. It has spirit and enthusiasm and a sense of the unexpected. Its refreshing fantasy and hilarious humor are all integral part of the film." -- France Observateur

"Probably the most American film ever made." -- Ben Schaffer

AVAILABLE ON VHS and DVD from Re-voir: www.re-voir.com

And in 16mm film from the Filmmakers Coop NYC and
the Museum of Modern Art MOMA in NYC