Thinking Twice

A film which attempts to reflect the rigour of the music featuring pianist Katharina Wolpe.

Thinking Twice features the pianist Katharina Wolpe playing music composed by her father Stefan Wolpe. Stefan Wolpe’s work is renowned for its originality and rigour, its sense of space and surprise. The unique and vital contribution of this important avant-garde composer continues to influence many young composers of today. The title is taken from a series of lectures given by Stefan Wolpe. In its lucid editing of piano keys in motion, and especially in close up shots of the pianist's hands and face, Jayne Parker "attempts to reflect the rigour of the music" (in her own words).

Founded in 1966, the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative started life at Better Books, a counter-culture bookshop on Charing Cross Road, where a group led by poet Bob Cobbing and filmmakers Stephen Dwoskin and Jeff Keen met to screen films. Initially inspired by the activities of the New American Cinema Group in New York, the London Co-op grew into a pioneering organisation that incorporated a film workshop, cinema space and distribution office. During its four-decade history, the Co-op played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK and participated in a vibrant international film scene. This BFI Player collection brings together new scans of films distributed by and/or produced at the London Co-op.