| Troika | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Troika,_1969_film,_press_release.png) 1969 promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Fredric Hobbs Gordon Mueller |
| Written by | Fredric Hobbs |
| Produced by | Fredric Hobbs |
| Starring | Fredric Hobbs Richard Faun Morgan Upton Nate Thurmond Gloria Rossi Parra O'Siochain |
| Cinematography | William Heick[1] |
| Edited by | Gordon Mueller |
| Music by | Fredric Hobbs Gordon Mueller |
Production company | Inca Films |
| Distributed by | Emerson Film Enterprises[2] |
Release date |
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Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Troika is a 1969 American comedy art film written, directed, and produced by Charles Fredric Hobbs. It stars Hobbs, Richard Faun, Morgan Upton, Nate Thurmond, Gloria Rossi, and members of the San Francisco Art Institute. Its three parts are built around a fictional account of the director's attempt to gain financing for a film titled Troika.
Hobbs conceived the plot after working with the filmmakers Ron Bostwick and Robert Blaisdell on the short film Trojan Horse. Troika began as a "modern morality play"; the title comes from the Russian word for a set of three, reflecting the film's three segments. It was filmed in early to mid-1969 in locations in and around California. The score was a collaboration between Hobbs and the editor-co-director Gordon Mueller.
Troika was previewed on October 12, 1969, and officially premiered on November 8. The few reviews it received were mixed to positive, yet it became foundational for Hobbs' career and led to his three other films, before he retired in the late 1970s. The film is largely unavailable to the general public; during his lifetime Hobbs blocked Troika releases on home video as he was unhappy with the final print. In 2022, a copy restored by Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts in collaboration with Hobbs' estate was screened at the Weird Weekend Cult Film Festival.
- ^ Nash & Ross 1985, p. 1290.
- ^ Aros 1977, p. 461.