Hail the New Puritan

Hail the New Puritan is a fictionalized documentary about the Scottish dancer and choreographer Michael Clark. It was directed by Charles Atlas. Production design is by Leigh Bowery, who also appears. Much of the music is by The Fall, and Mark E. Smith and Brix Smith appear in a mock interview with Clark. Additional music is provided by Glenn Branca, Bruce Gilbert (of Wire), and Jeffrey Hinton. Using a faux-cinéma vérité style, Atlas depicts a day in Clark's life as he and his Company prepare for a performance of New Puritans (1984). The Company at that time included Gaby Agis, Leslie Bryant, Matthew Hawkins, Julie Hood, and Ellen van Schuylenburch. The film was broadcast on 21 May 1986 on Channel 4's "Dance on 4" program (on Channel 4). It is distributed on DVD and VHS by Electronic Arts Intermix.