SANDO VER THE VIDEO
In Athens in 1982, Merrill and Jackson permanently retired the Ouija board, took the mirror to the roof of their home and shattered it, then placed the shards into the base of a cassia tree. The following year, Merrill began a love affair with 33-year-old Peter Hooten, an actor who had appeared on numerous television programmes including The Mod Squad, Mannix, and The Waltons, and in the film The Inglorious Bastards (1978). Hooten was interested in the production of a cinematic version of Merrill’s epic poem, which, with its play-like structure and cast of characters, appeared well suited to dramatic interpretation. Consequently, Merrill underwrote a video adaptation of Sandover, directed by and starring Hooten, to the tune of a reported $800,000. Silly and pretentious, the video, entitled Voices from
Sandover, features Merrill as himself, along with a troupe of professional actors (one is a portrayal of Jackson), accompanied by chintzy, 1980s video toaster-quality special effects. Ephraim is depicted as a blonde in a white sheet, while Mirabell chants in reverberating echoes. The angels are depicted as full-screen faces who break the third wall to address the viewer directly, talking in ponderous tones about the mysteries of the Universe. It was by all accounts an unmitigated financial and artistic disaster.