Avant-Garde, Experimental & Non-narrative Films

[swo17]

Re:voir very rarely has sales

[therewillbeblus]

Yeah, I've figured as much

[swo17]

Like, the covid one is the only one I can think of in the last decade

[zedz]

Thanks zedz, I'll be curious to what the booklet says (I've been waiting for another Re:Voir sale since I didn't bite on the last one roughly a year ago now, though my wishlist is bank-breaking at this point)

I just watched Arnulf Rainer, and while I became a bit frustrated at how the abrupt cuts (intentionally) disrupted me from involving myself in a rhythm like The Flicker did, the soundtrack + those edits elicited a source of multistimulatory anxiety like few experimental films have. What I love about The Flicker is that I think it too accomplishes this feat along with serenity and everything in between, but it's nice to know how long six minutes of coping with relentlessly unpredictable stressors feels. I mean that as a compliment.

On a big screen, loud, in a darkened cinema, Arnulf Rainer felt (to me) absolutely overwhelming and inhuman, like you're being shouted at in an alien language that you can't quite figure out. On film, the rhythm is complicated by the addition of the natural flicker of projected film (which Kubelka saw as an integral component of the work), and in a cinema it's not just a flickering screen, but your entire environment which is being lit up and darkened from moment to moment. (Edit: and yeah - six minutes? - are you kidding me?)

The Flicker Film (though I've only seen it on DVD) seems to have quite a different vibe in terms of its rhythms, but I imagine it has that same all-encompassing nature in projection.

[zedz]

Like, the covid one is the only one I can think of in the last decade

They do occasionally have package deals, but it usually entails buying everything by a certain filmmaker, or all their releases from a given period.

[kubelkind]

Does anybody knows of any articles or books on Tony Conrad's The Flicker, specifically how he went about creating the film? I see some links on wikipedia but wanted to gauge the forum's experience before diving into the depths of the internet

Conrad talked about this a lot in interviews. Its a long time since I've read them and I'd have to dig the books out to get the exact references, but there are interviews in the Film Culture Reader book and in a volume of Scott MacDonald's Critical Cinema books where he talks in depth about the origins of the film and the precise methodology. If I recall, the origins of the film are in Conrad's interest in mathematics, and in various "flicker sessions" done with Jack Smith and his usual cast, where they would pose actors and blast them with flicker from projectors running without film. If I'm not mistaken, they used to do this for fun when they couldn't afford to buy film stock to make an actual movie.
I think there is also material on the flicker in John Geiger's "Chapel Of Extreme Experience" and "Beyond the Dream Syndicate" by Brandon Joseph. Both great reads too.

Oh regarding sales at Re:Voir, they seem to happen in the actual physical shop all the time, but I realise thats not very helpful to anyone at present!

[therewillbeblus]

I haven't always been a fan of Mekas' short films but As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty is one of the greatest, most profound and moving experiences -cinematic or otherwise- I’ve ever had. I didn’t have much time to part from my overwhelming feelings to think during this film, but when I did, all that came was a recognition that those few blissful shots in The Tree of Life- where Malick captured astounding spiritual connections on Earth fleeting through an otherwise intrusive narrative exposition- comprised this entire movie's collective essence in distinct moments of elusive serenity. Is this the most beautiful celebration of life ever put to film, including every shade of emotional watercolor down to its yin of pathos consumed within the compendious sublime? If not, please direct me to that movie.

Five hours isn’t nearly long enough for what this film has to offer, but no amount of time would be, and its inherent need to have limitations on length speaks as much to the tragic elements of life that our greatest gift has a ceiling. Our film stock runs out, like time and memories, and all that’s left is the experiences in between. At one point Mekas says nothing is important and indeed he is right when he means nothing is objectively significant. But his turnaround to identify these objectively 'unimportant' things as what life is, and consequently express love and gratitude, as well sadness and confusion, into an infinitely holy awe for all of his opportunities for participation in this world- to catch brief glimpses of beauty- as of the utmost importance, is what this film, and life, is all about.

Mekas says he is not a “film-maker” but a “filmer.” I like that idea, that we are not people who ‘make’ experiences, but people who experience them. As Mekas says, these moments of supreme beauty come naturally when he least expects them. How sweet it is to be able to humbly accept the privilege to engage with the world on its terms.

[Does anybody know if there are any options available to buy this on DVD? I know the Re:Voir is OOP and don't see it kicking around third-party sites]

[zedz]

It’s in the Major Works box set, which is very highly recommended and still available direct from Re:Voir. Their site says they’re down to their last copies, however.

[therewillbeblus]

It’s in the Major Works box set, which is very highly recommended and still available direct from Re:Voir. Their site says they’re down to their last copies, however.

It says the same thing as the individual film on their page ("ONLY A FEW COPIES LEFT! SOON OUT OF PRINT!") but then when you try to add to cart, it says "this product is no longer in stock" - do you see something different?

[zedz]

It’s in the Major Works box set, which is very highly recommended and still available direct from Re:Voir. Their site says they’re down to their last copies, however.

It says the same thing as the individual film on their page ("ONLY A FEW COPIES LEFT! SOON OUT OF PRINT!") but then when you try to add to cart, it says "this product is no longer in stock" - do you see something different?

No, same here. (I didn't try to add it to the cart.) I did some hunting around other likely sources (Potemkine, Fnac) and the usual haunts (BFI, Lux) and it seems to be OOP everywhere. You could try contacting the Cinematheque Francaise bookstore (which doesn't seem to have an online presence), or Re:Voir directly (they're really helpful, in my experience).

[therewillbeblus]

Thanks zedz, I sent an email to Gartenberg Media last night per the page's directions for those in N. America, but haven't heard anything yet. I'll try to see if I can reach out to those other options. I appreciate your hunting for me, clearly this is a pretty treasured set since I can't find a single third-party for-sale option.

[knives]

Hopefully you can get the set which is one of my greatest treasures. His filmic return to Lithuania is one of the most unique and positive experiences in film I’ve ever had.

[zedz]

And I'm a Walden guy. But the really great thing about Mekas is that his approach was so consistent across decades that the more you watch, the more it tends to become one big film. I love him in impressionistic, rambling mode, so the films where he focusses on one event, or one person / group, work least well for me as individual projects, but they're much more enjoyable as chapters in an ongoing life-work.

[swo17]

You might keep an eye out for the Spanish Intermedio release that pairs As I Was Moving Ahead with Lithuania. Also, Walden, Lost Lost Lost, and several of the shorts from the box have been put out on Blu-ray by Kino

[therewillbeblus]

But the really great thing about Mekas is that his approach was so consistent across decades that the more you watch, the more it tends to become one big film. I love him in impressionistic, rambling mode, so the films where he focusses on one event, or one person / group, work least well for me as individual projects, but they're much more enjoyable as chapters in an ongoing life-work.

Same, at least with what I've seen so far, and I'm pleasantly surprised considering as I was going through recommendations of experimental films over the first quarter of 2021, Mekas' experimental shorts were probably my least favorites from the giants.

You might keep an eye out for the Spanish Intermedio release that pairs As I Was Moving Ahead with Lithuania. Also, Walden, Lost Lost Lost, and several of the shorts from the box have been put out on Blu-ray by Kino

Thanks, that's helpful about the Kino, unfortunately I can't find the Spanish Intermedio release either.

FYI for those trying to contact Re:Voir via Gartenberg Media, as you're directed to on their pages, they just got back to me with this:

My company can only sell Re:Voir DVDs to universities in the Unites States and Canada at the institutional rate. I’m sorry that we cannot help you further with your inquiry.

[therewillbeblus]

swo17, has there been any indication that Kino or anyone will release more of Mekas' stuff? If I can ever own As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty on blu-ray, that's just a dream (tho if you or anyone gets word of the DVDs available somewhere please let me know)

[swo17]

Your guess is as good as mine

[therewillbeblus]

I've been going through Jodie Mack's work in alphabetical order (sans her few longer films, which I'll get to later) but nothing has quite lived up to A Joy, which is like a rock n' roll adrenaline shot of an experimental epileptic-funk music video, if such a genre existed. I just want to watch it on repeat forever.

Posthaste Perennial Pattern reaches similar heights but juxtaposed with tranquil bird calls instead of harmoniously-pitched intense noise.

[therewillbeblus]

Is anybody aware of the sources for the musical components of Jodie Mack's works, whether score or songs? I can't find the info on her site or elsewhere, but some of her musical inclusions are pretty significant and great, and yet she doesn't seem to define herself as a musician anywhere as far as I can tell. Obviously (the excellent) Yard Work or Hard Work is a straight up musical with original content, but I'm definitely curious about the details on these pieces- and sound in general- across her entire body of work.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Is anybody aware of the sources for the musical components of Jodie Mack's works, whether score or songs? I can't find the info on her site or elsewhere, but some of her musical inclusions are pretty significant and great, and yet she doesn't seem to define herself as a musician anywhere as far as I can tell. Obviously (the excellent) Yard Work or Hard Work is a straight up musical with original content, but I'm definitely curious about the details on these pieces- and sound in general- across her entire body of work.

I've projected her work a few times and have a partial answer. Fascinatingly, the ones with pulsating, oscillating soundtracks are literally playing the image of the 16mm frame, which bleeds onto the optical track. It essentially creates sort of randomized electronic music based on the images being projected. Persian Pickles is a perfect example of this technique.

[senseabove]

Thousand Suns Cinema is back with a new selection of films from 24 filmmakers.

[Swift]

NFB have greatly expanded their Norman McLaren playlist, uploading about 35 shorts in the past week.

[hearthesilence]

Late with this, but Anthology Film Archives in NYC has kicked off a complete retrospective of Michael Snow's work, and Wavelength is screening in an hour with an introduction by Amy Taubin.

[domino harvey]

Jonas Mekas shares his collection with Peter Bogdanovich in this video magazine segment (also featuring Jim Jarmusch)

[therewillbeblus]

Jodie Mack’s “new” film, Wasteland No. 3: Moons, Sons is some of the best visual ASMR I’ve ever seen, to the point where I’m prescribing myself a ritual of watching this during transitions from work to personal time as an experiment, at least on Fridays