From: owen (email suppressed)
Date: Tue Jan 23 2007 - 22:46:39 PST
The question was regarding "Christmas on Earth" - Rubin's seminal
(pun intended) dual projector work - not "Christmas on Earth
Continued" , which was never produced.
The instructions for projection and sound accompaniment are included
with the rental from Filmmakers coop. Someone at the coop made a tape
- which approximates what may have been heard on AM radio in the
early 60's - that is included with rentals. The film was made in
1963. Live music was played at least once as accompaniment when the
Velvet Underground jammed with the film. Colored gels are included
with the film and are to be placed in front of the lenses while
projecting. Chance played a large roll in Rubin's aesthetic
sensibilities and thus I think one can play any damn thing one wants
to along with the film.
Owen Plotkin
On Jan 24, 2007, at 12:41 AM, Jack Sargeant wrote:
> the script for Christmas On Earth Continued was published as a
> booklet, details and description below. This indicates her
> interest / taste in music, if not what would necessarily be on the
> radio circa 1966....
> interesting...
> check Ginsberg's diaries as I think he may mention the film in there.
> jack
>
> Title: Christmas on Earth Continued.
> Author: RUBIN, Barbara.
> Description: No place: self-published, 1965. 4to. Mimeographed
> sheets, stapled. Barbara Rubin's script for a proposed movie, a
> sequel to her earlier experimental film "Christmas On Earth" (which
> reportedly at some stage featured a Velvet Underground soundtrack,
> and in which, as friend and sometime lover Allen Ginsberg has
> described, "she made an art object out of her vagina"). The script
> features a lengthy list of "Desired Stars & Heroes, Heroines", who
> include The Beatles, Stones, Velvets, Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger,
> Gregory Corso, Harry Smith, The Kinks, Alex Trocchi, and numerous
> others. Part of the Factory crowd through her film work, Rubin
> introduced Bob Dylan to Warhol, and in London was one of the prime
> movers behind the 1965 Albert Hall poetry event. This unrealised
> film-script was later published (in 1968) by Bob Cobbing's Writers
> Forum Press in an edition of 100 copies. Upper wrapper sl. marked,
>
>
>
> On 24 Jan 2007, at 16:29, alvamel wrote:
>
>> In April 05, there was a short thread about Barbara Rubin's film
>> 'Christmas On Earth'. It seems that aside from having the film(s)
>> double-projected that the projectionist is also given instructions
>> to have radio playing into the theatre at the same time. I'm
>> curious about these instructions - to have the film scored to live
>> radio tuned to a so-called 'rock station'.
>>
>> Obviously, radio in the mid-sixties and radio today are a
>> completely different animal. Aside from shifts in musical style,
>> contemporary radio is owned by a few centralized corporations -
>> thus predictably managed to the listener's conditioned taste . So,
>> I would imagine that radio 40 years ago was much more eccentric
>> and was likely to enhance the tension of the viewing experience,
>> not knowing what sort of musical accompaniment or commercial was
>> likely to come next. I gather that Barbara was hoping to create an
>> experience that garnered a certain spontaneity.
>>
>> Is there anybody on this list who can share the experience of
>> seeing 'Christmas On Earth' as per the original exposition
>> instructions?
>>
>> Thanks for any insight.
>>
>> Alva
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.