From: Ken Bawcom (email suppressed)
Date: Wed Oct 10 2007 - 00:50:29 PDT
When I think of "radical" film, the first two films that come to my
mind are "Selective Service System," and "Hauling Toto Big." This is
more or less a gut reaction, which I will decline to analyze at the
moment.
Despite its etymology, in common usage "radical" does mean an extreme
departure from the traditional. I would say that characterizes much of
the best experimental film, and it was this quality that first drew my
interest to it, back in the 60s. But I would say that for an
experimental film to qualify as radical, by that definition, a film
would have to be non-traditional when compared to other experimental
films. Of course, that could be inviting odd paradox...
So, with its two meanings virtual opposites, "radical" is is somewhat
like "sanction," another word with two opposite meanings.
Ken B.
Quoting jason livingston <email suppressed>:
> Gene, thanks, this is provocative material. It seems to me that if
> radicality is located in an address to/of/for essence or being, then
> we can corral William Safire as a solid radical. After all, his
> commitment to roots and linguistic identity is unquestionable.
>
> Don't lots of people trade in essence but say nothing about the status quo?
>
> Jason
> Ithaca, NY
>
>
>> From: gyoungblood <email suppressed>
>> Reply-To: Experimental Film Discussion List <email suppressed>
>> To: email suppressed
>> Subject: Re: seeking recommendations
>> Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2007 17:15:38 -0600
>>
>> The word radical is derived from the Latin radix, or root. So a
>> radical approach to anything is that which addresses the root cause,
>> or source, of its identity, its being. That's why it's in the
>> interest of power to equate radical with extreme, but they are not
>> the same at all. A radical intervention is extreme only if it is
>> mistaken, only if the problem is not caused by the root source of
>> the system's identity. In the poltical arena, neocons are extreme
>> but they aren't radical. They don't transform the hierarchical,
>> dominator paradigm from which the identity, or being, of almost all
>> societies is derived, they reinforce it. In the realm of culture and
>> the arts -- film in our case -- the violence of commodity cinema is
>> extreme, Warhol and Brakhage are radical.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: db
>> To: email suppressed
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 4:20 PM
>> Subject: [FRAMEWORKS] seeking recommendations
>>
>>
>> I was chatting with a friend today and we started discussing the
>> words "radical" and "filmmaking" within the same sentence. Got me
>> thinking about a lot of films that would, for me, fit into such a
>> genre (for lack of a better word).
>>
>>
>> My dictionary describes genre as:
>> a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature,
>> characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter
>>
>>
>> Such a definition seems rather anti-radical to me, so I'd like to
>> toss out a call for recommendations of films that, to members of
>> this list, would be considered radical.
>>
>>
>> I'd rather not provide examples that have crossed my mind as I'd
>> prefer to receive suggestions based upon unmediated (unguided?)
>> ideas of what constitutes radical filmmaking.
>>
>>
>> If anyone has suggestions please send them along, on or off-list.
>>
>>
>> db
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>>
>
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> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
>
>
>
"Those who would give up essential liberty
to purchase a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty, nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin 1775
"I know that the hypnotized never lie... Do ya?"
Pete Townshend 1971
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.