From: Jonathan Kahana (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Jul 12 2008 - 19:49:28 PDT
I would be interested to know what Dominic and others make of the
"appraisal" of Conner by Manohla Dargis that appears in the New York
Times this Sunday: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/movies/
12conn.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=conner&st=cse&oref=slogin
And I'd be interested to know what Dominic makes of the Times posting
links to several sites which host what I assume are unauthorized
dupes of Conner's films. One can imagine that whomever at the Times
posted the links thinks this is justified by the idea that the works
are themselves already, in some respect, found objects, though I
doubt Dominic (or Dargis) want to be taken to mean that the works are
thus in the public domain…
jk
On Jul 12, 2008, at 2:26 PM, DOMINIC ANGERAME wrote:
> What can one say about the film work of Bruce Conner.
> Bruces’ films are pivotal and represent a
> revolutionary change in style amongst the films of
> avant garde and experimental filmmakers around the
> world. The art of found footage filmmaking was
> capulted into a new world with films such A MOVIE made
> in 1952 by Bruce Conner. Bruce was not the first
> filmmaker to incorporate found footage into his films.
> Many had done this before him such at Joseph Cornell
> in his mater work ROSE HOBART, and even the
> surrealists of the 1920’s utilized found footage as
> seen in Rene Claire’s ENTRACTE. However Bruce in the
> first experimental filmmaker to fully explore and
> investigate the depths of found footage filmmaking.
>
> As seen in COSMIC RAY Conner uses found footage to
> touch on themes, of war, sexuality, political parody,
> social injustice attempts to discover the soul of
> human kind. The used of his impacting imagery makes us
> aware of the value of each and every frame as if time
> has an urgency. Bruce’s films are not intended to loll
> us to sleep although there are moments of peace, like
> in A MOVIE or CROSSROADS. However these moments
> quickly vanish when we discover in CROSSROADS that the
> beautifully shaped clouds we are looking at are
> actually radioactive from the atomic weapon which was
> just detonated.
>
> Virtually every experimental/avant garde filmmaker has
> been influenced by the films of Bruce Conner. Whether
> it be Craig Baldwin, Jay Rosenblatt, Martin Arnold,
> Abigail Child, Stan Brakhage, Peter Hutton, or myself.
> We are all dazzled and amazed and affected by not only
> the strong striking imagery, however, the rhythms of
> the music, editing that is timed one step of our
> ability to see, the use of lighting, the film’s
> rawness and the recurring themes.
>
> Bruce Conner’s work in cinema rightly deserves the
> recognition received and the truly historic place that
> they have garnished in the history of
> experimental/avant garde cinema.
>
> An attempt to describe the impact of Bruce Conners’
> films on the millions of people who have experienced
> and viewed them during the past 56 year would almost
> be impossible. A complete listing of partial and one
> man showings by Bruce Conner would be at least 200
> pages long, not to mention the thousands of screenings
> of his films at Museums, Galleries, small film
> showcases, and classrooms throughout the world.
>
> This is hardly a filmmaker in the world, including
> those that produce commercial narrative films, that is
> not familiar with name and work of Bruce Conner.
>
> Bruce Conner’s work in cinema rightly deserves the
> recognition received and the truly historic place that
> they have garnished in the history of
> experimental/avant garde filmmaking. These films will
> live on in their spirit and will continue to influence
> the world that is and that which is let to come.
>
> We who him will greatly miss him
>
> Dominc Angerame 2008
> --- Jeff Kreines <email suppressed> wrote:
>
>> We need to find some old "I AM BRUCE CONNER" buttons
>> to wear.
>>
>> I projected Brakhage's class at SAIC when he taught
>> Conner, and
>> walked by a couple of Conner's sculptures every day
>> (as well as a
>> great painting of Screamin' Jay Hawkins and a George
>> Segal sculpture
>> that were hidden near the secret staircase I used to
>> get back to the
>> school. He told the story of Conner, Castelli, and
>> the buttons...
>>
>> Is that DVD still available from the gallery in LA?
>> Anyone?
>>
>> Jeff "a sad fan" Kreines
>>
>>
>>
> __________________________________________________________________
>> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at
>> <email suppressed>.
>>
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.
________________________
Jonathan Kahana
Department of Cinema Studies
Tisch School of the Arts
New York University
721 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-1821 tel
(212) 995-4061 fax
email suppressed
Now available:
Intelligence Work: The Politics of American Documentary http://
cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14206-9/intelligence-work
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.