tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post73292655608944297..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Four 1960s avant-garde shorts (Jacobs, Levine, Mekas, Jordan)Ed Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-52493443364889780722011-08-18T11:40:03.735-04:002011-08-18T11:40:03.735-04:00Jordan's short review loses credit for ignorin...Jordan's short review loses credit for ignoring Jordan's experimental approach to unite sounds with moving cut out moving images, which was probably a landmark in experimental animation.strongestweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00124968948531153643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-70063200066061525452011-02-18T19:28:54.192-05:002011-02-18T19:28:54.192-05:00Thanks, Michael. That Treasures IV set is a great ...Thanks, Michael. That Treasures IV set is a great boon for avant-garde fans. Coverage of avant-garde film on DVD is spotty for so many reasons, so it's always great when something like that (or the Kino sets) comes along to fill in some gaps. I periodically try to cover whatever avant-garde stuff I can find, because there really isn't enough writing about these films.<br /><br />I've Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-69006867248727595962011-02-18T19:03:29.254-05:002011-02-18T19:03:29.254-05:00Hi Ed,
I'm doing a big catch up on my reading,...Hi Ed,<br />I'm doing a big catch up on my reading, so I've only seen this post now. I loved your prose on these four films - I love the work of 3 of these four filmmakers, haven't seen Levine yet. I haven't seen any of the films you've mentioned, but your writing was evocative and has spurred me to seek them out (via the Treasures IV DVD set). Its always heartening to read Michael Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08514131138183593544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-56422370155977432252011-02-12T09:03:06.842-05:002011-02-12T09:03:06.842-05:00Thanks a lot, Jacob!Thanks a lot, Jacob!Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-57549166006224361452011-02-11T19:41:37.582-05:002011-02-11T19:41:37.582-05:00Very nice write-ups here, agreed on all accounts!....Very nice write-ups here, agreed on all accounts!...Jacob Waltmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11233723738420950660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-56223752598446789662011-02-11T19:31:37.456-05:002011-02-11T19:31:37.456-05:00Thanks, Carson. Totally agreed about Mekas. He pre...Thanks, Carson. Totally agreed about Mekas. He presents these films as though they're documentary observations, and of course they are, but those titles don't come close to capturing the subjective, poetic sensibility he brings to this material. He's a great filmmaker. I always love seeing interviews with him, too; he has such joy about the cinema and everything.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-28259845020592037392011-02-11T17:37:04.980-05:002011-02-11T17:37:04.980-05:00Ed, great piece on the Mekas film Notes on the Cir...Ed, great piece on the Mekas film <i>Notes on the Circus</i>. I saw it recently and was thrilled by it. Such a dizzying stream of imagery that I discovered to take on an almost hypnotic quality after a while in its abstractness. I love how Mekas titles his works in such a nondescript manner only to undermine that sense of simplicity. Yes, the film is technically "notes on the circus", Carson Lundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164962777812861110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-5647165319871940202011-02-11T15:10:19.917-05:002011-02-11T15:10:19.917-05:00Thanks, Sam. I don't expect too many comments ...Thanks, Sam. I don't expect too many comments when I do these avant-garde roundups; I know most haven't seen these films, though the ones I showcase here are all from the very nice Treasures IV DVD box set, a must for avant-garde fans.<br /><br />I love Anthology, of course. I don't get out to the theaters as often as I'd like, especially in NYC, but I have many fond memories of Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-45042246273633062002011-02-11T14:28:02.904-05:002011-02-11T14:28:02.904-05:00It's quite a presentation, beautifully penned,...It's quite a presentation, beautifully penned, and laid out and it's informational and eclectically fascinating. It leaves me, however, unable to add much, except to say that I do greatly admire Mekas in particular, whose association with Stan Brakhage forged the launching of the Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan, a screening place and a film museum, which subsequently became Woody Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-67168488097460913362011-02-11T10:42:15.472-05:002011-02-11T10:42:15.472-05:00That makes sense. The voiceover in the second sect...That makes sense. The voiceover in the second section of <i>Little Stabs At Happiness</i> makes it obvious that there's a structure in place here, even if the individual segments just seem like semi-random snippets of footage.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-40022326054957238012011-02-11T10:03:35.203-05:002011-02-11T10:03:35.203-05:00Ken's films seem random and chaotic at first g...Ken's films <i>seem</i> random and chaotic at first glance, but they actually aren't.DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.com