Reading Response Five

Mary Jordan Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
1. Jack Smith was obsessed with Maria Montez because she was the ultimate diva of her time. She wasn't know as an especially great actress, but to many others she represented something much more than an actress. She was a major icon in the gay community and because of her presence on screen, she became the idolization of drag queens. This makes sense when one views scene's from Cobra Woman, especially the scene where she commanding a huge crowd around her. She is walking around on stage in a glorious glittery dress and everyone below her is cheering as she commands them with her arms. This scene helped me understand Smith's obsession with her, and why he named Mario Montez after her.

2. During this time the art community gave the people something to live through. In the past films had been conservative, but with this new era, people were witnessing things on screen that they'd never seen, or been allowed to see. In the 60s, filmmakers like Smith allowed people to stop conforming, a spiritual awakening. White literally used trash from dumpsters to make his films.

3. Flaming Creatures was banned all over the country and it causes controversy between Jonas Mekas and Smith. Mekas used Smith's film to defend avant-garde films and fight censorship. Smith resented Mekas for this because he never wanted his film to be a symbol of defiance. Mekas made money from Smith's film, money that should've been Smith's. The saying "lobsterism," which means taking something for yourself came from this controversy.

4. John Zorn argues that the actual filmming of Normal Love should've been the film. It is argued that Smith opened the door to this whole new way of looking at things, this whole new way of filmmaking, and Warhol and other filmmakers wouldn't have been able to create without him. He himself states that what he made was "real magic"; his films were more real than documentaries. It seems Smith was in it for the right reasons, to put it simply.

5. Smith was arguably more true to himself than Warhol. Andy Warhol was a more commercial than Smith. He was "part of the club" whereas Smith was in a league (and universe) of his own. Andy owes all his famous followers to Smith, who made them superstars to begin with. Jack and Andy clashed because Jack wanted to have control, but Andy collaborated with him in order to stay on people's good sides. Jack resented Warhol because Andy was a capitalistic artist, a manufacturer. Jack felt that those two couldn't go hand in hand; he looked down upon artists who sacrificed their personal visions for popular aesthetics. He wasn't against making money, but he was against what filmmaker's like Warhol were willing to give up in order to do so.

6. Jack decided that if he didn't make any more masterpieces, no one could take them for themselves. In order for a film to remain truly his, he was going to have to go with it everywhere. Jack did everything himself: editing, playing the music at the viewings, etc. It was all him. He even spliced Normal Life live. This way, he resisted commodification and the film was all his, no products, just art.

Reading Response Four

Yoko Ono: "One"

I must admit, I've never been a fan of Yoko Ono's work. However, I do have a certain respect for pieces like this one. There is a certain scientific fascination that attracts me to films like this one, as well as the one we watched in class with the butts. Pushing aside all the symbolic mumbo jumbo that some might try to attach to a film like this one, it is surprisingly interesting to watch the process of a burning match from start to finish. I almost feel like this film should be shown in a chemistry class rather than an avant-garde one. While watching "One" I really have no desire to read about why it was made or what it symbolizes (if anything). As something I would never think to watch all the way through live, I'd rather just appreciate the process of the burning match on screen...I think Brakhage might appreciate this outlook.

Paul Sharits "Wrist Trick"

This film was awesome! Short, sweet and mind boggling. It reminded me of an ink blot test or a shadow puppet show...there's so many different interpretations of the images shown. I feel like I could watch it ten times and get different ideas each time. Some images I saw the first few times include: a rabbit, beetle, banana, bull, bird, etc. I love to watch it in slow motion, but I think that might defeat the purpose of the film.

Sitney

2. Jonas Mekas originally turned up his nose at avant-garde...until he discovered the mythopoeic film genre. He somewhat relates to Brakhage in that he felt that filmmakers should be more concerned with the emotions in regards to human nature, rather than the technical aspects of the filmmaking process. Therefore, he didn't much appreciate the avant-garde films of the 1950s. However, with the arrival of the French New Wave ("nouvelle vague") and realism films, he began to have an open mind and respect for new films, and ones that he had earlier pushed aside. A new supporter of avant-garde films, Mekas eventually opened up a company for distributing films for those who were interested.

4. Both Smith ("Flaming Creatures") and Cornell ("Rose Hobart") utilize footage from other films (not necessarily found footage) to rise above need for conventional films to have a clear narrative agenda. With the combination of surrealism, sexuality, and careful editing, they break free of any narrative altogether, making them prime examples of the surrealist film.

5. The graphic sexuality of the "Flaming Creatures" is greatly emphasized by the exotic locations where they take place, the rhythmic editing, original textures and extensive lighting techniques.

Andy Warhol

6. Angell states that Warhol's early films were mostly silent minimalistic works. To me they sound similar to the works of Yoko Ono that I've seen so far, like filming a man sleeping for 5 hours ("Sleep") or 8 hours of the Empire State Building ("Empire"). Although they were rarely viewed, they were prime examples of Warhol's ability to turn the everyday experiences and items into art.

7. "Screen Tests" was shot in the Factory. Over time Warhol filmed 500 people, including artists, filmmakers, writers, critics, etc. who were instructed to be as motionless as possible. Basically, the film became a "guest book" that showed the respectable people who had visited the Factory. Since the subjects were as still as possible, it became somewhat of a photo album of legitimacy, a visual resume/reference list for Warhol.

8. Warhol's first sound film was "Harlot," and the soundtrack was improvised off-screen dialogue. The addition of sound to his films made for more "finished" products. His sound films were like the full experience, an in-depth representation of each act being filmed. "Vinyl" is another example of these films. It is based on "A Clockwork Orange" and actors weren't allowed to learn their lines, but rather had to recite them from cue cards off-screen. Anything that happened with image or sound was natural, unplanned. The addition of sound only enhanced Warhol's vision of giving the viewer the full experience.

Reading Response Three

1. Brakhage believes in the experience of the vision, rather than the actuality of what the viewer witnesses. He basically states that there is much more to the viewing experience than simply what is physically seen. Mentally and emotionally, there is just as much going on in a human's mind when he/she watches a film, and Brakhage urges viewers to focus on discovering that side of the experience.

2. In Sitney's opinion, Brakhage was the first of all the avant-garde filmmakers to actually make films in the abstract expressionist style. Before him, other artists claimed to work in this style, but they were clearly still too influenced by conventional filmmaking. Brakhage truly opened the doors to a new way of watching film (as discussed above).

3. Synechdoche plays a major role in "The End" because there were specific decisions made by the filmmaker that represent the film as a whole. For example, the ellipsis. By themselves, they are somewhat insignificant. However, with particular stylistic decisions, they guide the viewer to an understanding of the conclusion of the film.

4. From what I gathered, MacLaine is a bit more intense than Connor. Both represent the downfall of the human race, but MacLaine does so much more blatantly. Both filmmakers allow the viewer to have his or her own experience with the film. While watching, one strives to find meaning behind the images, and surely everyone will take something different from it. I think both artists would approve of this.

5. Nelson and Rice's films are difficult to reach conclusions from. Sitney states that the films usually are representative of larger themes, but it may take some knowledge of the filmmakers in order for the viewer to be able to decode the messages.

6. Fluxfilms were basically mockeries of the avant-garde movement. Dadaists especially, rebelled against who they thought were pretentious filmmakers by making films that were seemingly avant-garde. However, these films had no depth or hidden meanings (unlike those of Brakhage). They were compilations of random images thrown together, and although they might be visually pleasing in some cases, the filmmakers didn't mean for there to be any meaning behind them.

7. "Democratizing" the production means to steal a director's thunder in a way. It means taking someone's creation and style and reproducing it to make it seem unoriginal.

8. "Zen for Film" was made in a very minimalistic way so that people who are not part of the elite can afford to make films too. All one would need to make a film was a roll of it. People didn't even need cameras to make a piece of art. This opened up doors for new filmmakers and helped destroy the pretention that formally came with avant-garde filmmaking.