FAMU
A History of American Experimental Film
Fall 2008
Instructor: Henry Hills
Contact: henry@henryhills.com
Class times: Tuesdays, 15:40-18:05 FAMU Auditorium, 1st floor
(+ special screenings at Skolska 28 Gallery)
Course description
Viewing the dominance of narrative in film and the
consequent hegemony of Hollywood as an historical anomaly owing to the
economics of film production (an issue from the pre-digital past, now that
filmmaking, like record collecting, has become essentially free), we will
explore fringe work as an alternative reality which contains seeds of a
positive future vision for moving-imagery, i.e., avant-garde film will be
viewed as a model of consciousness seeking expansion. Ideally this will be a
study of works in which form and content are perfectly merged, the focus being
on film as a thing itself, not films ŅaboutÓ something. We will view as many
films as possible, films that bounce off each other in different ways.
Availability on DVD is redefining film history, and such access plays a major
role in the structure of this course.
Evaluation
Students must keep a JOURNAL of experimental films
they see, both in class and outside. This should include sufficient information
to convince me that you have seen the films, plus commentary indicating that
some of what you have seen has given you some thoughts. These are due (by
e-mail) for initial approval at
mid-term, and for final evaluation within a week after the last class.
Attendance at screenings is mandatory; make-ups are possible by arrangement.
Recommended texts:
ESSENTIAL BRAKHAGE
ESSENTIAL DEREN
AVANT GARDE READER (Anthology Film Archives)
FILM DIARIES
Jonas Mekas
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN UNDERGROUND FILM
Sheldon Renan
EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA David Curtis
A CRITICAL CINEMA (Scott McDonald interviews 1-6)
Web resources
Edweard Muybridge: http://americanhistory.si.edu/muybridge/
Etienne Jules Marey: http://www.expo-marey.com/
Library of Congress Paperprint Collection: http://www.loc.gov/rr/mopic/ndlmps.html
Stan Brakhage: http://www.fredcamper.com/Film/BrakhageL.html
Kenneth Anger: http://www.phinnweb.org/links/cinema/underground/anger/
Harry Smith: http://www.harrysmitharchives.com/
Jack Smith: http://jacksmithandthedestructionofatlantis.com/
Andy Warhol: http://www.warholstars.org/filmch/filmchro.html
Jonas Mekas:
http://jonasmekas.com/
STREAMING VIDEO (Bruce Baillie, Cinema of Transgression,
Rene ClairÕs EntrÕActe, Guy
Debord, Fluxus, Jean Genet, Alexander Hammid, Henry
Hills, Mauricio Kagel, George Kuchar, George Landow, Alfred
Leslie, Arthur Lipsett, Yoko Ono, Sidney PetersonÕs The Lead Shoes, Ron Rice, Peter Rose, Carolee
Schneemann, Jack Smith, Viennese Actionism, etc.):
CLASS
1 Sept 23
Ken
Jacobs HANKY PANKY
NYMPH
CAPITALISM:SLAVERY
William
Kennedy Laurie Dickson EARLIEST EDISON FILMS
Andy Warhol BLOW
JOB
Edwin S. Porter WHAT HAPPENED ON 23RD STREET
PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION AT NIGHT
DREAM OF A RAREBIT FIEND
Billy Bitzer WESTINGHOUSE WORKS
INTERIOR NEW YORK SUBWAY
IMPOSSIBLE CONVICTS
Fredrick Armitage DEMOLISHING THE STAR THEATRE
SEEING NEW YORK BY YACHT
DOWN THE HUDSON
Ken
Jacobs NEW YORK STREET
TROLLEYS (Nervous System demo)
CLASS
2 Sept 30
Man Ray LE RETOUR A LA RAISON
EMAK BAKIA
L'TOILE
DE MER
(Fernand Lger &) Dudley Murphy BALLET MCANIQUE (Antheil track)
Ralph Steiner H2O
Mary Ellen Bute DADA
ESCAPE (Synchromy # 3)
Oskar Fischinger RADIO DYNAMICS
Joseph Cornell ROSE
HOBART
Slavko Vorkapich THE
FURIES
Busby Berkeley
BY A WATERFALL
CLASS 3 Oct 7
Maya Deren MESHES
OF THE AFTERNOON
AT LAND
Martina Kudlček IN
THE MIRROR OF MAYA DEREN
CLASS 4
Oct 14
Rudy Burckhardt PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Marie Menken
GLIMPSE OF THE GARDEN
ARABESQUE FOR KENNETH ANGER
EYE MUSIC IN RED MAJOR
GO! GO! GO!
Kenneth Anger
FIREWORKS
RABBITÕS
MOON
EAU
DÕARTIFICE
SCORPIO RISING
CLASS 5 ****note
special time and place****
October
21 19:30 classroom 1
special
multi-projector performance by the tape-beatles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tape-beatles
CLASS 6 October 28 Stan Brakhage
WAY TO THE SHADOW GARDEN
CATÕS CRADLE
WINDOW WATER BABY MOVING
PRELUDE: DOG STAR MAN
MOTHLIGHT
THE DANTE QUARTET
GLAZE OF CATHEXIS
BLACK ICE
THE ACT OF SEEING WITH ONES OWN EYES
CLASS
7 November 4
Robert Breer
FORM PHASES IV
RECREATION
A MAN AND HIS DOG OUT FOR AIR
JAMESTOWN BALOOS
BLAZES 69
FUJI
Jordan Belson
ALLURES
SAMADHI
Scott Bartlett OFF/ON
Phill Niblock MAGIC SUN
CLASS
8 Nov 11
Bruce Conner
BREAKAWAY
REPORT
Jack
Smith FLAMING CREATURES
Ken
Jacobs BLOND COBRA
CLASS
9 Nov 18
Arthur
Lipsett 21-87
William Burroughs TOWERS OPEN FIRE
Andy Warhol VINYL
CLASS
10 Nov 25
Hollis
Frampton ZORNS LEMMA
Robert
Beavers FROM THE NOTEBOOKS OF...
CLASS
11 Dec 2 PEGGY AHWESH in
person
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/ahwesh.html
***extra screening***
Wednesday, Dec 3, Skolska 28 Gallery
Keith Sanborn and Peggy Ahwesh in person IN 16MM
CLASS
12 Dec 9
Leslie Thornton PEGGY AND FRED IN HELL
Abby Child COVERT ACTION
Fred Worden HERE
Lewis Klahr ANTIGENIC DRIFT
Ben Russell BLACK & WHITE TRYPPS #3
Jennifer Reeves LIGHT„WORK„MOOD„DISORDER
Jim Jennings PRAGUE WINTER
Henry Hills ELECTRICITY
MONEY
GOTHAM