Stan Brakhage (1933-2003) was perhaps the most admired of American avant-garde filmmakers, and surely the most prolific, creating some 400 films between 1952 and his death last year. Ranging in length from just a few seconds to over an hour, Brakhage's works were audaciously experimental: his techniques incorporated jittery, handheld camera movement in his earlier years, and painting or etching directly onto celluloid in his later films. Jim Shedden's Brakhage combines interviews with Brakhage, excerpts from an earlier documentary, observations from colleagues and admirers, and snippets from his films to provide both a biographical portrait of the artist and an appreciation of his singular accomplishments. Some consider Brakhage's films works of genius; others dismiss them as examples of appalling self-indulgence, but anyone interested in the fringes of American filmmaking should become acquainted with his contributions, and this DVD coupled with the Criterion Collection's superlative double-disc compilation By Brakhage (VL-9/03) offer an excellent introduction. DVD extras include the 1965 documentary Brakhage on Film, a Brakhage interview (actually a monologue) from the early 1970s, and a chronological survey of the clips included in the film. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Brakhage
(1999) 75 min. DVD: $29.99. Zeitgeist Video (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 5
Brakhage
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