Category Archives: Documentary Film

Blank City: Documentary About a Time When New York Had Artists

by Cimaxion

Celine Danhier's 2010 documentary covers a time in the late 1970s when New York was exploding with music and filmmaking energy. Young artists were unafraid to take to the streets without budgets. They were paying low rents and had a community to thrive within. Watching this makes one wonder what exactly New York is for today. It seems more corporate than creative. More trendy than artsy. I think the cops shoot people who don't have budgets now. That's if they aren't too lazy to strangle them to death. Where are young artists going now? Detroit? Newark? Or do they just decide to look down, keep walking and go buy a latte?

 

 

Joseph Cornell – Worlds in a Box: 1991 Documentary

by Cimaxion

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This is a 1991 documentary film about the legendary artist and filmmaker, Joseph Cornell, who made those magnificent and strange collage boxes. He was also one of our great experimental filmmakers and once apparently made Salvador Dali extremely jealous at a screening of his masterpiece, Rose Hobart.

In this film we get to hear people like Susan Sontag, Stan Brakhage, and Tony Curtis talk about their friendships with the artist. It turns out that Curtis was quite a collector and he seemed to have a very deep understanding of what Cornell was doing in his work.

 

Experimental Film Great Stan Brakhage Interviewed in 1973

by Cimaxion

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This is a fascinating 1973 television interview of the great American experimental filmmaker, Stan Brakhage. He made a fantastic career utilizing mostly the technique of painting, scratching, and inking directly on the surface of the celluloid. His films are mysterious, mesmerizing and absolutely gorgeous. They are also profound works of art. Here, Brakhage talks to documentary filmmaker Robert Gardner about his filmmaking philosophy and techniques. Several of his films are shown as he makes comments about them. This is essential viewing if you are interested in experimental film.

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Western Italian Style: 1968 Spaghetti Western Documentary

by Cimaxion

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This is a 1968 television documentary about the Italian film phenomenon known as the Spaghetti Western. These bold, violent, colorful movies took a dark and sometimes comic look at the western genre. In many cases, I think these films surpassed the American westerns they emulated by playing more loosely with the violence and morality that often made for a kind of stiffness in the American films. If you aren’t familiar with the full scope of the Spaghetti Western, it’s really amazing how many full length versions are available on YouTube.

 

 

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