The lead shoes

I really actually liked The Lead Shoes, by Sidney Peterson, though I must admit I was glad when it ended. The Lead shoes was definitely in the same category as the surrealist un chien andelou, although there are definitely some differences. There are two separate storylines going on. The first a girl plays hopscotch on the street, and second a woman tends to a scuba man. The stories are juxtaposed to each other, and both at times run in reverse. The hopscotch kind of works as a metaphor for film, in that the squares can be traversed forward or backward. I feel that the dream logic worked better on me here than in Un Chien Andelou only because it feels less aggressive. For instance, I especially like the connection of the girls chalk marking the sidewalk in reverse to the scuba divers oxygen hose (at least I think that’s what it is); it’s a simple graphic match, but follows a dream logic; in that two times, and subject matters are connected but only barely. However in un Chien Andelou the content seems to be shocking for shocks sake. I can understand why the filmmakers would choose this technique but I think the shocking nature of it is an ineffective way of showing what surrealistic qualities film is capable of. Also adding to why I enjoyed The Lead Shoes, is its slow pace. The pace gives me an opportunity to see the connections, and build some ideas as to what I am seeing. I loved the lens distortion. I often have dreams where part of my vision is blurred. The score was appropriate with both the playfulness of the girl, and the surreal qualities of the woman and the scuba diver. There seemed to be many things going on in the score, which played with the images to bring a sensory overload. Things are firing off, and they aren’t specifically connected to the images but they seem to fit.

response: 1/25

Sitney, “Ritual and Nature”

1. What are some characteristics of the American psychodrama in the 1940s?
A passive protagonist struggles with internal conflicts projected on an external world. The authors of the film also occupy the lead roles. The subjects of the film represent the filmmaker’s minds, and usually embark on a quest for identity.

2. What does Sitney mean by an “imagist” structure replacing narrative structure in Choreography for the Camera?
Instead having a linear structure Choreography for the Camera takes a gesture, isolates it, and then uses it as a complete film form.

3. According to Sitney, Ritual in Transfigured Time represents a transition between the psychodrama and what kind of film?
Mythological

4. Respond briefly to Sitney’s reading of Ritual in Transfigured Time (27-28); Is his interpretation compatible with your experience of the film?
Obviously his interpretation is more detailed since I only saw the film once and was inundated with all this new information on the avant garde movement. I was still trying to create (force) a linear plot on the film and in doing so I missed out on the aspects Sitney brings up. I didn’t, and still don’t quite understand the mythological aspects of the film, but I do see the transformation from Meshes to Ritual.

Sitney, “The Magus”

5. Paraphrase the paragraph on p. 90 that begins “The filmic dream constituted…” in your own words.
What the camera sees is equivalent to what and how the filmmaker and subject (synonymous) view the object in the cameras path.

6. According to Sitney, what is the ultimate result at the end of Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome?

Whatever divinity the others obtain comes through the Magus. The mythic characters inside the Magus combine to turn the Magus into a god.

Scott MacDonald, “Cinema 16: Introduction”

7. What were some general tendencies in the programming at Cinema 16, and how were films arranged within individual programs?
Vogel chose to exhibit a variety of films that challenged conventional Hollywood. He would choose types of films the emphasized individuality- such as documentary and avant garde. Usually he would put specifically films in a package that would relate to each other, creating a conversation that would give context to the films as well as new meaning.

8. What kinds of venues rented Kenneth Anger’s Fireworks?

The venues included mostly colleges and film societies, as well as other Venues and individuals that presented alternative cinema.

9. What impact did Cinema 16 have on New York City film culture?

More people began to go to Cinema 16, which prompted a rise in Art House theatres, alternative T.V. programming, film courses taught at universities, as well as more alternative filmmakers.

Hans Richter, “A History of the Avantgarde”

10. What conditions in Europe made the avant-garde film movement possible after World War I?
The conditions were political and economic unrest, opposition against conventional film routine, and the artistic climate in Europe.

11. If the goal of Impressionist art is “Nature Interpreted by Temperament,” what are the goals of abstract art?
The goals of abstract art are to overcome pure individualistic emotional expression and to find instead the way for the expression of universal feeling.

For me trying to interpret Kenneth Angers Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome will just end in confusion. I’m not familiar with most of the mythic characters within the film, and can only begin to understand the film’s point. That’s not to say I wasn’t entertained with Pleasure Dome’s trippy editing techniques, its provocative content and use of fantastical color. I can’t help but think the film is about mind altering substances- whether it be drugs, or alcohol- and their affects on identity and being. Without the knowledge of Alexander Crowley’s work of which this film is apparently based, I don’t think I could come to any other conclusion. To put it mildly, the visuals of this film are bizarre. The colors are plucked some kind of LSD induced dream. They are bright, neon, and I could never tell where they were coming from. The backgrounds of the film are mostly black sheets, although sometimes their dreamy landscapes. My main problem with the film was its running time. Toward the end, the characters seemed to be repeating actions, which made for a weird viewing experience. The visuals and editing were always in flux, but it seemed that the plot was going nowhere.