A Tribute To Stan Brakhage
Last night was a very special night for me.
A whole evening at the cinematheque dedicated to the late Stan Brakhage. We had film historians, enthusiasts, and even a collaborator of Stan's (James Tenney) in attendance to view three films and discuss them at length.
Showed?
Christ Mass Sex Dance
Faust 4
Coupling
James Tenney holds the distinction of being one of only 3 people to collaborate with Brakhage. He composed the score for "Christ Mass", a description-defying film- which was an amalgam of soundscapes and Elvis' Blue Suede Shoes.
The score was composed in 1961, but wasn't used by Stan until 1991. Faust 4 was the highlight of the night. A 34 minute editing marvel, you are overwhelmed by the juxtaposed images. Brakhage was one of the greatest film artists of the 20th century, and part 4 of his Faust series is proof positive that he may even be better than Eisenstein.
What makes Brakhage films pure "Brakhage" is the fact that 99% of his film experiments are silent. So to have the composer of a Brakhage score in the house last night was a priviledge.
Another reason last night was great was the fact that I won the contest they held. The Virgin Megastore was co-sponsoring the tribute, and they donated a coupon book worth over 400 dollars.
Yours truly won it when I answered the fastest with a question on Brakhage.
so today I'll be doing a little shopping...
Last edited by Johann; 02-29-2004 at 05:30 AM.
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