March 7
EXPERIMENTAL TRIBUTE
* Kuchar * Belson * Breer
7:00 – GEORGE KUCHAR (1942-2011)
(1966-78) 67 mins
Together with his twin brother Mike, George Kuchar was one of the key filmmakers of the New York camp underground of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Proudly no budget, his 8mm & 16mm shorts show a deep love of Hollywood melodrama as distilled through a distinctly lurid style. Included in this program are the semi-autobiographical classic, Hold Me While I’m Naked (1966), the searing, tragic Pagan Rhapsody (1970), & the quirkily atmospheric “weather diary” Wild Night in El Reno (1977).
Hold Me While I’m Naked (George Kuchar) 1966 15 mins
Eclipse of the Sun Virgin (George Kuchar) 1967 12 mins
Pagan Rhapsody (George Kuchar) 1970 24 mins
Wild Night in El Reno (George Kuchar) 1977 6 mins
The Mongreloid (George Kuchar) 1978 10 mins
Cteq Annotation:
‘Wild Night in El Reno‘ by Brian Darr.
8:20 – JORDAN BELSON (1926-2011)
(1961-75) 36 mins
Film historian William Moritz described Jordan Belson as one of the greatest artists of visual music: “[he] creates lush vibrant experiences of exquisite color & dynamic abstract phenomena evoking sacred celestial experiences”. Honouring the recent passing of the San Francisco-based experimental filmmaker, this program includes many of Belson’s most famous works. His painstakingly constructed films are both painterly & cosmological (Belson also provided the special effects for Kaufman’s The Right Stuff).
Allures (Jordan Belson) 1961 8 mins
Cosmos (Jordan Belson) 1969 6 mins
Meditation (Jordan Belson) 1971 6 mins
Chakra (Jordan Belson) 1972 6 mins
Cycles (Jordan Belson & Stephen Beck) 1975 10 mins
9:10 – ROBERT BREER (1926-2011)
(1954-89) 81 mins
Robert Breer was a key figure of the postwar American avant-garde cinema. Although mostly celebrated as an animator his work utilises an extraordinary array of techniques & approaches ranging from single-frame photography & collage to spray painting & rotoscoping. Breer’s often abstract cinema is a riot of geometric forms & precise rhythm. This program features many of Breer’s most significant works including the remarkable autobiographical animation Fist Fight (1964), the breakthrough combination of live-action & animation Jamestown Baloos (1957), & such central later works as 69 (1968) & Fuji (1974).
A Miracle (Robert Breer) 1954 30 secs
Cats (Robert Breer) 1 min
Recreation (Robert Breer) 1956 2 mins
A Man and His Dog Out for Air (Robert Breer) 1957 2 mins
Jamestown Baloos (Robert Breer) 1957 5 mins
Hommage to Jean Tinguely’s “Hommage to New York” (Robert Breer) 1960 10 mins
Space (Robert Breer) 1960 5 mins
Blazes (Robert Breer) 1961 3 mins
Horse Over Tea Kettle (Robert Breer) 1962 7 mins
Breathing (Robert Breer) 1963 5 mins
Fist Fight (Robert Breer) 1964 9 mins
66 (Robert Breer) 1966 2 mins
69 (Robert Breer) 1968 5 mins
Fuji (Robert Breer) 1974 9 mins
Rubber Cement (Robert Breer) 1976 10 mins
A Frog on a Swing (Robert Breer) 1989 5 mins
All prints courtesy of the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia.