Organism - Hilary Harris Collection ( Longhorns / Highway / 9 Variations on a Dance Theme / Organism / Polaris Action / The Draft Card Burner )

Organism - Hilary Harris Collection (DVD) (*)

$28.99

Original Title: Longhorns / Highway / 9 Variations on a Dance Theme / Organism / Polaris Action / The Draft Card Burner
Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
French ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
86 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Black & White
Booklet

Movie filmed in 1951-1976 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Hilary Harris

Synopsis:

Longhorns:Longhorns is cine-dance with a surrealist tang. There are no human figures in this early short from Hilary Harris, only a pair of Texas longhorns turning endless spirals in the tall reeds of a New York inlet. The strangeness of this scene abstracts the horns' mesmerizing rotation, the better for Harris to explore the choreographic possibilities of cutting and framing (Cyril Jackson's propulsive drum score provides the beat). Harris was a lifelong sculptor in addition to being a pioneering experimental filmmaker, and in Longhorns we see him reveling in the interplay between the two mediums. Though somewhat shaggier than his later motion studies (such as 9 Variations on a Dance Theme), Longhorns remains a tactile treat. The majestic images of clouds, in particular, evince his special ability to transform the mundane into something revelatory. Highway: Hilary Harris' nervy tour of Robert Moses' New York hearkens back to the classic city symphonies of the 1920s but cut to fit the 'go go go' energy of the new era. 'The most exciting thing in film is movement,' Harris once wrote, and in Highway he shows why, shooting from a moving car for the road itself of its ramps, signs and overall pretzel logic. The film can be enjoyed purely as a riot of graphic forms, but at a deeper level Harris is revising the traditional panorama to capture the automotive experience of urban space. He peppers the expressway view with all manner of camera effects, but it's finally his simple fascination with the changing shape of the road at speed that makes the screen come alive. Bronze medalist at the Brussels International Experimental Film Festival in 1958, Highway today appears a snappy detour between 'On the Road' (published the year before) and the early films of the French New Wave (just around the bend). 9 Variations on a Dance Theme: Bettie de Jong performs the same dance nine times, starting and ending in a reclined position. As the film proceeds the camera becomes more and more adventurous. Organism: Chaos and confusion seem to multiply in every corner of the Big Apple. Yet there seems to be some order in all that chaotic and relentless system and things seem to work just fine. The same can be said about the human body. Director Hilary Harris proves with this short documentary that cities and organisms are all-alike. Polaris Action. The Draft Card Burners: This film shows draft card burning demonstrations that took place in New York City during the fall of 1965, relating these incidents to the protests against the draft system & the war in Vietnam.

This product was added to our catalog on Saturday 02 November, 2024.

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