Location: Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd. at Las Palmas
Los Angeles, CA
I first encountered Stan Brakhage in college. Like many others, I was introduced to a father of the avant-garde: an unwieldy, polemical romanticist whose prolific output was seemingly impossible to conquer. The course came on the heels of the release of Criterion's first Brakhage DVD and my writing was supplemented with the digital versions of Window Water Baby Moving and Mothlight. I initially emphasized the gravity of his films and was daunted by the task of reorienting my eyes, of looking as if I had never seen before. The
Los Angeles FilmForum's screening of his later works and Q&A with his wife Marilyn challenged my perspective, interogating the deep seriousness with which I approached the films. While I watched The Machine of Eden, Burial Path and Visions in Meditation #4 I was struck by a tremendous lust for life. I encountered Brakhage as a man who loved looking and living, who had a vision that was both inclusive and discerning. Marilyn described Stan as a man who had a sense of humor and was well aware of the comedy in his works. Despite the seriousness of Brakhage's themes of living and dying I noticed how life's gravest moments are infused with humor and incredible artistry.
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