tomorrow: the real cultural litmus test

[Joel Young]

On Nov 19, 2003, at 2:37 PM, <manny at telerama.com> wrote:

> Of course, you can make up your own mind about this issue. But keep 
> this
> in mind: you know full well that Pittsburgh Filmmakers would not be
> presenting this ensemble if it was just a musical performance and not
> film-related. Is it fair to use an ensemble of prominent experimental
> music luminaries to draw attention (i.e crossover) to the work of an
> experimental filmmaker? I would say it couldn't hurt. But then 
> Brakhage's
> work is compromised as a result.

I'm going with the "try it and see how I like it" approach. I saw some 
Brakhage films when Filmmakers presented them without sound, and I'll 
be checking them out again tonight with some improv musicians. Sure, 
they were originally intended to be silent, but that isn't saying that 
a soundtrack necessarily compromises the work. Seems more akin to 
having a band play at an art gallery to draw people in and perhaps 
improve their appreciation of the paintings. Or hell, it's even a lot 
like Disney's Fantasia, except with fewer cloyingly cute animals in 
tutus.


Joel Young
<joel at inreverie.org>
<http://www.inreverie.org>