Absolute Films & The heart-breaking mind-fuck!

My Avant-garde teacher is amazing. His name is Martin Cihak, and he looks like a mix from the short french fellow from The Science of Sleep and Golem from the LOTR trilogy. And that is with absolutely no exaggeration.

This week we reviewed German Avant-garde Film from the 1920's. This consisted of viewing screenings by four artists. The first three are extremely influential in terms of avant-garde as a larger movement, but the fourth and last is my new absolute obsession...



1) Walther Rutmann:

-Opus 1,2,3,& 4 {1921-25}

-Das Wunder (The Wonder) {1922}

- Falkentraum (The Dream of the Falcon) {1923 silent}



2) Viking Eggeling:

-Diagonal Sinfonie (Diagonal Symphony) {1923-25}



3) Hans Richter:

- Rhythmus 21 (Film is Rhythm) {1923-25 silent}

-Filmstudie {1926 silent}

- Vormittagsspuk (Ghosts Before Breakfast) {1927-28 silent}

-Zweigroschenzauber (Two-Pence Magic) {1928-29}

-Inflation {1928}

AND MY NEW HERO:



4) Oskar Fischinger:

-Seelische Konstruktionen (Spiritual Constructions) {1930}

-Studie 7 {1930-1931. Music = Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5}

-Kreise (Circles) {1933. Music = Richard Wagner, Edvard Grieg}

-Muratti greift ein (Here Comes Muratti) {1934. Gasparcolor}

-Muratti Privat {1935}

-Komposition in Blau (Composition in Blue) {1935. Music = Otto Nikolai, overture from "The Merry Wivesof Windsor." Gasparcolor}

-Motion Painting No. 1 {1947. Music = Bach, Bradenburg Concerto No. 3}

While studying this spring at FAMU in Prague, I am getting the opportunity to take both practice and theory classes from some of the best artists in contemporary Czech Cinema. Not only will I be learning the art and extreme difficulty of the 35mm format (an experience only myself and the other 5 students from Syracuse accompanying me are afforded, out of our bigger group of about 40 other students) as well as sponge up a more in-depth understanding of European Cinema, especially within the camps of Surrealism and the Avant-Garde.

I'm going to try to write as much criticism of the works we view as I can, which for the most part, I imagine, will turn more into unadulterated praise (because honestly, its all been that good thus far).

Currently we are learning about the basic films of the Czech New Wave in a special screening series (made specifically for international students). This includes the following films:

- The Joke
- Larks On A String
- Closely Watched Trains
- Shop On The Main Square
- Daisies
- Loves of a Blonde

(also, privately, I watched "Little Otik", another film we were recommended to see, on my newfound netflix "instant view" which I've figured out how to use in Europe.)

Each of these films deserves its own post, but would require a second viewing. Perhaps later.

The rest of the work that we've been learning about in our electives deserves a separate post each as well, so I'll save those for later.

Basically, sorry for the delay in posts! Back to work for me!

Na Shledanou!

-H