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By Brakhage: An Anthology, Vol. 1 (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Stan Brakhage (Director) Rated:
Unrated
Format: DVD
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
IMDb5.8/10.0
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Genre Drama
Format Multiple Formats, Black & White, Color, NTSC
Contributor Stan Brakhage
Language English
Runtime 4 hours and 3 minutes
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Product Description

Product Description

Runtime: 243 minutes Criterion is proud to present 26 masterworks by Stan Brakhage in high-definition digital transfers made from newly minted film elements. For the first time on DVD, viewers will be able to look one. Original Language: English.

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While you go out to see most other kinds of movies, you must go inward to see the extraordinary avant-garde films of Stan Brakhage. Foremost among American experimental film artists, Brakhage influenced the evolution of the moving image for nearly 50 years (his impact is readily seen on MTV), and this meticulously prepared Criterion Collection anthology represents a virtual goldmine of Brakhage's finest, most challenging work. Challenging because--as observed by Brakhage film scholar Fred Camper in the accompanying booklet--these 26 carefully selected films require the viewer to be fully receptive to "the act of seeing with one's own eyes" (to quote the title of one film, consisting entirely of autopsy footage), which is to say, open to the perceptual and psychological responses that are provoked by Brakhage's non-narrative shorts, ranging here from nine seconds to 31 minutes in length. While "Dog Star Man" (1961-64) is regarded as Brakhage's masterpiece, what emerges from this superb collection is the creative coherence of Brakhage's total vision. Through multilayered textures (often painted or scratched directly on film) and infinite combinations of imagery and rhythmic cutting, these films (most of them soundless) represent the most daring and purely artistic fulfillment of Criterion's ongoing goal to preserve important films on DVD. --Jeff Shannon

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 4 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 2250571
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Stan Brakhage
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Black & White, Color, NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 4 hours and 3 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ June 10, 2003
  • Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Criterion Collection
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000087EYF
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars "An Artistic Epiphany"
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2004
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The eye is an extention of the brain, as Brakhage himself says. There is also a sort of mid-region between eye and brain: the mind's eye, that which interprets and analyses what we see. The films in this collection are trying for the mind and the mind's eye, catching the viewer almost off guard with visually arresting imagery. An approximation of Brakhage's own words: "Painting on film seems opening, opening, opening; while traditional film methods don't seem so: much that can be done in narrative film seems to have been done." I could hardly disagree, and Brakhage's own films are a testament to this.
I could never hope to explicate all (or even many) of the films on these two DVD's, so I will just discuss the most artistically important (if not necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing) film: Dog Star Man.
It is, in essence, the story of a man (Brakhage himself) living an epic--he dreams the epic in the Prelude, climbs partway up a mountain to chop down a tree (symbolic, in my opinion, of the Norse World Tree, Yggdrasil, a comment on the modern-day destruction of and lack of care for the environment) in Part I; discusses/illustrates the family in Part II; and has a [adult fantasy] daydream in Part III. Finally, in Part IV, there is a cosmic deconstruction (symbolized by fire and other layers of superimposition)due to the destruction of the world tree, and a recap of the themes previously discussed in the film.
But these few words are not sufficient to completely explain the film. Brakhage seems concerned with the issue of mortality and the life before it: he superimposes footage of solar flares, trees, water, snow, and trees to give the viewer impressions on the origin of life. Of course, Part II is composed in large part of footage of Brakhage's own children (babies at this point), and this is a further comment on the nature of life.
I have read reviews of Dog Star Man, saying that it can only convey to the viewer the story of a man walking up a mountain with his dog, and that the rest can be taken only at face value. These reviewers are wrong. If I had the time to discuss the other films on this flawless compilation, I would; this review can only begin to touch upon the major themes with which Brakhage dealt: birth, death, [adult relations], and the search for god.
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Nicholas Croft
5.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Overview of a Life's Work in Film
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2004
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This two-disc DVD set contains twenty-six experimental films by Stan Brakhage. The total playing time is approximately two hundred and forty-three minutes. Three short video encounters of the filmmaker are included on disc two, and a 24-page booklet, of supporting documentation by Fred Camper, is supplied in the deluxe DVD case.
Disc one consists of four films, shot mostly before 1964, with Brakhage in his role as a mountain dwelling family man. Here he photographs a drunken party, scenes of himself making love to his wife and uses extended shots of himself as a woodsman chopping logs. The first three films are mostly edited in an abstract manner, with a generous use of multiple exposures. The fourth film, "The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes", is a more literal exploration of the facts surrounding bodily death. It is shot with a sense of reverence and distant objectivity towards the remains of the human body.
Disc two consists mostly of silent films. The first two consist of representational images and deal with both sex and childbirth. Most of the next twenty films were made by hand painting film stock and then using a range of optical printing techniques to achieve an amazing spatial/temporal image sequence variety. The highlight of this set of films is "Untitled ( For Marilyn )" [ 1992 ]. This film intercuts existential poetry, Brakhage's hand film painting techniques and haunting processed photography of a local church.
Much as in the reading of good poetry texts, one should perhaps watch these films a few at a time, in order to savor the nuances available in each work.
The short video "encounters" with the artist suggest, that even with his retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art, Brakhage wonders whether pursuing a life as a filmmaker might be considered to be madness. One can clearly see the wisdom of his life's choice, however, in the act of viewing these captivating experimental films.
20 people found this helpful
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Todd Ford
5.0 out of 5 stars Portable Brakhage Viewer
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2003
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By Brakhage is everything I'd hoped it would be (it was well worth the looong wait). "An Anthology" is a perfect subtitle for this set. It reminds me of all those Portable Reader books that provide great and diverse samplings from a writer like Dickens or Nietzsche laced with personal journal entries and commentary by an expert. That is exactly what these DVDs feel like. You get 26 of Brakhage's films that span the time from 1954 to 2001 and span his styles from films shot with a camera in a style inspired by Italian neorealism to purely abstract, hand-painted films. The selection leaves one both satisfied and starving for more. Most of the films also feature brief but interesting audio commentary by Stan Brakhage and spread out over the two disks is a four-part interview documentary that is one of those rare DVD docs that is worth repeat viewings. The booklet is also a gem. Written by Brakhage expert and friend Fred Camper, it is divided into two main sections. The first is a six or so page essay on Brakhage's films in general and second is Camper's own brief comments on each of the films included on the DVDs.
I realize that these films are not for everyone. I saw his film "Deus Ex" which depicts open heart surgery while in college. Many students were bored near death, but some including myself were fascinated. It is safe to say the film rewired my brain in a way that has affected all my movie viewing ever since.
I love every film on the DVDs, so it is hard to pick favorites. But I will single out "The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes" (disturbing, but stay with it), "Dog Star Man," "Kindering," "The Dante Quartet," " Garden of Earthly Delights," "Black Ice," "Untitled: For Marilyn," and "Love Song."
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Top reviews from other countries

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Pedro Modesto
5.0 out of 5 stars CHEGOU PERFEITO
Reviewed in Brazil on June 22, 2022
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Chegou em condições perfeitas.
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K
1.0 out of 5 stars 紛失！リハァンド済み
Reviewed in Japan on January 25, 2020
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途中で紛失した。
リファンド してもらった。
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P. Martland
5.0 out of 5 stars A series of filmic milestones
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2012
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Film as film. Experiments with the actual medium and chemical process itself, this is mostly completely outside the mainstream and largely incomparable to it.

I first saw these thirty-five years ago as a callow art student and they left an impression. Persistence of vision perhaps. Bear in mind that these were made to be seen large scale in darkened rooms projected along a beam of light. On video the impact can never really be the same. That said Criterion have done their usual high quality transfer and give good advice. Turn the lights out and immerse yourself in Brakhage's unique vision.
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Buff
3.0 out of 5 stars A very mixed bag
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2020
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I either love or loath Brakhage's work. The hand-painted films in particular feature some of the most beautifully stunning imagery you're likely to see. This, for me, was what Brakhage was a master at. I also rate the Dog-Star-Man series for it's editing and superimposition techniques.

But as for the majority of the other films here, I found most of those to be formless, boring and maddeningly pretentious. Much of this content is just standard home movie making marketed as art. And then you get other films which might consist of some fast panning shots of Brakhage's kitchen, followed by some out of focus shots of his garden wall. I'm sorry, but that's just mucking around in my opinion.

The extra features contain several Brakhage interviews which didn't endear me to him much as he comes across a lot of the time as being pompous, conceited, contrived and complacent and in love with the sound of his own voice. He also doesn't seem to listen to the questions that he's being asked by interviewers either. A simple question ends with him pontificating endlessly and it soon becomes boring.
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