Paper Due Week

I think that Ann's screen test is very similar to the Fluxus films. I mean nothing is really going on and as you stare at her face you see little movements just like Smile by Music or whatnot. When I was watching the film I felt like she was looking at me and that since she was staring at me that I should look back. I found myself in a contest with her to see who would blink first. When I noticed that I was doing it I would stop and then it would happen again. I thought it was pretty interesting the way she kept her eyes open to the point where tears were flowing down her face. She has skills but I think she took it a bit to literally, but it makes an interesting film

1. One popular film venue in NYC was Cinema 16's first screening in a Fashion Industries Auditorium. Another would be American Underground Cinema which also floated around from venue to venue. Ones that are mentioned as purely underground theaters are The Thalia, the New Yorker and The bleaker Street Cinema. And of course (I suppose I think I read it wrong) The Charles. The Charles Lobby had work from local artists and on Sundays there were Jazz concerts. And once a week the theater would run a double bill of some Ukrainian film to try and cater to the neighborhoods senior citizens. At night the theater would play films with panel discussions and in the day it was silent films all day with title cards and the whole bit. Mekas had the idea of showing paying $.95 to see a film or bring in your own.

2. I suppose Jack Smith because it cites Flaming Creatures as one of the films. It also says "The Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man, Blond Cobra and Little Stabs at happiness". The film makers include Smith, Rice, the Kuchar twins. The rest I'm not sure about about but perhaps Robert Frank and Barbra Rubin. I think he called it“Baudelairean Cinema” because it was this guy named Rimbaud gave some new qualities to American literature and Mekas group of filmmakers was bring a new experience and life to the cinema. These filmmakers were showing things that might scare the average viewer and that was trending toward the edge of perversity. I think the films shown from Baudelairean Cinema are films that the public would not want to see. I mean the average film goer. There is nudity but it is really art. Its not porn but their are graphic images of private parts shown as art. I hope thats right.

3. A Flaming Creatures showcase was broken up by police because "it was hot enough to burn up the screen" says police. Another film that came under fire was Normal Love. Mekas was arrested a second time for showing Un Chant d'Amour . Around the same time Scorpio Rising came under fire and Mike Getz was found guilty of showing and "obscene film".

4. When reading it seems like Tavel just wrote about Warhol, but I think he started to work with him during the screen tests. Another film I know he worked with him on was Vinyl. Some unique characteristics of this film include that the acting is pretty terrible, also that the camera stays stationary until the reel of film runs out. It feels very improvised in fact. Especially during the dancing scene. I haven't seen a clockwork orange ( I don't know what to expect and don't want to freak out but I think it's something I should watch as a film student, but I digress) so I don't know if there is a dancing scene in it all I know is there is a dude with a top hat and some guy with his eye wired open. I think Edie steals the scene because you are drawn to her. She is doing nothing but the audience keeps looking at her. I know that I kept looking at what she was doing throughout the film. Tavel says of Edie "She sat there, sort of stretched out, and the camera just went berserk looking at those eyes it was like she was discovered"

5. One of the first films to crossover was Warhol's "My Hustler" (Which I hated the at first but now I love). The cinematheque was very important but I believe it moved around. The Regency showed the Chelsea Girls. It showed "My Hustler" in the basement of the Wurlitzer Building. Bosley Crowther of the NY times said that Andy Warhol and his friends need to be careful because they are pushing it too far. But I think this was also good for the films so people interested in what Warhol was doing could go to the screenings and join the fun. Stephen Koch wrote "Word of Mouth made (my Hustler) popular" I think allowing festivals and exhibitions to happen with Warhol were because the press wasn't saying this stuff was horrible. I have no clue if that's what you wanted but hopefully it is okay.

6. Getz decided to create package programs of the underground films. He would send them out for midnight screenings at commercial venues. They became very successful and soon these package films were traveling all over the country making them available for many different people to see.

7. I'm not sure on this one but I think after he got shot he had films with less nudity such as Bike Boy, I, a Man, and Nude Restaurant.

8. Some advantages include gaining back money the filmmaker had to spend out of pocket to make the film, prestige the filmmaker could be a nobody one day and a huge star the next. Disadvantages include wear and tear on the film stock and a lack of respect by the exhibitors and projectionist which equals sloppy handling (Which I find appalling).

9. This is the part I didn't completely understand in Cinema since 1961 but I will try again. Non-exclusive bookings were best according the author because they had loyal customers who expected them to get these films. they also gave the best coverage in different cities for the filmmakers. But with exclusive booking the filmmaker can ask for high rates and the exhibitors have no where else to go.

10. I think what happened was the Creative Film Society were renting programs for weekly runs at Rivoli Theaters. They would advertise that they were playing one film and show others instead.