#wills art house

WILL’S ART HOUSE

Larry Gottheim’s Fog Line(1970)

Over the course of 11 minutes, an image slowly reveals itself. I recommend that you expand the video to full screen, and make yourself watch the whole thing without looking away.

Some would disagree with me, though. IMDB user commenter “hrivers” gives this film one star out of a possible ten, and says, “This is easily the most useless, ridiculous piece of film ever shot.” He adds, “If there were a negative rating that I could give this film, I would choose it in an instant,” and goes on to rail against the Cinema Studies professor who made him watch it. This is the only review that “hrivers” has ever posted on IMDB, which I think is wonderful.

WILL’S ART HOUSE

Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid’s Meshes of the Afternoon(1943)

The great grandaddy (grandma?) of America avant-garde cinema, Meshes of the Afternoon was the first film by Maya Deren, one of the best and most articulate of experimental filmmakers. It’s almost trite to say it at this point, but: The Dream Logic Of Meshes Is A Clear Forerunner Of David Lynch.

Of the film, Deren wrote: “This film is concerned with the interior experiences of an individual. It does not record an event which could be witnessed by other persons. Rather, it reproduces the way in which the subconscious of an individual will develop, interpret and elaborate an apparently simple and casual incident into a critical emotional experience.”