EmergenceFilmFilmFilmArchiveinArchivesAmerica, The Abstract Harvard Anthology Table of Contents "Legacy Alive: An Introduction" by Bruce Posner . ... ... ... ... ..... ... ... ... ... ............ ....... ... ... ... ... .... .2 "Articulated Light: An Appendix" by Gerald O'Grady .. ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... .... .3 "Cinema as a An Form: Avant-Garde " Experimentation " Abstraction" by Vlada Petric .. ... 3 "A New RealismThe Object" by Fernand Leger ... ........ ... ... ... ...... ........ ... ... ... ... .... ... .......... .4 "True Creation" by Oskar Fischinger .. ..... ... ... ... ... .. ...... ... ....... ... ........... ... ... ... ... ... ....... ... ........4 "Observable Forces" by Harry Smith . ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... .......... ...... ... ... ... ......5 "Images of Nowhere" by Raul Ruiz ......... ... ... ........ ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... .... ... ... ... 5 `TIME. .. on dit: Having Declared a Belief in God" by Stan Brakhage ..... ...... ............. ... ... ... .. 6 "Hilla Rebay and the Guggenheim Nexus" by Cecile Starr ..... ... ...... ............ ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...7 Mary Ellen Bute by Cecile Starr .. ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ............ ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... .............8 James Whitney studying water currents for Wu Ming (1973) Statement I by Mary Ellen Bute ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ...... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .......... ...8 Statement II by Mary Ellen Bute ............ ...... ... ........ ... ... ... ... ............ ... ... ... ... ...... ...... ....... ..... 8 Dwinell Grant by Cecile Starr .. ... ............... ... .... ........ ... ... ... ........ ... ... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... .... ... ....8 Legacy Alive: An Introduction ,Statement by Dwinell Grant . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ...... ... ... ... .... ........... ... .................. ... ... ....... ... ... .8 Bruce Posner Poem by Dwinell Grant ... ... ......... ...... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .... ... .8 Early 20th-century Modern Art held the possibility for the creation of abstract, Oskar Fischinger by William Moritz . ... ........... ... ...... ... ......... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... .......... ... ....... .9 non-objective imagery, and thus avant-garde filmmaking also sought out non- representational cinematic methods. Collected here are the works of American Oskar Fischinger in America by William Moritz . .................. ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ............. .... ... .9 abstract film created between 1920-1970 and selected programs of influential or associated films, and their progeny. The major film artists surveyed are Oskar Fischinger by Harry Smith .... ... ... ... ........ ................... ... ............... ... ... ... ... .......... ... ....... .9 represented with all extant prints available, offering a singular opportunity to James Davis by Robert Haller ... ... ... ............ ... ... ......... ... ...... .............. ... ... ... ...... ...................10 view complete retrospectives of individual artists alongside their contemporaries. With six lectures and two panel discussions, the event brings to light the visionary Len Lye by Cecile Starr ....... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ...... ........ ... ... ... ................................10 achievements of these neglected filmmakers. James Whitney by William Moritz ... ...... ... ... ... ... ............ ...... ........ ... ... ... ................................11 In an ever dizzying milieu of visually aggressive images in movies, television Statement by James Whitney ............... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ................... ... ..........11 and computers in 1995, it stands as some kind of judgement that the masterworks of abstract cinema are virtually unheard of and definitely not programmed in any James Whitney by William Moritz ......... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... ..... ... ... ... ... ................... ... ... .......11 viable repertory at either commercial or academic venues . No one culprit stands Harry Smith by Rani Singh . ... ... ... ... ... ... ............ ... ... ....... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .11 to be accused, but the pity lies in the wasted beauty and the loss of critical aesthetic discourse that could be generated by these gems of artistic innovation. Hy Hirsh by Robert Haller ........ ............ ........... ... ... ...... ... .... ...... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .12 Statement by Hy Hirsh . ... ......... ......... ... ... ........ ...... ...... ............ ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... .12 One reason is that high quality projection prints are nearly impossible to locate. Years of research and detective work have led to the catacombs of some of the Hy Hirsh by William Moritz ....... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ......... ... ... ........... ... ... ... .......... ... ... .12 world's leading film archives-only to find film prints quietly succumbing to color fading or one or another of the dreaded "syndromes" afflicting film stock through Jordan Belson by William Moritz ................ ... ... ............ ... ... ... ... ...... ...... ... ... .... .......................12 their chemical deterioration . Film distributors have closed or scaled back their James Sibley Watson, Jr. and Melville Webber by Bruce Posner .... ... ... ... ... ......... ......... ..... 13 operations in the face of the declining film rental market and the astronomical expense of maintaining new film prints. Sometimes, it's as sad as sheer neglect, Statement by James Sibley Watson, Jr. ........ ... ... ... ............... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ............. ... .....13 in that the films have fallen prey to what Jonas Mekas has poetically declared as Dudley Murphy by William Moritz .. ... ... ... ........ .................. ... ... ... ... ................... ............. ... .....13 "the ravages of time." Filmography .... ... ... ... ... .... .............. ... ... ... ..... ... ........ ... ... .... .............. .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..14 On the other hand, a committed group of film scholars, curators, archivists, distributors and the filmmakers themselves have earnestly squirreled away Bibliography ... ...... ... ......... ... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ......... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ............. ....... ..15 classics of abstract filmmaking for future generations to evaluate and appreciate. Schedule of Events at Harvard Film Archive ....... ... ... ... .... .............. ... ... ... ... ... ............. .........16 Among the persevering few, a tradition continues to breathe new life. So what has intrigued some of the finest artistic sensibilities of this century? The notion to move is perhaps the defining characteristic behind the abstract film. The essays, biographies and statements that follow all illustrate this Sponsors fascination with movement as a unique quality of motion picture arts. Although Harvard Film Archive it is a given in cinema that the single projected frame and the image therein is as Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts static as a painting hanging on the wall, the combined physiological effect of the Film, Video, Animation and Film Studies, Visual and Environmental Studies, persistence of vision and the phi phenomena sets in motion the appearance of Harvard University movement on the screen . Having a train come diagonally across the screen as Anthology Film Archives if right at the viewer or making use of rapid-cutting to expand uponthe time- Yale University Film Study Collection space continuum are exhilarating cinematic experiences, but they are nowhere International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House the expressive and distinct movement of Visiting Artists Program and Film Society, Massachusetts College of Art near as intellectually demanding as Film colored shapes across the filmic plane . As one begins to understand the Department, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston achievements of the abstract cinema, it becomes very apparent that complex Cinerics, Inc. ideas great significance can be articulated solely through movement. Laurence and Maryel Locke of Olive Jar Studios Oskar Fischinger, undeniably the greatest practitioner of abstract cinema, proved over and over again the primal power of amazement encompassed by the majestic Acknowledgments sweep of multiple light glyphs arcing the entire length of the screen in tight Articulated Light. The Emergence of Abstract Film in America was organized by synchronization with a musical accompaniment. Equally as inspirational is the Bruce Posner, Assistant to the Curator, Harvard Film Archive, with the knowl- omnipresent totality of form demonstrated by James Whitney's mystical edgeable input of William Moritz, Cecile Starr, Robert Haller and Stan Brakhage. abstractions. In Lapis (1963-66), Whitney made use of thousands of separately The leadership and guidance of Chris Killip, Director of the Carpenter Center for drawn dots unified through compositional designs to present the viewer with a the Visual Arts, and Vlada Petric, Curator of Harvard Film Archive, have brought non-verbal