American Avant-garde

Subject guarantor:

Henry Lyman HILLS

Name of lecturer(s):

Henry Lyman HILLS

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

Thursday, 20 February 10:00-13:00 & 15:00-18:00 (screening room)

Friday, 21 February 10:00-12:30 (extra 12:45-14:30) & 15:00-18:00 (screening room)

Thursday, 27 February 10:00-13:00 & 15:00-18:00 (screening room)

Friday, 28 February 10:00-13:00 & 15:00-18:00 (screening room)

Mode of study:

Lecture/Seminar

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

None

Recommended optional programme components:

None

Course contents:

AMERICAN AVANT-GARDE

a 4-day intensive course over two weeks by Henry Hills

The dominance of narrative fiction in film, which properly belongs to literature, and the consequent hegemony of Hollywood, is an historical anomaly principally owing to the economics of film production (an issue from the pre-digital past, now that filmmaking, like record collecting, has become essentially free). We will explore fringe work as an alternative reality which contains seeds of a positive future vision for moving-imagery, i.e., avant-garde film will be viewed as a model of consciousness seeking expansion. There was an exceptional fluorescence of this type of work in America from the mid-40's into the 80's (and even up to the present), ever existing on the marge (though highly publicized in the 60's and early 70's) as a heroic gesture.

Recommended or required reading:

None

Planned learning activities and teaching methods:

None

Assessment methods and criteria:

Requirements:

Attendance at all screenings is mandatory. A journal describing your experience of these films (3 page minimum; plagiarism off the internet will result in failure) is due after the last class to receive credit.

Course web page:

Note:

The screenings are open to anyone wishing to attend even if not enrolled in class.

class 1: Early Cinema and It´s Influence

Ken Jacobs HANKY PANKY

NYMPH

CAPITALISM:SLAVERY

William Kennedy Laurie Dickson EARLIEST EDISON FILMS

DICKSON EXPERIMENTAL SOUND FILM

Andy Warhol BLOW JOB

Edwin S. Porter CONEY ISLAND AT NIGHT

DREAM OF A RAREBIT FIEND

AN AMERICAN BEAUTY

Billy Bitzer INTERIOR NEW YORK SUBWAY

(with D.W.Griffith) THOSE AWFUL HATS

Fredrick Armitage DEMOLISHING THE STAR THEATRE

SEEING NEW YORK BY YACHT DOWN THE HUDSON

Ken Jacobs NEW YORK STREET TROLLEYS (Nervous System demo)

class 2:

Maya Deren MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON

AT LAND

CHOREOGRAPHY FOR CAMERA

RITUAL IN TRANSFIGURED TIME

MEDITATION ON VIOLENCE

Marie Menken GLIMPSE OF THE GARDEN

ARABESQUE FOR KENNETH ANGER

EYE MUSIC IN RED MAJOR

GO! GO! GO!

class 3:

Man Ray LE RETOUR A LA RAISON (3)

EMAK BAKIA (16)

(Fernand Léger &) Dudley Murphy BALLET MÉCANIQUE (Antheil track) (20)

Ralph Steiner H2O (12)

Joseph Cornell ROSE HOBART (19)

Robert Breer EYE WASH (2 versions)

Kenneth Anger INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME (38 min)

***extra screening (by request): NOTES ON MARIE MENKEN by Martina Kudláček (97)

(between the morning and afternoon sessions Friday 21 Feb in Screening Room, begins 12:45)

class 4: Stan Brakhage

WAY TO THE SHADOW GARDEN

WINDOW WATER BABY MOVING

MOTHLIGHT

SCENES FROM UNDER CHILDHOOD 1

RIDDLE OF LUMEN

THE DANTE QUARTET

DELICACIES OF MOLTEN HORROR SYNAPSE

COMINGLED CONTAINERS

CHINESE SERIES

(week two)

class 5: Underground Film from California

Sidney Peterson THE LEAD SHOES

Harry Smith #4 (2 soundtracks)

Jordan Belsen ALLURES

Bruce Conner COSMIC RAY

BREAKAWAY

REPORT

Pat O?Neill 7232

HORIZONTAL BOUNDARIES

class 6: Feminist Classics

Vivienne Dick SHE HAD HER GUN ALL READY (28)

Leslie Thornton PEGGY AND FRED IN HELL (20)

Peggy Ahwesh MARTINA'S PLAYHOUSE (20)

Abigail Child COVERT ACTION (8)

Naomi Uman REMOVED (7)

Su Friedrich SINK OR SWIM (48)

class 7: Jack Smith

Ken Jacobs BLOND COBRA

Jack Smith FLAMING CREATURES

Ron Rice CHUMLUM

class 8

Robert Nelson BLEU SHUT

Michael Snow excerpts RAMEAU'S NEPHEW

Schedule for winter semester 2013/2014:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2013/2014:

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
20.02.2014		10:00–18:00	HILLS H.	Projekce FAMU Lažanský palác		přednášková par. 1
21.02.2014		10:00–18:00	HILLS H.	Projekce FAMU Lažanský palác		přednášková par. 1
27.02.2014		10:00–18:00	HILLS H.	Projekce FAMU Lažanský palác		přednášková par. 1
28.02.2014		10:00–18:00	HILLS H.	Projekce FAMU Lažanský palác		přednášková par. 1

The subject is a part of the following study plans:

• Erasmus (optional subject)