Sunday, March 29, 2009

Film #118: Mothlight


Watching the works of Stan Brakhage is like looking at a field of daisies: why ask why? The best of his films are pure magic, and Mothlight is one of the best. Watch it with the sound off. It was made in 1963; Brakhage took strips of 16mm splicing tape and embedded in them the wings of moths he accumulated at his New England home. This was the first Brakhage film I KNEW I had to see, and I was not disappointed; it's a perfect intro to his more challenging works. As with all great experimental films, no words can describe its beauty. But BE SURE to watch it without the sound, as it's supposed to be viewed.

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