At first, I hated watching Maya Deren's silent short films. I felt as though I was watching something that is intended to never be understood, or connected to any real form of narrative plot. Rather, to be experienced as a visual enjoyment and highlighting the art of cinematography and the magic it can produce by manipulating time and space. I loved how in the third short film we watched we were able to view a party in a different context. Maya captured the actual reality of a party but enabled us to see it in a different light. Through the use of cinematography, Maya was able to produce magic, something we as humans cannot achieve without technology, the ability of freezing time and slowing it down. It was beautiful to see a party of people intermingling and rushing around anxious to converse with the another, become a ballroom dance. Maya was able to portray casual interaction into emotional touching that embodied such grace like a ballroom dance.
When watching Brakhage, I thought his images were beautiful even when they were a bit graphic. I felt that Brakhage achieved what he believed, "that there is a pursuit of knowledge foreign to language and founded upon visual communication, demanding a development of the optical mind." He enabled us as the audience to view a perception differently, without language, by using a different light and beautifual images to communicate. The birth of his daughter felt so...awakening. We all have our ideas of child birth but did we really know all that he showed us, the reality. He showed us their emotional bliss through images of his wife smiling and rubbing her pregnant belly in the bath tub. The light reflecting off the water and highlighting her belly seemed so peaceful. His use of snappy transitioning showed us the beautiful and the pain. I can honestly say I understand birth so much more than from any other film, I have seen in some health class. I did not feel as though this movie was a violation of women because of the emotional background we experienced. I felt it celebrated what we as women can physically do. I really respected this video for what it was.
In class discussion, I loved how someone in class discussion found meaning behind understanding to Maya Deren's second short film, At Land. I noticed that this film dealt a lot with pieces. Pieces of stones and chess playing pieces. The only real understanding I could formulate was that she was tyring to pick up the pieces from her life. I loved how a peer stated that she was always losing a pawn in the game of chess, that this is symbolic to her not wanting to be a pawn with no end. I would love to hear more discussion on this topic of her being a pawn to life. Through watching the silent film you could tell from her facial expression that she was lost, but in search of something. With the world constantly changing on her it kept tearing her further apart from her search. I know this pawn piece held more significance but I cannnot quite put my finger on it.
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I really enjoyed reading your blog. Its neat how in the beginning you express a dislike for this style of film, but by the end seemed to have an emotional response to the films, even if you feel like you don't understand them. It is interesting how you said, "I can honestly say I understand birth so much more than from any other film." Its really amazing what a silent film can convey entirely through image. You experienced emotions such as peace just by seeing. Thats pretty cool!
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ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about how Deren's films seemed to lack any kind of plot. I think it made me try to fit one in myself and that's why I noticed the pawn in the second film. It seemed like everything else changed around her giving her less control such as the ocean moving in reverse or the switches between the beach and the table. The way the pawn was constantly moved around seemed similar to how she was too. It seemed to be like a visual representation of her part in the film and once she had control of it at the end, she was free to move on her own (and apparently wanting to run away like a crazy person). Maybe she does create a plot but she doesn't let it control how she visually portays the film letting it subtly fade into the background, as annoying as that might end up becoming, but it at least makes you have to look a little bit deeper.
Interesting discussion! I like how you use your own puzzlement to move to a different perspective too, Sarah, and how, as sms says, you go from trying to make sense of the story to an emotional awareness--which is pretty much exactly what Brakhage asks of his viewers, to see as if for the very first time. How does this movie make you understand birth more though, do you think, and more maybe than a biology class video? Brakhage edits and cuts and lights in a way almost as to make his imagery more abstract, and he also plays with sequence. Is it because of the emotional awareness you describe?
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