Stan's the Cinematic Man

BRAKHAGE (1998)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Viewed back in 1998)

"Brakhage" is a hypnotic, reverential documentary on one of the most experimental, purely filmic filmmakers in history. Having seen some of the short films he made including "Window Water Baby Moving," "Creation," "Dog Star Man," and others, I was surprised to find a gentle, caring man of ill health who nevertheless spoke in common sense terms about his films, and their inherent meanings. His films are purely images, either scratched, painted, or using several superimpositions, or all the above. Some are more like home movies, as is one where there are hauntingly beautiful clips of his children in slow-motion, and the images are often cut from color images to negative images.

"Brakhage" shows several clips of the man himself, and insightful commentary on his children and how they felt when they were photographed most of their lives, and how his ex-wife struggled with his idiosyncratic moods regarding his mental processes of counting, I assume, the number of frames in each of his films while editing. Brakhage also makes vivid comments on why his films have no sound, declaring that film art lost its purity when sound was introduced in the late 20's. 

Many will feel that Stan Brakhage makes beautiful use of images, and his rhythmic patterns of editing, 
at times jarring to the naked eye, are well-constructed yet what else is there? Is this man saying 
anything specific in his layered style of imagery? Perhaps, perhaps not. That is entirely up to 
the viewer to decide. I love Brakhage's works because they are purely visual, and nothing more 
which is not to say they are insubstantial or lacking in content. To pick an example, I would say that 
the controversial "Window Water Baby Moving" is one of the finest, most educational films ever 
made on childbirth though it is not for the squeamish.  

The documentary itself uses jarring, screeching sound effects that are not essential in capturing 
the man and his work, especially if most of it is silent. Also, it would have been nice to hear from 
people who perhaps developed an antipathy towards his works...some members of the audience 
screening I attended certainly did. Nevertheless, this is an exemplary, insightful documentary by 
director Jim Shedden guaranteed to fascinate and provoke many. A must-see, and one of the finest 
films of 1999.