Week 9 Films

I found Fogline to have the biggest effect on me as a transcendental film. I felt it made the best use of timing to evoke a certain mood. When it began, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to view it. Since there was no moving along of footage to follow, it was much like standing in front of a painting for an extended period of time. When you endure a certain amount of time, the subtleties of the piece start to stand out. By the end of the film I felt very tranquil, so it was successful as a meditative film.

While I was in awe of many of the shots from New York Portrait #3 for their use of scale, contrast, and composition, I didn't feel an overall effect of the film by the end of it. It seems like it was transcendental less for its impact on the viewer and more for revealing the stunning in the mundane.

I felt somewhat similarly about the films of Dorsky. His manner of abstracting nature and city life was incredible. I especially liked Compline's use of obscurity and darkness. Though the three were fairly similar, the later two films felt more focused than Arbor Vitae. For some reasons I found it off-putting when Dorsky mixed shots of nature with those of people in the city in Arbor Vitae, but it was successful in Winter because he maintained a similar tone throughout. But, though I appreciated all the visuals individually, by the end of all three films, I didn't feel differently from how I felt before I watched them.

Mother and Son had more of a complete, sweeping effect. The colors were gorgeous and I liked that it was difficult to distinguish at times the real from what looked painted. The opening shot looked so much like a still photograph, due in part to the figures not moving much. I enjoyed the gentleness and slowness of the actions and voices of the characters. It matched the tone of the whole piece.