The ''Songs'' are a cycle of
silent color
8mm 8 mm or 8mm may refer to:
;Film technology
*8 mm film, a photographic cine film format principally intended for domestic use. The term may also refer to later variants:
** Super 8 mm film
** Single-8 film
** 8 mm video format, a type of video record ...
films by the American experimental filmmaker
Stan Brakhage produced from 1964 to 1969. They are seen as one of Brakhage's major works and include the
feature-length ''23rd Psalm Branch'', considered by some to be one of the filmmaker's masterworks and described by film historian
P. Adams Sitney
P. Adams Sitney (born August 9, 1944 in New Haven, Connecticut), is a historian of American avant-garde cinema. He is known as the author of ''Visionary Film'', one of the first books on the history of experimental film in the United States.
Life ...
as "an apocalypse of imagination." One of the filmmaker's most overtly political films, ''23rd Psalm Branch'' is often interpreted as being Brakhage's reaction to the
Vietnam War.
Production of the Cycle
During a 1964 visit to
New York City, Brakhage's
16mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
film equipment was stolen.
[James, David E. ''Stan Brakhage : Filmmaker''. New York: Temple UP, 2005.] Unable to afford the cost of replacing the equipment, Brakhage instead opted to buy cheaper
8mm 8 mm or 8mm may refer to:
;Film technology
*8 mm film, a photographic cine film format principally intended for domestic use. The term may also refer to later variants:
** Super 8 mm film
** Single-8 film
** 8 mm video format, a type of video record ...
film equipment, which at the time was being marketed to amateurs to use for
home movies
A home movie is a short amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on ph ...
. The ''Songs'' were Brakhage's first works in the medium. Altogether, there are 31 parts to the cycle, all but one of which is numbered in some way. Brakhage would occasionally combine two parts to make one film, making for a total of 25 films, including both parts of ''Song 27'', which were released separately. Though most of the ''Songs'' are only a few minutes, some are as long as half an hour and the 23rd part, titled ''23rd Psalm Branch'', runs 69 minutes. Projected as a series, the cycle runs about 289 minutes.
Starting in 1979, Brakhage released reprinted and revised versions of some of the ''Songs'' films, including a
16mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
version of ''23rd Psalm Branch'' in two parts. This version runs a total of 78 minutes. In 1987, Brakhage released a 20-minute version of ''My Mtn. Song 27'', the first half of the cycle's 27th part.
The Films
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Songs (Stan Brakhage Cycle)
American independent films
Avant-garde and experimental film series
Films directed by Stan Brakhage
Non-narrative films