Notes on Marie Menken
Martina Kudlácek / AT, US, 2006 / 97 min.
Notes on Marie Menken tells the almost forgotten story of legendary artist Marie Menken (1909-1970), an influential New York underground experimental filmmaker of the 1950s and ’60s.
This portrait, subtly built up from reports from her contemporaries and forgotten archival material, illuminates an underestimated central character of the New York avant-garde. Marie Menken inspired artists and friends including Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol, Jonas Mekas, Kenneth Anger and co-founder of The Factory, Gerard Malanga. From the 1940s, Menken recorded everyday moments by concentrating on reflections of light, colours, shapes and textures.
The filmmaker Jonas Mekas wrote: ‘Marie was one of the first filmmakers to improvise with the camera and edit while shooting. She filmed with her entire body, her entire nervous system. You can feel Marie behind every image, how she constructed the film in tiny pieces and through the movement. The movement and the rhythm, this is what so many of us seized upon and have developed further in our own work.’
Marie Menken’s work can also be seen in the exhibition Underground in Eye.
This is part of
Special screenings
Details
Director
Martina Kudlácek
Production year
2006
Country
AT, US
Original title
Notes on Marie Menken
Length
97 min.
Language
English
Subtitles
NONE
Format
35mm
Part of
Underground
This autumn, Eye Filmmuseum highlights the American avant-garde cinema of the 1960s. The exhibition and film programme feature both iconic and lesser-known works, showcasing the era's vibrant experimental spirit. Highlights include films by pivotal avant-garde figures such as Jonas Mekas, Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage, as well as contributions from prominent visual artists like Bruce Conner, Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, and Andy Warhol. This exploration of cinematic innovation is set against the backdrop of a changing society.
Eye Film Player
Eye Film Player offers four documentaries that explore the work of pioneering experimental filmmakers.
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