Song 23: 23rd Psalm Branch
Stan Brakhage / US, 1968 / 64 min.
Following on from the short abstract classic Mothlight by Stan Brakhage, we’ll be starting up the 8mm projector in the space for a unique screening of the Regular 8mm print of 23rd Psalm Branch, Brakhage's phenomenal response to the Vietnam War.
23rd Psalm Branch is part of the 8mm film cycle Songs and was made in 1966 as a response to the Vietnam War: an abstract ‘apocalypse of the imagination’. Stan Brakhage pushed the language of 8mm cinema to its furthest limits in this phenomenal film. 23rd Psalm Branch combines staccato images of war, most likely taken from newsreels, with Brakhage’s own journal films and blinking blocks of red and brown, which contrast with images of birth and life: hell and heaven as two sides of the same coin.
Stan Brakhage’s work can also be seen in the exhibition Underground in Eye.
This is part of
Details
Director
Stan Brakhage
Production year
1968
Country
US
Original title
Song 23: 23rd Psalm Branch
Length
64 min.
Language
none
Subtitles
NONE
Format
8mm
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.
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