Squrpleboy

(2012-04-30 00:46:05)

Shards of Coloured Fear

Another one of Stan Brakhage's many mesmerizing hand-paintedshort films, BLACK ICE draws the viewer down into a cacophony ofboth beauty and horror.Inspired by a bad fall on a patch of black ice (that ultimatelyresulted in Brakhage's need for eye surgery), the filmmaker givesus something of a dreamlike descent through the fear andrefractions of closed-eye vision regarding such an event. With onelayer of rapidly cascading shards of colour and a second layer ofsimilar abstract pieces slowly zooming, scuttling and dissolvingtowards the viewer out of the dark void of utter blackness, it doesnot become hard to feel as if one is almost being sucked down tosome terrible peril as well. The wonderful use of counter-pacingbetween the layers -- which must be largely credited tocollaborator and optical printer Sam Bush, also -- and the moreabundant use of deep black space to sharpen the bursts of richcolour are what really helps define BLACK ICE as an exquisiteexperimental piece, even amongst the wealth of Brakhage's otherpainted-light pieces. The result is both a stunning visual andmetaphysical achievement of depth on screen. And beautifullyurgent, as well.8/10. A concisely contrived "accident" of colour and lostlight.

ackstasis

(2012-04-29 13:25:54)

Shards of darkness

Generally speaking, I get more out of Stan Brakhage's "personal" films– like 'Window Water Baby Moving (1959)' or 'I… Dreaming (1988)' – thanI do from his more abstract efforts. However, despite 'Black Ice(1994)' falling into the latter category, it was certainly visualstriking. Reportedly inspired by a tumble on black ice that requiredhim to receive cataract surgery in both eyes, the film attempts toreplicate the sensation of unconsciousness, of being momentarily robbedof one's vision and mental perception. In this sense, Brakhagesucceeds: watching 'Black Ice' is a bit like flailing endlessly into abottomless pit, though my first impression was of falling through outerspace, which is probably about the same thing. Whereas many of thedirector's films, such as 'Mothlight (1963),' appear trapped in asingle dimensional plane, this one – utilising the effects of anoptical printer – seems to be constructed from two visual planes, onestatic and another moving towards the camera. The primarily blue andblack visuals, flickering like the fractured light from a kaleidoscope,progressively seem to shift past you, layer upon layer of black icesmoothly passing by. Though the blues, blacks and whites are thosecolours we recall most readily, Brakhage also includes the occasionalflittering deep red or orange, representing life and warmth – perhapsthe solitary vestiges of consciousness and emotion that remain in thiscold, impassive hole of darkness.

iratemovies

(2012-04-27 19:29:55)

Through stained glass

I don't know how the effect was achieved, but this is how I imagine astrobed tomographic trip through stained glass would appear. Iridescentcolours, mostly blues, fragmented by black, emerge and appear to slowlyapproach the viewer before fading out to form new patterns. The effectis like an animated Jackson Pollock painting, but more soothing thanthe analogy might suggest due to the fairly slow progression 'through'whatever is being photographed, and the fact the blocks of light remainon screen for varying lengths of time, meaning that the longer lastingones serve to anchor the viewer as the rest changes. Add to this anarrative rhythm which structures the film and there's a strongimpression of a story waiting to be read in the phantasmagoria. A denseand dazzling few minutes.

lwalsh

(2012-04-27 13:39:15)

Black Ice and the Cold of Space: A Surprising Parallel

'Black Ice' is one of Brakhage's most striking films. An unusual depthof field is attained by melding linear with forward motion; the viewerexperiences Brakhage's sumptuous flickers and splatters and explosionsof color as if passing through them, rather than, as is more frequentlythe case in Brakhage's motion painting, as if watching them on a singleplane.An unusual connection will be noticed by viewers with a wide range ofcinematic experience: this film shares a startling similarity ofcinematic resonance with the V'Ger cloud fly-through in Robert Wise's'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979). The use of multi-plane visualdepth and the frequent recourse to a deep blue color palette combinedwith flashes of hotter colors (reds and oranges in Brakhage, whites inWise) links the two sequences visually; the settings (a patch of blackice and the literal fear of loss of vision in Brakhage; the depth ofspace and the absence of understanding-- metaphorical blindness-- inWise) supply the unexpected intellectual and emotional link. It's notthat the two sequences are identical, of course (Brakhage's sequencesare much more rapid, for one), but that they work well together at adeeper level than mere superficial similarities. As it is unlikely thatWise and his collaborators knew Brakhage's work, and improbable thatBrakhage was influenced by the earlier film. this stands as anintriguing illustration of the ways in which related aesthetic,emotional, and intellectual questions can independently stimulaterelated answers.'Black Ice' is very short, but it has a far greater impact than itslength would suggest; it is truly an example of visual poetry, and iswell worth seeking out.