Stan Brakhage: Filmmaker is a collection of essays; photographs; personal statements; and reminiscences about the celebrated avant-garde filmmaker who died in 2003. The director of nearly four hundred short films; including Dog Star Man; Parts I-IV; and the Roman Numeral Series; Brakhage is widely recognized as one of the great artists of the medium. His shorts eschewed traditional narrative structure; and his innovations in fast cutting; hand-held camerawork; and multiple superimpositions created an unprecedentedly rich texture of images that provided the vocabulary for the explosion of independent filmmaking in the 1960s. Stan Brakhage: Filmmaker chronicles both the directors personal and formal development. The essays in this bookmdash;by historians; filmmakers; and other artistsmdash;assess Brakhages contributions to the aesthetic and political history of filmmaking; from his emergence on the film scene and the establishment of his reputation; to the early-1980s. The result is a remarkable tribute to this lyrical; visionary artist.
#185081 in eBooks 2010-07-09 2010-07-27File Name: B003TLN1EE
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Interesting book- controversial life.By ClaireIts difficult to limit my review to the BOOK instead of the AUTHOR because honestly I want so badly to discuss his obvious personal themes throughout his book such as the fact that he comes across so painfully and pathetically irresponsible and unintelligent with his blatant misguidance etc etc. I will instead try to refrain from delving into his personal issues and convey my feelings about this book. It is definitely honest and sincere though painful at times because you feel sorry for this poor fool and lost soul.The book is written in an almost child-like manner so he must have surely written it himself as Im sure a ghost writer would have come across sounding a little more mature and professional. At times it really did seem like a kid was writing it- telling you pointless random stories...(It literally almost reads like this: "There was this one time in London and there was this scary guy and I thought he looked scary so I got scared but it turned out he was okay and I went home and was really relieved!") The book is full of these kinds of "stories."Several times throughout I thought he could have spared us the details of the hookers and porn stars and groupies doing various vulgar things to each other and to him. We know all about sex. drugs and rock-n-roll so no real need to give us all the details. (That was one thing I appreciated about Adlers former bandmate Duff McKagans book was that he at least kept it a little classier and didnt delve into all the sexual specifics. Some things could be kept private.)Steven Adlers book also gives us all the druggy details of life in a rock band. One seriously has to wonder though if he really is rehabilitated. He even admits that youd be delusional in thinking that hitting all these horrendous lows would render his lesson learned. This book is definitely entertaining though tragic because rarely do you see how rock and roll devours some poor lost souls. Most of the tell-all rock star auto-bios now end with how well they are doing and how successful they are with rock music and their sobriety etc. However. this book never kids us into thinking all is now well with the protagonist. He still has many battles to fight and many demons to conquer. Even he knows that conquering them may not be in the cards. It was rather chilling when he admitted that sometimes the only way to escape addiction is to die. How profound and tragic. But I am going on about his life instead of his work...I enjoyed this book because it was entertaining but as I write that I see how weird it is to find someones tragedy "entertaining." It wasnt necessarily enjoyable entertaining but interesting entertainment. I did gain some understanding about this person and I have a new-found respect and admiration for him after reading his story. I appreciate his desire to paint a true and sincere portrait of his life. His book is an honest look at his struggle with addiction and a humble tribute to his former bandmates. I found it in poor taste though to air out his dirty laundry involving his mother. For no real reason he states he currently hates her. The book should have left this out. At any rate. I wish him well and thank him for such an honest portrait of a rock and roll life gone severely astray. This makes for a good read whether you are a Guns-n-Roses fan or not. If you enjoy reading about rock stars lives complete with all the necessary evils- sex. drugs and rock-n-roll- then you will be satisfied with this.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good read. definitely the craziest of the bunch!!By NerdySportsGuyI have read all of the biographies they have put out to date. I enjoyed each one for the individuality. But. lets face it. The time they are writing about was all drugs and alcohol so how much can they even remember?The book did a great job of laying out his childhood and how he felt the earlier years of GNR went down. Sometimes. it feels like he is trying to take credit for very minor things just to say he made a contribution (talking them out of doing the glam for instance). His accounts of their maiden trip and events differ greatly from the others. Even his mentions of the Farm Aid incident just dont add up. It is very interesting to read about all of the things that occurred and be able to check them out on YouTube moments after.Id definitely recommend this book for any GNR fan. But. if you are were only going to read one. Id def go with Duffs. Adler has admittedly had a tough run of it since getting kicked out of the band. but he does seem to be humbled at this point.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. My appetite for the bookBy ross c merrifieldStarts very slow and kind of simple but quickly gets interesting. if your not a fan of the band your probably not reading this book anyways so the interest in the band and the person make for a very interesting read. Stevens very honest telling of his story and sometimes Personal point of view gives you an insight into how it all happened. Great read really enjoyed it thanks Steven!
