HARRY SMITH
Early Abstractions
(VHS SECAM) Out of Print
Films No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10. 16mm 1939-1956 color 23’
No. 1: Hand-drawn animation of dirty shapes — the history of the geologic period reduced to orgasm length.
No. 2: Batiked animation, etc., etc. The action takes place either inside the sun or in Zurich, Switzerland.
No. 3: Batiked animation made of dead squares, the most complex hand-drawn film imaginable.
No. 4: Black and white abstractions of dots and grillworks made in a single night.
No. 5: Color abstraction. Homage to Oskar Fischinger -- a sequel to No. 4.
No. 7: Optically printed Pythagoreanism in four movements supported on squares, circles, grillwork, and triangles with an interlude concerning an experiment.
No. 10: An exposition of Buddhism and the Kaballa in the form of a collage. The final scene shows Agaric mushrooms growing on the moon while the Hero and Heroine row by on a cerebrum.
"My movies are made by God; I am just the medium for them."
Harry Smith
"Smith's films can be watched for pure color enjoyment, or for motion - Harry Smith's films never stop moving -, or you can watch them for hidden and symbolic meanings, alchemical signs." Jonas Mekas
"Smith, schooled in many cultures, master of many cosmographies, was intent on a comparison and synthesis of knowledge." Rani Singh
"Analogies can be made with the work of Kandinsky, and in certain orthogonal passages, with Mondrian." Dominique Noguez
Includes a 40 - pages booklet: Harry Smith's bio - filmography and a selection of interviews with him about his life and work.
" Mes films sont issus de la main de Dieu ; je ne suis que son instrument." Harry Smith
" Les films de Smith peuvent être appréciés pour la beauté de leurs couleurs, ou bien pour leur mouvement perpétuel, ou bien on peut les regarder pour déchiffrer les symboles alchimiques qui y abondent. "
Jonas Mekas
" Smith, imprégné de plusieurs cultures, maître de nombreuses cosmographies, travaillait pour une synthèse de la connaissance humaine. " Rani Singh
Des rapprochements sont à faire avec Kandinsky et aussi, dans certains passages orthogonaux, avec Mondrian. "
Dominique Noguez
Avec livret de 40 pages comprenant la bio-filmographie de Smith ainsi qu'une sélection d'entretiens sur sa vie et son oeuvre.
VHS no longer available
Harry Smith Interviewed by P. Adams Sitney (1965)
from Rare Audio from Anthology Film Archives:
In this remarkable recording filmmaker/artist/ethnomusicologist/alchemist Harry Smith is interviewed in his room at the Chelsea Hotel by a young P. Adams Sitney. In part one, Smith discusses family, his growing up in Washington, Berkeley, dope, and influences. In part two, Smith discusses his hand-drawn film techniques, his work on a film adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ, his lost films, borrowed (and pawned) cameras, Native American dance, and the relationship in his painting to music and sound.
