#607: FRAMPTON, Hollis: A Hollis Frampton Odyssey (1966-79)

FRAMPTON, Hollis (United States)

A Hollis Frampton Odyssey [1966-79]

Spine #607
Blu-ray

An icon of the American avant-garde, Hollis Frampton made rigorous, audacious, brainy, and downright thrilling films, leaving behind a body of work that remains unparalleled. In the 1960s, having already been a poet and a photographer, Frampton became fascinated with the possibilities of 16mm filmmaking. In such radically playful and visually and sonically arresting works as Surface Tension, Zorns Lemma, (notalgia), Critical Mass, and the enormous, unfinished Magellan cycle (cut short by this death at age forty-eight), Frampton repurposes cinema itself, making it into something by turns literary, mathematical, sculptural, and simply beautiful -- and always captivating. This collection of works by the essential artist — the first release of its kind — includes twenty-four films, dating from 1966 to 1979.

266 minutes

Criterion Release 2012

Director

Hollis Frampton was 30-43 when he directed the films from A Hollis Frampton Odyssey.”

The Films

Whoever decided on the word “Odyssey” was particularly tuned into the experience of watching this release. Dictionary.com defines the word as:

“A long series of wanderings or adventures, especially when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.

This four-hour and 26 minute voyage is to be undertaken at your own peril! Watching avant-garde, experimental, structural filmmaking — whatever you care to call it — is an experience so completely different than watching a standard “narrative” film, that it can be difficult to find a framework to relate the images and sounds that you see and hear to any perceived reality.

Let’s start with some biography:

Frampton was born in 1936 and died in 1984, age 48, from cancer.

He attended Phillips Academy (aka Andover) at age 15, and was considered to be a “young genius.” He bet a friend that he could pass the final History exam without ever touching the textbook.

He failed the exam, and thereby failed to obtain what was a certain scholarship to Harvard. Instead, he attended Western Reserve University and studied Latin, Greek, German, French, Russian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Mathematics. Despite his profound intellect, the Dean of the school informed him that in order to graduate, he needed to take courses in speech, western civilization and music. Frampton replied:

“I already know how to talk, I already know who Napoleon was and I already like music.”

One can began to appreciate how this ardent young college dropout became such a contrarian, unappreciated polymath.

The booklet (see below) discusses all 24 films (you have to count the DVD menu show as one!) in exquisite detail, so there is no need here to delve into unnecessary replication.

However, it is worth noting that for this reviewer’s time spent, the real gem here is Zorns Lemma (1970) — 59:51 worth of abecedarian fun …

Film Rating (0-60):

54

The Extras

The Booklet

Forty-five page booklet featuring an introduction by film critic Ed Halter; essays and capsules on the films by Frampton scholars Bruce Jenkins, Ken Eisenstein, and Michael Zryd; and a piece by film preservationist Bill Brand.

Jenkins, Eisenstein and Zryd are particularly important reads in order to enrich your viewing. Watching these 24 films is both an intellectual and emotional exercise, and the scholars have a way of deciphering what your optic nerve just experienced.

Commentary

Audio commentary and remarks by filmmaker Frampton on selected works.

Don’t expect any comprehensible explanations.

Excerpted interview

With Frampton from 1978.

He chain-smokes his way through this interview where he at least acknowledges a few of his influences, including Brakhage (Spines #184 and #517 — or both volumes in #518), of course.

A Lecture

A performance piece by Frampton, recorded in 1968 with the voice of artist Michael Snow.

Interesting display of his basic filmmaking principles.

For example, he begins by discussing the large white rectangle that is the movie screen. Then he asks you to imagine an image of just red filling that screen. Imagine that image — and only that image — being projected for a long time.

Do you want to see more? That makes sense. If Marlon Brando walks out of a door and we observe him — and nothing else — for, say, an hour or so — we want more! We want to see a woman talk to him, perhaps.

But Frampton claims — and this seems like a neat philosophically intellectual exercise in twisted semantics — that we want to see less. We want less of that red and perhaps some blue. We want less of Brando and something else to replace his image.

In any case, many of Frampton’s film are simply too much.

Gallery

Of works from Frampton’s xerographic series By Any Other Name.

Interesting photo gallery of images from old canned products, including Indian drumsticks.

Extras Rating (0-40):

33

54 + 33 =

87

By Director
By Spine #