Stan Brakhage - Black Ice (1994)

[kakerlake650]

wtf is this ?

[Alexthebarbarian]

I peered into the darkness and saw a face.

[katieb2393]

one of the most influential film makers for me. utterly stunning!

[chromeburn7]

I took several of his classes while he was working on these. I remember going and meeting him to discuss our films and he would be working on these right at the table whether over coffee or in the editing room. This one was always my favorite.

[LAKAIorPIE]

anything think animal collective music video 'summertime clothes' took influence from this?

[shadyfella09]

Love this work. Love it. Yet, it makes me feel extremely uncomfortable every single time I watch it. I love that Brakhage can find a way to just get to the root of visceral emotions.

[Aydinlolol]

storylines kinda shallow, not enough character development. waaaah

[Aydinlolol]

storylines kinda shallow, not enough character development. waaaah

[HoodedSword]

Amazing.

I think this is definitely art, and really pure art at that. But I like how there's a kind of healthy, civilised discussion going on in the comments. You don't get that a lot in Youtube comments...

[servomoore]

I defy anyone who goes on about how "brilliant" this is to justify that claim. Citing "It's like Rothko!" is not a justification, unless you can argue how Rothko was brilliant as well.

[kreferjoao]

@servomoore Rothko, as well as Pollock and Turner (those were Brakhage's favorite painters), were brilliant because they offered new patterns of visual representation of the world. Each one in his own way, of course, and not forgetting to mention Mondrian, Kandinsky, anyway, everyone who could be called abstract or pre-abstract. Still this is just a VERY general explanation, because all those names were brilliant no matter a non-brilliant one can't explain why. There are people who can do that.

[servomoore]

@kreferjoao

This is a self-parody. You realize that? If someone had to satirize a pretentious art phony, they'd have him name-drop, say something like "visual representations of the world" (which could be said of ANY FUCKING IMAGE!) and then talk about how brilliance is above us plebs. It isn't. Brilliantly designed things can be explained to non-brilliant people. Newton's Calculus is brilliant and explicable, most inventions are both.

You might have at least referenced something in the film.

[kreferjoao]

@servomoore That was a brief and not-too-complex comment, the best I could write here; this is not a place to write film essays. As I said before, someone is able to "explain" it to you, like a careful teacher. I'm not . I can, instead, suggest you to take a look at Fred Camper's website (fredcamper . com), he's considered the one who knows Brakhage the most. But don't expect a brief-and-easy-yet-complete "explanation"... By the way, Newton is science. Be happy. ;)

[fekiramic]

this is called art?

[unrelatedsegments]

@fekiramic I know he was inspired by the the Rothko chapel, in that the paintings referred only to themselves, meaning their own logic/instincts. I also read of his interest in the stained glass of the Chartres Cathedral. There are certainly deeper resonances abstract art can have, but it also takes a willingness to understand.

[cyclone258]

My film book says 1993

[TheCleanButter]

It's almost 3d. Almost

[ScorpionHUT]

A nigga who fart on he own pillows be a shameful nigga indeed

[mrdisco]

Brakhage slipped and fell on some black ice at one point and I think went blind for a day or something like that. This film was an expression of the anxiety it inspired in him.

[OGsnakeHEAD]

ART,

why did van gogh's art get sold for millions of dollars while the artist died broke and a piece of shit, because art is bullshit, it is only worth what the people in power want it to be worth, its called marketing and psychology, and the rich people being losers, and paying people millions of dollars to do bullshit, then tell everyone the art is great Why are van gogh painting so popular now? why do those middle aged work for family white fags go to those museums? Because everyone else does

[InfinityDose]

true, but what does that have to do with black ice

[OGsnakeHEAD]

its called connecting the dots, don't tell me you aren't smart enough to understand what I am saying

[InfinityDose]

really, i must be slow because aside from pointing out the obvious (that 99% of "art" is bullshit) i'm not sure what you're getting at. Black ice occupies that small 1% that isn't bullshit, imo.

[sagenichibotsu]

I believe you're right.

I mean, art is always a good backup plan- If you're failing financially, just draw something crappy and unrelated and earn several thousand dollars from it.

But this... This seems different somehow.

It inspires more fear and anxiety in me than any horror film I've watched lately.

[InfinityDose]

This is my favorite Brakhage work, is there a version with audio? If not, i'll have to whip one up...

and does anyone know how he treated the film to achieve this effect?

[izzythepusher]

Brakhage preferred his films projected without audio.

[EbonyShadow07]

My film book says he bleached, painted, and scratched the actual film rather than using a camera.

[yonskii]

he used a camera in some films when he needed to, but yes in ones like this one he was just painting film cells

[bockerjuniuhs]

Please do not "whip up" a version with audio. Perhaps you should read a little of brkhage's writings before you go tinkering. Please, make your own video. Take inspiration from this piece. Bite Brakhage's style if you must but don't mess with another man's work as though you could somehow improve it.

[InfinityDose]

If he didn't intend it to be projected with audio, then i'm guessing he also didn't intend it to be digitally encoded, compressed and shown on youtube without his consent, yet it's here and we all get to enjoy it as a result. If I did add audio, it would be for my own amusement and nothing I would/could take credit for or publish.

[InfinityDose]

and thanks for the tip, they never introduced us to his writing at school, just his films... i'll have to find them

[bustthewave]

haha right on. Audiio would destroy the entire meaning of this... and kind of be a slap in the face.

[rascalrascal]

Shortsighted. Why is it impossible for a proper music to be conceived? Just because someone didn't ask for it, doesn't make collaboration a real thing. If a work really has a lot of work to it, or a solid concept, then making something good with it is both necessary but also more possible, since good work is generally aesthetically/logically/ethica­lly cohesive. Anyway, please stop thinking backwards.

[JonathanHancock]

its too bad youtube doesnt allow fror better resolution

[firesoftheempyrean]

Agreed that the standard resolution isn't becoming for difficult films (to watch).

YouTube does, in fact, allow quite impressive resolution. But most people aren't aware of the steps that need to be taken. Google "high youtube resolution" and you'll get step-by-steps on how to do it.

[InfinityDose]

HQ button showing now, but if it doesn't, u can force it to play HQ by adding the following to the end of the URL: &fmt=18

[TheseApples]

this is my favorite Brakhage film, thanks for uploading!

[yami97]

this video scared me deeply. When I first saw it in my film class, I wished for it to be over for practically the whole time, but when it ended, I felt like if I didn't see it again, I would go insane. Same thing for "The Dark Tower" Eerie pieces, they are.

[7plus77]

this is really good.... the soul of a stained-glass window

[firesoftheempyrean]

Have you seen The Chartres Series? Those are definitely specifically about the stained glass windows. But definitely, your analysis is fitting for nearly all his glowing painted pieces. I'm glad you commented!

[MetaCraken]

My eyes are so happy right now. Stan Brakhage, I love you.

[DixeyMao]

it immediately captured my heart when I lied my eyes on it.

[cndfilmgirls]

so lovely.

[seemseemo]

Brakhage: "imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by composition logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'? How many rainbows can light create for the untutored eye?" from "Metaphors on Vision", Stan Brakhage, 1963

[McReDox]

Where can I download this?

[sandokanvein]

the Thing is to make or create. not too think.

[aylastarsapphire]

Blessings - RIP.

[phille22]

Is this... art? Then my niece, who is 2, is a genius. Phony.

[hermanNoodlearms]

Considering the fact that children have an totally original view of the world (that is, until people like you pollute their minds) then, yea, I would say she is a genius.

[phille22]

So if you have an original view of the world (or making ORIGINAL videos like this) you are a genius? sorry, just because it's different, doesn't make it genius.

[sanjinface]

sorry, its genius.

[conneisseur3]

lol

[wobbble]

lol x 10

[jensnyg2]

If you feel like it you could always upload a few of her films...

[Berserker43105]

Whats amazing is that he didnt even use a camera for this. Very cool.

[vikingmarsupial]

This would be great as a backing video at a Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree concert.

[FiveAgainstKalin]

douchey.

[deedeearemaster]

stan is one of the worst video artists i can think of

[mishkin12wobabao]

you're right, because he was never a "video artist" to begin with, he was a filmmaker, and one of the greatest of all filmmakers for that matter

[troykivey]

@mishkin12wobabao I usually say "Film Artist" because it is more specific, but one could (rightly) call him a "fimmaker" which is truer than "director". I would say Brakhage only "directed" about 5 films.

[va655321]

you are a near sighted retard

[aylastarsapphire]

Brakhage made 'films' and used his 'brain'. More than can be said of some.

[punchinella24]

No words, just beautiful...

[KevinBrownsvideos]

Awesome! I happen to be in a band called Black Ice and I love Stan Brakhage!

[japphell]

awesome~

[Lottedyskolia]

After "The act of seeing with one's own eyes"...and "Window water baby moving" it is!

[rezzy123]

one of his best!