Meredith Monk - Book of Days (1988)

An excerpt from Meredith Monk's feature film "Book of Days". Unavailable for a long time, a DVD that also contains "Ellis Island" (1981) can now be obtained at http://www.meredithmonk.org

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Meredith
• Monk
• Book
• of
• Days

[goback3spaces]

This reminds me of that Russkie film, THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES. It's also a lot like the work of silent filmmaker Georges Melies. There's obviously, a great deal of refinement, art and creative sensibility here.

Why, then, am I not enjoying it? Perhaps because of a certain preciosity, a lack of innocence, and that guy with his tongue sticking out at the base of the grouping.

[simonettavespucci]

@goback3spaces I find it very interesting that you make a connection both to 'Pomegranates' (I actually adore that film and director Parajanov in general) and Melies whom I like, too. Probably it is due to the tableaux-like character of the images, I guess.

To me, that guy with the tongue impersonates some kind of animal, maybe a dog. Otherwise it also might be Mick Jagger in disguise, doing that old tongue trick again. ;-)

[goback3spaces]

@simonettavespucci Jagger's tongue is one thing, that guy's is another.

[simonettavespucci]

@goback3spaces I'm pretty sorry to hear about your tongue fixation. Wished somebody just could lick it off. ;-)

[delusionaldiminutive]

I love this video. I've seen it so many times. What is the name of this song? It doesn't seem to be on the cd. We're performing Meredith Monk this winter at my college. I can't wait :D

[simonettavespucci]

@delusionaldiminutive The song is part of the albums's fourth track, "Churchyard Entertainment." It is interesting to note, given all the comments here, that people either love the film, or consider it just crap and have no idea what it is about. - Glad you like the film. I watched it quite a couple of times, too. ;-)

[susisonnen]

This is great in so many respects. Meredith Monk is really a genius.

[NATEIRICK]

This is shit. The FACT that it doesn't make sense doesn't make it art. It's dumb. Hipsters are stupid.

[GrodaTube]

Super !!!

[als510]

I got here while looking for a song from Enya... well, I wasn't dissappointed while looking for a mystical, energetic song.

[Goditshot]

What. the. fuck.

[MuffinxOverlord]

Nyan cat on acid.

[itsmedude1020]

There must have been some PCP in my tea.

[goldsniper]

WoW.... just epic.

[masercot]

It looks like Prospero's Books if it were directed by Terry Gilliam...

[wtw88]

@3moomoos It makes me feel the magic as well as the chaos of existence. It illustrates our attempts to identify within the jumble of life. We identify thru our prejudices as much as our appreciations. We identify the "reality" of our lives thru the personas we adopt; the fads we follow; the things we think we believe in and those we believe we reject. The madness, the uncertainty, the playfulness... it's all beautiful. It's lovely even as we're scorned, laughed at. It's funny when we're adored.