I had the misfortune of seeing this film in a program of experimental shorts, right after the "Fluxfilm Anthology", which was one of the most excruciating things I've ever sat through (right next to my gig as a seat-filler at the Joel Schumacher appreciation benefit). Therefore, since I was so depressed, I enjoyed this film a lot less than I could or should have. Even so, WATCHING FOR THE QUEEN has nonetheless stayed with me all these years, while the Fluxfilm foolishness has receded like a distant memory of a hangover.
This short is interesting for taking one already brief moment of time (a snippet of film of spectators watching the queen go by), and slowing it down to a near comatose pace, where each frame of the original film plays for a long period of time. While it does not have the calming effect of Brian Eno's experimental video THURSDAY AFTERNOON, it nonetheless shares the same idea of abolishing our normal film sense of time and rhythm- showing us how much information our fleeting eye misses 23/24 of a second.
This short is interesting for taking one already brief moment of time (a snippet of film of spectators watching the queen go by), and slowing it down to a near comatose pace, where each frame of the original film plays for a long period of time. While it does not have the calming effect of Brian Eno's experimental video THURSDAY AFTERNOON, it nonetheless shares the same idea of abolishing our normal film sense of time and rhythm- showing us how much information our fleeting eye misses 23/24 of a second.