Stan Brakhage's pursuit of "Birth, death, sex, the search for God" might well be encapsulated in the first two and a half minutes of Reel Five where it presents a black screen along with a creeping music score to get you through these first moments to let you know you are looking at something. He may not be far from the truth since all those topics at one time or another has left us in the dark but Reel Five is inexorably overlong at fifteen minutes and while the film marks the return of composer James Tenney, who served Brakhage's inaugural film effort Interim so well, simply adds to the tedium here with some annoying pizzicato mixed into Brakhages same old same old but the damage has already been done in the first three minutes. I saw no sign of God (or sex) in this work but a more studied person might. This Reel has no hook.
2 Reviews
Stand out Brakhage piece if you ask me...
stomach1731 January 2022
This is one of the most endearing of Brakhage's abstract works. It is accompanied by an excellent piano piece, which adds mightily to the user's ability to engage with the film I would say. I also found the white canvas with jet black ink and primary colors Intrinsically beautiful, if less organic than usual for the artist. A very late Brakhage piece. I found it very likeable.
8 stars out of 10.
8 stars out of 10.
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