The Collected Films of Harry Smith Volume I: Early Abstractions 1946-57, Numbers 1-5, 7 & 10
Itâs not so easy to discuss how a narrative is constructed in these pieces. Iâm also not really sure of the technique in these abstract pieces, though the more straightforward 10 is stop motion/cut out animation.
The abstract pieces remind me a lot of Stan Brakhageâs work, painting on film. A similar technique could have been used here as well. In terms of narrative analysis, there really isnât a story as such in these abstract pieces, more of a collection of images that interrelate and transform as time moves on.
Smith uses bright colors and has colors splashing through. Another thought that came to me was of an abstract painting come to life. Itâs as if Jackson Pollock decided that he wanted his paintings to move for real as opposed to having the illusion of movement through the splatter and drip of paint on canvas.
The last piece, 10, is reminiscent of Terry Gilliamâs work in the animated parts of Monty Pythonâs Flying Circus and the movies that followed, though I know these pieces were made at least a decade earlier, and he may well have been influenced by Smithâs work. In 10 Smith uses all kinds of familiar images, from the snowflakes that start the piece, the many religious images such as the Tree of Life from the Kabbalah and the garden and serpent from the Bible, as well as a horned devil-like figure, and later emerging from what appears to be a bush (or possibly the top of a tree), Buddha.
It seems Smith may be illustrating the Biblical story of creation, as well as creation stories from other religions, but I am not entirely certain. Regardless of what story heâs telling in any of these pieces or what the narrative structure is, the images are beautiful, and the composition has a thoughtful sense of organization, that even without a traditional story or straightforward plot, shows growth and development with the movement of time.
(And some moreâI wrote this before I realized that the soundtrack was put together by someone else and uploaded to YouTube, and that it contained stuff that was from after these pieces were made.)
I love the shapes and the colors and in this work. Iâm also struck by the fact that the music and the images seem to be presented equally in terms of their weight in the composition.
I know that Harry Smith was something of a Renaissance artist and that he was a filmmaker, but also a real scholar of certainly folk musicâhe researched and gathered a huge group of songs that he put together and called the Anthology of American Folk Music, which gathered music from all over the country and was a huge influence on the 60s folk music boom (Dylan, Baez, et al). Judging by the selections here was open to all kinds of music, outside jazz to folk music to what sounds to me like early electronic music, early synthesizer music maybe?
Thereâs so much freedom that comes across in these films. I find it incredibly exciting and refreshing.
I donât really have any criticism of it. I feel like it works really well. And as I previously stated that with this choice of music, especially in the early part of this clip where itâs such a robust and fierce in your face kind of jazz, that it shows just how much confidence Smith has in these images and the way that heâs put them together that the music is in no way overshadowing the visual. I love this stuff.