#decasia

A scene from “Decasia.” Credit...Library of Congress/Icarus Films

“Bill Morrison’s Decasia is that rare thing: a movie with avant-garde and universal appeal. Its flame-like, roiling black-and-white inspires trembling and gratitude.” —Village Voice

Constructed entirely with decaying celluloid film, this moving avant-garde work is an assemblage of life and beauty that flows between abstraction and reality. Bill Morrison’s best-known film, a mesmerizing tour de force, is as much about moving images as it is about the physical artifact of film. Michael Gordon’s haunting score creates an all-encompassing experience of cinematic grandeur. Not unlike our own existence, Decasia is a celebration of temporality that translates the effects of the natural world. 2002, 35mm, 64 minutes.

Feature: "Sublime Decay" by Lawrence Weschler New York Times Magazine, 12/22/02

https://walkerart.org/calendar/2014/decasia

Frames from the weird and wonderful Bill Morrison film Decasia, that I loved when it appeared back in 2012. This hard-to-classify 'art film' is made entirely from found archival, silent film clips, that have all experienced severe decay. The result and the most amazing random, shape shifting images of human forms, distorted in the most bizarre ways. Set to a pitch perfect score by Michael Gordon, this film almost creates a poetic trance for the viewer, though requires a certain frame (no pun intended) of mind to behold in one sitting. You can view a clip below.

I did this last year and wanted to do it again. I haven’t engaged with as much new film as I wish I would have with everything going on. Regardless of that, here are my favorite films I’ve watched in 2020. 

1. Last Year at Marienbad (1962) directed by Alain Resnais - An absolutely gorgeous film. About a man and a woman at a kind of resort, the man recognizes the woman but the woman does not remember him. The actual narrative of the film is a bit foggy as each scene seems to be from a different character’s perspective all centered on the same event. Very dreamlike, very meditative, a study on memory. *Slight trigger warning for sexual assault, never directly addressed but some suggestive images.

2. Decasia (2003) directed by Bill Morrison - An experimental collage film comprised of old film reels, many of which are damaged from time. Some shots are beautiful, some are frightening and unnerving. There’s no narrative, just images. 

3. Being John Malkovich (1999) directed by Spike Jonze - This film subverted all my expectations. I went into it without reading the premise, I had only ever heard people mention it in passing. It was absurd and really hit every point of emotion it could, funny, sweet, irritating, strange. Every time I thought it would go one way, it went the opposite.   

4. Haxan (1929) directed by Benjamin Christiansen- This was a great Halloween watch. All about the history of the occult and witches. Interesting and a little funny at times. It kind of skews off during the last act when it tries to push an outdated message onto viewers but for the time it was released I’d say it was rather progressive. Overall really fun and awesome images. 

5. Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott - Another film that subverted my expectations especially for the time it was released. About a crew that picks up an unknown alien life form that becomes a major danger to everyone on the ship. I watched it in October and had a great time. Scott always uses light in a really wonderful way and the sets are incredible, a lot looks so much better than a lot of the space stuff we see today.

6. Parasite (2019) directed by Bong Joon-ho - This was the last film I saw before the pandemic hit. I’d enjoyed everything of Bong Joon-ho’s that I’ve seen in the past, and after seeing Parasite, I’ve definitely picked up on the signature touches he adds to his work. He has an extremely unique eye and it makes his films an absolute joy to watch. I think most people are probably familiar with the plot of this one, but it follows a lower class Korean family as they infiltrate a wealthier family’s home through employment (the absolute bare minimum of what this film’s about). 

7. La Strada (1954) directed by Federico Fellini - A very sweet and sad film about a misunderstood woman who works as a circus clown. Il Matto, the fool, is one of my favorite characters in all of film. I absolutely love the relationship between the protagonist and Il Matto. It’s really quite a sad movie, but full of small moments of empathy and love. This one’s on my all time favorites.