An experimental film by an Irish playwright, shot in New York with a silent comedian at the twilight of his career? Samuel Beckett’s inquiry into the nature of movies (and existence?) befuddled viewers not versed in film theory; Ross Lipman’s retrospective documentary about its making asks all the questions and gets some good answers.
First there’s the film itself, called just Film from 1965. By that year our high school textbooks had already enshrined Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot as a key item for introducing kids to modern theater, existentialism, etc. … the California school system was pretty progressive in those days. But Beckett had a yen to say something in the film medium, and his publisher Barney Rosset helped him put a movie together. The Milestone Cinematheque presents the UCLA Film & Television Archive’s restoration of Film on its own disc, accompanied by a videotaped TV production...
First there’s the film itself, called just Film from 1965. By that year our high school textbooks had already enshrined Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot as a key item for introducing kids to modern theater, existentialism, etc. … the California school system was pretty progressive in those days. But Beckett had a yen to say something in the film medium, and his publisher Barney Rosset helped him put a movie together. The Milestone Cinematheque presents the UCLA Film & Television Archive’s restoration of Film on its own disc, accompanied by a videotaped TV production...
- 3/18/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Notfilm screens this Friday through Sunday (July 22nd-24th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, Mo 63119). The film begins each evening at 8:00.
In 1964 author Samuel Beckett set out on one of the strangest ventures in cinematic history: his embattled collaboration with silent era genius Buster Keaton on the production of a short, titleless avant-garde film. Beckett was nearing the peak of his fame, which would culminate in his receiving a Nobel Prize five years later. Keaton, in his waning years, never lived to see Beckett’s canonization. The film they made along with director Alan Schneider, renegade publisher Barney Rosset, and Academy Award-winning cinematographer Boris Kaufman, has been the subject of praise, condemnation, and controversy for decades. Yet the eclectic participants are just one part of a story that stretches to the very birth of cinema, and spreads out to our understanding of human consciousness itself.
In 1964 author Samuel Beckett set out on one of the strangest ventures in cinematic history: his embattled collaboration with silent era genius Buster Keaton on the production of a short, titleless avant-garde film. Beckett was nearing the peak of his fame, which would culminate in his receiving a Nobel Prize five years later. Keaton, in his waning years, never lived to see Beckett’s canonization. The film they made along with director Alan Schneider, renegade publisher Barney Rosset, and Academy Award-winning cinematographer Boris Kaufman, has been the subject of praise, condemnation, and controversy for decades. Yet the eclectic participants are just one part of a story that stretches to the very birth of cinema, and spreads out to our understanding of human consciousness itself.
- 7/20/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A new documentary reveals the fascinating story behind Samuel Beckett’s sole foray into cinema, a conceptual chase film that bamboozled its star Buster Keaton
Some movie genres are perennial. From the Keystone Kops to Mad Max: Fury Road, chase films have kept the cameras turning. When future Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett made his one and only film in the mid-1960s, he structured it both as a chase film and as a homage to the earliest years of cinema. However, you won’t be surprised to learn that the resulting work, Film, is far more complex, strange and intellectual than its slapstick forebears.
Ross Lipman’s documentary Notfilm, which is enjoying a limited run in cinemas before being released on Blu-ray next year, explores the history of Film (1966) – how a lauded playwright collaborated with two very distinct silent-era talents to make this mysterious movie. In this philosophical chase film,...
Some movie genres are perennial. From the Keystone Kops to Mad Max: Fury Road, chase films have kept the cameras turning. When future Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett made his one and only film in the mid-1960s, he structured it both as a chase film and as a homage to the earliest years of cinema. However, you won’t be surprised to learn that the resulting work, Film, is far more complex, strange and intellectual than its slapstick forebears.
Ross Lipman’s documentary Notfilm, which is enjoying a limited run in cinemas before being released on Blu-ray next year, explores the history of Film (1966) – how a lauded playwright collaborated with two very distinct silent-era talents to make this mysterious movie. In this philosophical chase film,...
- 4/11/2016
- by Pamela Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s been a couple months since the last edition of What’s Up Doc? placed Michael Moore’s surprise world premiere of Where To Invade Next at the top of this list and in the meantime much shuffling has taken place and much time has been spent on various new endeavors (namely my Buffalo-based film series, Cultivate Cinema Circle). Finally taking its rightful place at the top, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hagedus’ Unlocking the Cage is in the midst of being scored by composer James Lavino, according to Lavino’s own personal site. Though the project has been taking shape at its own leisurely pace, I’d expect to see the film making its festival debut in early 2016.
Right behind, the American direct cinema masters is a Texan soon to make his non-fiction debut with Voyage of Time. Just two weeks ago indieWIRE reported that Ennio Morricone, who scored...
Right behind, the American direct cinema masters is a Texan soon to make his non-fiction debut with Voyage of Time. Just two weeks ago indieWIRE reported that Ennio Morricone, who scored...
- 11/5/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
The fall festival rush is upon us. Locarno is currently ramping up. Venice has released their line-up and Thom Powers and the Toronto International Film Festival team have dropped a bomb with a previously unannounced new feature from powerhouse docu-provocateur Michael Moore. It is truly a miracle that the production of a film such as Moore’s upcoming Where To Invade Next (see still above) managed to go completely undetected by the filmmaking community until it was literally announced to world premiere at one of the largest film festivals in the world. Programmed as a one of the key films in the Special Presentations section at Tiff, the film sees Moore telling “the Pentagon to ‘stand down’ — he will do the invading for America from now on.” Also announced to premiere at Tiff was Avi Lewis’ This Changes Everything, which has slowly been rising up this list, as well as...
- 8/7/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Ross Lipman is a filmmaker and restorationist who, working for the UCLA Film & Television Archive, has made astounding contributions to film culture, restoring films by John Cassavetes and Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner and Kenneth Anger, Charles Burnett and Kent Mackenzie. The list goes on. His latest completed restoration is Film (1965), the legendary 24-minute work written by Samuel Beckett (his only screenplay), directed by Alan Schneider (though Beckett was a constant presence on the set), and starring Buster Keaton. Now he's working on Notfilm, a "kino-essay" about Film's making—and we need to help him complete it. » - David Hudson...
- 8/3/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Ross Lipman is a filmmaker and restorationist who, working for the UCLA Film & Television Archive, has made astounding contributions to film culture, restoring films by John Cassavetes and Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner and Kenneth Anger, Charles Burnett and Kent Mackenzie. The list goes on. His latest completed restoration is Film (1965), the legendary 24-minute work written by Samuel Beckett (his only screenplay), directed by Alan Schneider (though Beckett was a constant presence on the set), and starring Buster Keaton. Now he's working on Notfilm, a "kino-essay" about Film's making—and we need to help him complete it. » - David Hudson...
- 8/3/2015
- Keyframe
For 25 years Milestone has restored and released classic, independent, and international art house cinema. Now for the first time the renowned distribution company will be producing a film, a meditative and mesmerizing documentary by Ross Lipman. "Notfilm" explores the making and meaning of one of cinema's most unlikely collaborations—the teaming of playwright Samuel Beckett and silent film star Buster Keaton in creation of the 1965 short film, "Film."
Milestone has just launched a new Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the completion of "Notfilm." They would be very grateful if as many people as possible could check it out and share it with friends, patrons and other film fans.
You can visit the Kickstarter page Here
The company has shown the work-in-progress version of the documentary to a few people and the early response has been wonderful. Film historian and best-selling biographer Scott Eyman wrote:
“A two-hour documentary film about a half-hour film sounds ridiculous, but not if the film is Samuel Beckett’s 'Film.' The confluence of Beckett, Buster Keaton and Alan Schneider is joined by Ross Lipman, who functions here as a cultural archaeologist of the highest order. 'Notfilm' joins the very short list of great movies about the movies.” — Scott Eyman (author ofJohn Wayne: The Life and Legend)
Milestone is hoping to release the completed "Notfilm" later in 2015.
Milestone has just launched a new Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the completion of "Notfilm." They would be very grateful if as many people as possible could check it out and share it with friends, patrons and other film fans.
You can visit the Kickstarter page Here
The company has shown the work-in-progress version of the documentary to a few people and the early response has been wonderful. Film historian and best-selling biographer Scott Eyman wrote:
“A two-hour documentary film about a half-hour film sounds ridiculous, but not if the film is Samuel Beckett’s 'Film.' The confluence of Beckett, Buster Keaton and Alan Schneider is joined by Ross Lipman, who functions here as a cultural archaeologist of the highest order. 'Notfilm' joins the very short list of great movies about the movies.” — Scott Eyman (author ofJohn Wayne: The Life and Legend)
Milestone is hoping to release the completed "Notfilm" later in 2015.
- 7/17/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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