Anticipation of the Night. 1958. Directed by Stan Brakhage.

(12/9/00-12/23/00)

I liked this film a lot better on a second viewing. There is, first of all, a sense of urgency, of going somewhere. That is very involving. The repeated image of a shadow in a doorway is very interesting, especially the hand by its side. I very much liked the fast pans when the chirldren are riding on the merry-go-round.

I was fascinated by the images of the flamingo. It is a very elusive image, as if seen through peripheral vision. This time I actually saw the comparison of the moon to street lights. There is, as I recall, a beautiful shot travelling past a row of street lights, with the moon beyond.

I also liked the shots of the baby crawling in the grass. I remember these as being in extreme close-up and some of them out of focus.

The film cuts up time, taking shots from different pointis in time and juxtaposing them. It's like cubism in that respect. But since film proceeds in a linear sequence it doesn't seem to work well. It confuses things, but then, cubism is always confusing.

According to Doanld Richie's 1970 program notes, the flamingo is part of the children's dream. I wouldn't have been able to figure that out. There are also images of a polar bear which are enjoyable.

The film does proceed towards dawn, towards morning. This is very enjoyable and indeed the film seems to arrive somewhere. This is definitely a film which rewards multiple viewings.