Fire of Waters
Encyclopedia
Fire of Waters is an experimental
short film by Stan Brakhage
, produced in 1965
.
, in which was written: "The truth of the matter is this that: man lives in a fire of waters and will eternally in the first taste." Brakhage intended the film as "a play of light and sounds" on that theme. The film contains footage shot in a lightning storm with a jerky handheld camera, occasionally showing the panes of the window through which the footage was filmed. Unlike much of the director's work, Fire of Waters contains a soundtrack, which has been described as "mushy, noisy and largely ambiguous - maybe rain, maybe paper rustling, maybe just dirt and water spots on the optical soundtrack." The soundtrack actually consists of slowed down bird calls, wind
, and speeded up audio of Jane Brakhage giving birth to daughter Myrenna (an event originally documented, albeit silently, in Brakhage's film Window Water Baby Moving
).
's experimental film Night Lights was inspired by Fire of Waters. Daniel Barnett, in his book Movement as meaning: in experimental film, wrote of his first encounter with Fire of Waters, "I can't ever remember art making me so angry," citing the film's apparent incomprehensibility on initial viewing.
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
short film by Stan Brakhage
Stan Brakhage
James Stanley Brakhage , better known as Stan Brakhage, was an American non-narrative filmmaker who is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th century experimental film....
, produced in 1965
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
.
Production
Fire of Waters was inspired by a letter Brakhage received from poet Robert KellyRobert Kelly (poet)
Robert Kelly is an American poet associated with the deep image group.-Early life and education:Kelly was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Samuel Jason and Margaret Rose Kelly née Kane, in 1935. He did his undergraduate studies at the City College of the City University of New York, graduating in 1955...
, in which was written: "The truth of the matter is this that: man lives in a fire of waters and will eternally in the first taste." Brakhage intended the film as "a play of light and sounds" on that theme. The film contains footage shot in a lightning storm with a jerky handheld camera, occasionally showing the panes of the window through which the footage was filmed. Unlike much of the director's work, Fire of Waters contains a soundtrack, which has been described as "mushy, noisy and largely ambiguous - maybe rain, maybe paper rustling, maybe just dirt and water spots on the optical soundtrack." The soundtrack actually consists of slowed down bird calls, wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
, and speeded up audio of Jane Brakhage giving birth to daughter Myrenna (an event originally documented, albeit silently, in Brakhage's film Window Water Baby Moving
Window Water Baby Moving
Window Water Baby Moving is an experimental short film by Stan Brakhage, filmed in November 1958 and released in 1959. The film documents the birth of the director's first child, Myrrena.-Production:...
).
Reception
David E. James described Fire of Waters as one of Brakhage's most interesting films, in large part due to its use of sound. Phil SolomonPhil Solomon
Phil Solomon is an American experimental filmmaker noted for his work with both film and video. Recently, Solomon has earned acclaim for a series of films that incorporate machinima made using games from the Grand Theft Auto series...
's experimental film Night Lights was inspired by Fire of Waters. Daniel Barnett, in his book Movement as meaning: in experimental film, wrote of his first encounter with Fire of Waters, "I can't ever remember art making me so angry," citing the film's apparent incomprehensibility on initial viewing.