Having been housebound this past week, and having my desired
film festival attendance shattered, I have consoled myself in some small part
by trawling through the full kit-and-caboodle of the Sight and Sound 2012 Poll.
The list of the Top 250 films held brief interest, but it was trawling through
the full list of films voted that has held the greatest fascination. To flick
through the list and find utter obscurities, and then search for further info
on these unknown potential treasures has provided a nest of joy and comfort in
a current cinema-less phase. This, surely, is the true pleasure of these
meta-lists – to come across yet more films and more directors that are
completely unheard-of, then setting off in search of any scant information on
these films, and then setting off once more to find the actual film itself. My
personal list of ‘must-watch’ films gets more and more gargantuan by the hour.
Having a growing and abiding fascination for experimental
cinema, I have been especially interested to see how this has fared in the
polls. There has been a surprising quality and depth to the representation of
experimental cinema in the polls, with some filmmakers popping up with alarming
frequency (for example, Robert Beavers and Bruce Baillie have six films each on
the full poll list). It would have been grand to have had films by Lawrence Jordan, Gustav Deutsch, Martin Arnold, and
Lewis Klahr on the list, but perhaps if the pollsters had the opportunity to
draft up a list of 20 films rather than 10, the story would have been quite
different.
Born purely out of sheer curiosity, I have collated all of
the experimental films found in the full poll list, and you’ll find the
complete list of 127 films below. The list is not definitive, as there is a
likelihood I’ve accidentally skipped a film here and there in my trawl through
the poll list. But, hey ho, it’s good enough for now.
Update: 11 September 2012 = It's taken me a while but I've added the votes from the Directors polls, released by Sight and Sound on 22 August. Any odds and ends that I missed out first time around have also been included. I've added the votes together for the Critics and Directors. And here's the updated list:
Update: 11 September 2012 = It's taken me a while but I've added the votes from the Directors polls, released by Sight and Sound on 22 August. Any odds and ends that I missed out first time around have also been included. I've added the votes together for the Critics and Directors. And here's the updated list:
|
Chien Andalou, Un (1928) Luis Buñuel
|
24
|
|
Wavelength (1967) Michael Snow
|
19
|
|
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) Maya
Deren, Alexander Hammid
|
17
|
|
Chelsea Girls (1966) Andy Warhol,
Paul Morrissey
|
9
|
|
Région Centrale, La (1971) Michael
Snow
|
7
|
|
Empire (1964) Andy Warhol
|
6
|
|
Outer Space (2002) Peter Tscherkassky
|
6
|
|
Aguaespejo granadino (1955) José Val
del Omar
|
5
|
|
Flaming Creatures (1963) Jack Smith
|
5
|
|
Mothlight (1963) Stan Brakhage
|
5
|
|
Portrait of Ga (1952) Margaret Tait
|
5
|
|
Arnulf Rainer (1960) Peter Kubelka
|
4
|
|
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I
Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000) Jonas Mekas
|
4
|
|
Unsere Afrikareise (1961) Peter
Kubelka
|
4
|
|
13 Lakes (2005) James Benning
|
3
|
|
Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes,
The (1971) Stan Brakhage
|
3
|
|
Blue (1993) Derek Jarman
|
3
|
|
Hart of London, The (1970) Jack
Chambers
|
3
|
|
Line Describing a Cone (1973) Anthony
McCall
|
3
|
|
Little Stabs at Happiness (1963) Ken
Jacobs
|
3
|
|
Movie, A (1958) Bruce Conner
|
3
|
|
Report (1986) Bruce Conner
|
3
|
|
Schwechater (1958) Peter Kubelka
|
3
|
|
Too Early, Too Late (1982) Jean-Marie
Straub, Danièle Huillet
|
3
|
|
Walden: Diaries, Notes and Sketches
(1975) Jonas Mekas
|
3
|
|
Zorns Lemma (1970) Hollis Frampton
|
3
|
|
Valentin de las Sierras (1967) Bruce Baillie
|
3
|
|
(nostalgia) (1971) Hollis Frampton
|
2
|
|
Adebar (1957) Peter Kubelka
|
2
|
|
Anticipation of the Night (1958) Stan
Brakhage
|
2
|
|
Cosmic Ray (1962) Bruce Conner
|
2
|
|
"Diary" David Perlov
|
2
|
|
Ere erera baleibu icik subua aruaren
(1970) José Antonio Sistiaga
|
2
|
|
Free Radicals (1958) Len Lye
|
2
|
|
From the Notebook of… Robert Beavers
|
2
|
|
Girl Chewing Gum, The (1976) John
Smith
|
2
|
|
Human Remains (1998) Jay Rosenblatt
|
2
|
|
Images of the World and the
Inscription of the War (1988) Harun Farocki
|
2
|
|
Mass for the Dakota Sioux (1964)
Bruce Baillie
|
2
|
|
Outer and Inner Space (1965) Andy
Warhol
|
2
|
|
Rose Hobart (1936) Joseph Cornell
|
2
|
|
Ruskin (1974) Robert Beavers
|
2
|
|
Scorpio Rising (1964) Kenneth Anger
|
2
|
|
Screen Tests (1965) Andy Warhol
|
2
|
|
Trade Tattoo (1937) Len Lye
|
2
|
|
verifica incerta, La (1967) Alberto
Grifi, Gianfranco Baruchello
|
2
|
|
Way Things Go, The (1987) Peter
Fischli, David Weiss
|
2
|
|
Window Water Baby Moving (1959) Stan
Brakhage
|
2
|
|
1126 Dewey Avenue, Apt. 207 Creators
unknown
|
1
|
|
23rd Psalm Branch (1966) Stan
Brakhage
|
1
|
|
37/78 Tree Again (1978) Kurt Kren
|
1
|
|
Amor (2002) Robert Beavers
|
1
|
|
Arabesque (1929) Germaine Dulac
|
1
|
|
Assumption (1997) Peter Gidal
|
1
|
|
Ballet mécanique (1924) Fernand
Léger, Dudley Murphy
|
1
|
|
Beauty No 2 (1965) Andy Warhol
|
1
|
|
Begone Dull Care (1949) Evelyn
Lambart, Norman McLaren
|
1
|
|
Behindert (1974) Stephen Dwoskin
|
1
|
|
Birth of the Nation (1973) Klaus
Wyborny
|
1
|
|
Black TV Aldo Tambellini
|
1
|
|
Bleu Shut (1970) Robert Nelson
|
1
|
|
Blight John Smith
|
1
|
|
Bliss (1967) Gregory J. Markopoulos
|
1
|
|
Blow Job (1964) Andy Warhol
|
1
|
|
Carriage Trade (1967) Warren Sonbert
|
1
|
|
Casting a Glance (2007) James Benning
|
1
|
|
Castro Street (1966) Bruce Baillie
|
1
|
|
Clock, The Christian Marclay
|
1
|
|
Color of Love, The (1995) Peggy
Ahwesh
|
1
|
|
Colour Box, A (1935) Len Lye
|
1
|
|
Dots (1940) Norman McLaren
|
1
|
|
Dresden Dynamo (1971) Lis Rhodes
|
1
|
|
Egyptian Series Stan Brakhage
|
1
|
|
End, The (1953) Christopher Maclaine
|
1
|
|
Eniaios Gregory J. Markopoulos
|
1
|
|
Eureka (1983) Ernie Gehr
|
1
|
|
Exodus (1997) Steve McQueen
|
1
|
|
Fire in Castile (Tactil Vision of the
Wasteland of Fear) (1961) José Val del Omar
|
1
|
|
Flicker, The (1966) Tony Conrad
|
1
|
|
Fuses (1966) Carolee Schneemann
|
1
|
|
Gammelion (1968) Gregory J.
Markopoulos
|
1
|
|
Geschichte der Nacht (1978) Clemens
Klopfenstein
|
1
|
|
Gloria! Hollis Frampton
|
1
|
|
Ground, The (2002) Robert Beavers
|
1
|
|
Guns of the Trees (1961) Jonas Mekas
|
1
|
|
Hapax Legomena Hollis Frampton
|
1
|
|
Hardwood Process David Gatten
|
1
|
|
Himmler Project, The (2000) Romuald
Karmakar
|
1
|
|
Hold Me While I'm Naked (1966) George
Kuchar
|
1
|
|
Hours for Jerome I & II (1983)
Nathaniel Dorsky
|
1
|
|
In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur
Igni (1978) Guy Debord
|
1
|
|
Instructions for a Light and Sound
Machine (2005) Peter Tscherkassky
|
1
|
|
Invocation of My Demon Brother (1969)
Kenneth Anger
|
1
|
|
Kitch's Last Meal (1978) Carolee
Schneemann
|
1
|
|
Lamentations (1985) R Bruce Elder
|
1
|
|
Mirror Animations Harry Smith
|
1
|
|
My Hand Outstretched to the Winged
Distance and Sightless Measure Robert Beavers
|
1
|
|
Nicht löschbares Feuer (1968) Harun Farocki
|
1
|
|
One Way Boogie Woogie/27 Years Later
(2005) James Benning
|
1
|
|
Peggy and Fred in Hell (2002) Leslie
Thornton
|
1
|
|
Place of Work & Tailpiece
(1976) Margaret Tait
|
1
|
|
Poetic Justice (1972) Hollis Frampton
|
1
|
|
Presents (1981) Michael Snow
|
1
|
|
Quick Billy (1968) Bruce Baillie
|
1
|
|
Quixote (1964) Bruce Baillie
|
1
|
|
Rabbit's Moon (1950) Kenneth Anger
|
1
|
|
Rainbow Dance (1936) Len Lye
|
1
|
|
Reassemblage T. Minh-ha Trinh
|
1
|
|
Reel Time Annabel Nicolson
|
1
|
|
Renaissance (1963) Walerian Borowczyk
|
1
|
|
Revolver (1994) Jonas Odell, Stig
Bergkvist, Marti Ekstrand, Lars Olsson
|
1
|
|
Ritual in Transfigured Time (1946)
Maya Deren
|
1
|
|
RR (2008) James Benning
|
1
|
|
Seashell and the Clergyman, The
(1928) Germaine Dulac
|
1
|
|
Seasons of the Year, The (1975)
Artavazd Pelechian
|
1
|
|
Serene Velocity (1970) Ernie Gehr
|
1
|
|
Short Film Series Guy Sherwin
|
1
|
|
Shulie (1998) Elisabeth Subrin
|
1
|
|
Side/Walk/Shuttle Ernie Gehr
|
1
|
|
Sky Socialist, The Ken Jacobs
|
1
|
|
Society of the Spectacle, The (1973)
Guy Debord
|
1
|
|
Song and Solitude Nathaniel Dorsky
|
1
|
|
Star Spangled to Death (2003) Ken
Jacobs
|
1
|
|
Study of a River Peter Hutton
|
1
|
|
Tango (1980) Zbigniew Rybczynski
|
1
|
|
Text of Light (1974) Stan Brakhage
|
1
|
|
Textism Hirabayashi Isamu
|
1
|
|
To Parsifal Bruce Baillie
|
1
|
|
Trasferimento di modulazione Piero
Bargellini
|
1
|
|
vallée close, La (2000) Jean-Claude
Rousseau
|
1
|
|
Videograms of a Revolution (1993)
Harun Farocki, Andrei Ujica
|
1
|
|
Visions of Meditation Stan Brakhage
|
1
|
|
What Goes Up? Robert Breer
|
1
|
|
Wildfire (2003) Amy Greenfield
|
1
|
|
Wind Vane (1972) Chris Welsby
|
1
|
|
Work done Robert Beavers
|
1
|
|
Aerial (1974) Margaret Tait
|
1
|
|
Allures (1960) Jordan Belson
|
1
|
|
Anthem Apichatpong Weerasethakul
|
1
|
|
At Land (1944) Maya Deren
|
1
|
|
Capitalism: Slavery Ken Jacobs
|
1
|
|
Christmas on Earth (1963) Barbara
Rubin
|
1
|
|
Anemic Cinema 1926 Marcel Duchamp
|
1
|
|
Commingled Containers Stan Brakhage
|
1
|
|
Condition of Illusion (1975) Peter
Gidal
|
1
|
|
Couch (series) (1966) Andy Warhol
|
1
|
|
Crossroads (1976) Bruce Conner
|
1
|
|
Entr'acte (1924) René Clair
|
1
|
|
Light Reading (1979) Lis Rhodes
|
1
|
|
Long Film for Ambient Light Anthony
McCall
|
1
|
|
Lost Lost Lost (1975) Jonas Mekas
|
1
|
|
Ménilmontant (1926) Dimitri Kirsanoff
|
1
|
|
Nicht löschbares Feuer (1968) Harun
Farocki
|
1
|
|
Roh-Film (1968) Birgit and Willhelm Hein
|
1
|
|
Soft Fiction (1979) Chick Strand
|
1
|
|
Stadt in Flammen (1984) Schmelzdahin
|
1
|
|
Standard Gauge (1985) Morgan Fisher
|
1
|
|
Golfball - Ode to IBM Mara Mattuschka
|
1
|
|
Weather Diary 3 George Kuchar
|
1
|
|
Super Dyke Meets Madam X Barbara Hammer, Max Almy
|
1
|
|
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
(1967) William Greaves
|
1
|
|
TV (1967) Kurt Kren
|
1
|
|
10 minutes older (1978) Frank Herz
|
1
|
|
2 minutes 45 seconds William Raban
|
1
|
