Mothlight (1963)

A "found foliage" film composed of insects, leaves, and other detritus sandwiched between two strips of perforated tape.

Director:

Stan Brakhage

Storyline

Seemingly at random, the wings and other bits of moths and insects move rapidly across the screen. Most are brown or sepia; up close, we can see patterns within wings, similar to the veins in a leaf. Sometimes the images look like paper cutouts, like Matisse. Green objects occasionally appear. Most wings are translucent. The technique makes them appear to be stuck directly to the film.

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Plot Keywords:

wings | insect | moth | brown | sepia | 

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Genres:

Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

To fos tis nyhtopetaloudas

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

4 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Jacket (2005)

User Reviews

a short movie without the use of a camera

No camera was used to make this dazzling short movie: legs, wings and other parts of butterflies were glued directly on the filmstrip, thus creating a shifting pattern of unsurpassed beauty. The way Brakhage extents the possibilities of his medium is typical of 1960's experimental film-making.