Empire (1964)

Director:

Andy Warhol

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A single shot of the Empire State Building from early evening until nearly 3 am the next day. |

Plot Keywords:

Building | Real Time | Non Narrative | Black And White | Single Take

Awards:

1 win

Cast

The Empire State Building	...	Itself
Andy Warhol	...	Himself

Runtime:

485 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

Andy Warhol shot the film at 24 frames per second, but screened it at 16 frames per second. Thus, although only six hours and 40 minutes of film was shot, the film is 8 hours and 5 minutes when screened.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Warhol's Cinema 1963-1968: Mirror for the Sixties (1989) (TV)

Sublime proof that "Art is anything you can get away with".

This will be my first comment about a film that I've not seen which, merely, puts me in the company of the other commentators.

I was curious about what sort of person (if any) might actually sit through such a movie. I'm sure Andy Warhol wouldn't. So, when I read the comment that this film was not to be watched, but looked at, I realized the true genius of Andy Warhol.

"Empire" was not made to be watched nor looked at. It was meant to be talked about... And the proof (partially verified here at IMDb) is that we are all reading, writing, and talking about this opus.

I wonder if Andy would have made a followup work "Eiffel Tower" might it be deemed too exciting compared to the tranquil "Empire"?