Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film (2011)

What is experimental film, and why is it called that? Artists and poet working in celluloid since before WWI have always found themselves in a no man's land. Excluded both from the art ... See full summary »

Director:

Pip Chodorov

Writers:

Lucy Allwood, Pip Chodorov (story)

Stars:

Pip Chodorov, Ken Jacobs, Hans Richter

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pip Chodorov	...	Himself - Narrator
Ken Jacobs	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Hans Richter	...	Himself - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Stan Brakhage	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Robert Breer	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Peter Kubelka	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Jonas Mekas	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Stephan Chodorov	...	Himself - Writer & Producer
Len Lye	...	Himself - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Maurice Lemaître	...	Himself - Filmmaker
M.M. Serra	...	Herself - New York Filmmakers' Cooperative
Michael Snow	...	Himself - Artist & Filmmaker
Nam June Paik	...	Himself - Artist (archive footage)
Stan Vanderbeek	...	Himself - Filmmaker (archive footage)
John Mhiripiri	...	Himself - Anthology Film Archives

Storyline

What is experimental film, and why is it called that? Artists and poet working in celluloid since before WWI have always found themselves in a no man's land. Excluded both from the art world and from the film industry, they bodly created a grassroots network for making and showing their films. They also created a profound body of work that continues to influence our culture. I wanted to share a few of the films I love and introduce you some of the free, radicals artists who made them.

---

Genres:

Documentary | Biography

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

DVD Official site DVD

Country:

France USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

3 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Free Radicals

Box Office

Budget:

€590,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Re:Voir, Sacrebleu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Adebar (1957)

User Reviews

"....only scratches the surface..."

"Free Radicals" consists of Chodorov briefly talking about himself and his own background with art films, interviews with many art film makers (some living some done before the artists died), clips, discussion of an art film museum and the difficulty marketing and making money from the films.

Pip Chodorov made this film about art/avant garde films. Because it's more of a homage, it's not a true history and isn't exhaustive. Fortunately, Chodorov acknowledges this and admits that the film does not talk about all the important art films or art film makers.

So who is the audience? After all, most folks hate art films and have very little appreciation for them. I like art films much more than the average person and I must admit that some of them I can't stand either! So, this is a hard-sell film--and I can see why Turner Classic Movies showed it very late at night! But, for the right person, this film is clearly a must-see.