Here’s a true gift from Eye Filmmuseum, delivered expressly for this online edition of the Orphan Film Symposium. The museum and NYU planned for nearly two years to have the symposium convene in conjunction with the Eye International Conference. Although forces have made all of us re-organize the best laid plans, we are grateful that Eye continues to share its remarkable collections and curatorial talents. Since the first Orphan Film event in 1999, the Filmmuseum has contributed to the symposium.
Curator Mark Paul Meyer introduces us to Dutch visual artist Henri Platt and two of the ten short experimental films Eye restored this year: Fragments of Decay (1983) and 2nd War-Hats (1986). Seven of the Plaat restorations are playing right now at the 66th Oberhausen Short Film Festival.
Born in Amsterdam in 1936, Plaat added filmmaking to his art practice when he was 32 years old, making more than 40 films in the next 40 years. The titles of his earliest works indicate his creative boldness: Hitler Stay Away from My Door (1968), I Am an Old Smoking, Moving Indian Movie Star (1968), and The Strange but Unknown Star (1969, with footage of Marlène Dietrich, Greta Garbo . . . and Eva Braun). Shooting with 16mm and 8mm reversal stocks, he captured his constant world travels in brilliant colors. The films seen here have music and sound design but no human voices.
Play full-screen here, or go to https://vimeo.com/419360282.[vimeo 419360282]
Fragments of Decay was made from the unused footage from Plaat’s other travel film projects. vimeo.com/419357669
[vimeo 419357669]
“Somewhere in a bombarded city . . .”
2nd War-Hats vimeo.com/419356932
[vimeo 419356932]
See the downloadable brochure for The Poetics of Plaat.
And explore international.eyefilm.nl.