The Garden of Earthly Delights (1981 film)
Encyclopedia
The Garden of Earthly Delights is an experimental
short film by Stan Brakhage
, released in 1981
. The film was partly inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s painting of the same name
.
, is considered a "collage film." It was created without the use of a camera, by pasting montane zone
vegetation, such as petals, grasses and leaves, onto strips of clear film leader. Brakhage intended the film as "an homage to (but also argument with) Hieronymous Bosch."
.
The Garden of Earthly Delights was produced on 16mm film, and is intended to be screened at 18 frames per second; however, this is not possible for many 16mm projectors. The film runs for a total of 2,496 frames. Like Bosch's triptych
, Brakhage's film is divided into three sections using alternating black and white leader backgrounds.
, described the film as "a brilliant illustration of Brakhage’s philosophies regarding the persistence and particularities (or peculiarities) of vision." Adrian Ivakhiv considers the film "a flickering kaleidoscope of visual intensity by which viewers are drawn in to the very act of seeing the light of projected “nature."" Film scholar Scott MacDonald was admiring of the film, remarking that the viewing experience "evokes a complex, multileveled set of implied comparisons between Brakhage's filmmaking and gardening."
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
short film by Stan Brakhage
Stan Brakhage
James Stanley Brakhage , better known as Stan Brakhage, was an American non-narrative filmmaker who is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th century experimental film....
, released in 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
. The film was partly inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s painting of the same name
The Garden of Earthly Delights
The Garden of Earthly Delights is a triptych painted by the early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch , housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1939. Dating from between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was about 40 or 50 years old, it is his best-known and most ambitious work...
.
Production
The Garden of Earthly Delights, like Brakhage's earlier MothlightMothlight
Mothlight is an experimental short film by Stan Brakhage, released in 1963. The film was created without the use of a camera, by pressing objects between two strips of clear mylar film, and passing them through an optical printer.-Description:...
, is considered a "collage film." It was created without the use of a camera, by pasting montane zone
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
vegetation, such as petals, grasses and leaves, onto strips of clear film leader. Brakhage intended the film as "an homage to (but also argument with) Hieronymous Bosch."
At the time I made The Garden [of Earthly Delights], I was very annoyed with Hieronymus Bosch’s painting of the same nameBrakhage has also cited as inspiration J.E.H. MacDonald's The Tangled Garden, and the flower paintings of Emil NoldeThe Garden of Earthly DelightsThe Garden of Earthly Delights is a triptych painted by the early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch , housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1939. Dating from between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was about 40 or 50 years old, it is his best-known and most ambitious work...
, which envisions nature as puffy and sweet, while the humans are suffering these torments. After all, nature suffers as well. As a plant winds itself around, in its desperate reach for sunlight, it undergoes its own torments. We are not the only ones in the world.
Emil Nolde
Emil Nolde was a German painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and is considered to be one of the great oil painting and watercolour painters of the 20th century. He is known for his vigorous brushwork and expressive choice of colors...
.
The Garden of Earthly Delights was produced on 16mm film, and is intended to be screened at 18 frames per second; however, this is not possible for many 16mm projectors. The film runs for a total of 2,496 frames. Like Bosch's triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
, Brakhage's film is divided into three sections using alternating black and white leader backgrounds.
Reception
The Garden of Earthly Delights is often viewed as a companion piece to Mothlight. Karli Lukas, writing for Senses of CinemaSenses of Cinema
Senses of Cinema is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Senses of Cinema publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career overviews of the works of key directors, and coverage of many...
, described the film as "a brilliant illustration of Brakhage’s philosophies regarding the persistence and particularities (or peculiarities) of vision." Adrian Ivakhiv considers the film "a flickering kaleidoscope of visual intensity by which viewers are drawn in to the very act of seeing the light of projected “nature."" Film scholar Scott MacDonald was admiring of the film, remarking that the viewing experience "evokes a complex, multileveled set of implied comparisons between Brakhage's filmmaking and gardening."