Window Water Baby Moving

Synopsis: A poetic documentary on the birth of Stan and Jane Brakhage’s first child, Myrrena.

Heaven & Earth Magic

Synopsis: Harry Smith describes Film #12 as follows, “The first part depicts the heroine’s toothache consequent to the loss of a very valuable watermelon, her dentistry and transportation to heaven. Next follows an elaborate exposition of the heavenly land, in terms of Israel, Montreal and the second part depicts the return to Earth from being eaten by Max Muller on the day Edward the Seventh dedicated the Great Sewer of London.”

One of Smith’s most well-known works; this black and white collage film culled from cut-outs from nineteenth-century catalogues, the film traverses the landscape of an hermetic dream. (from Harry Smith Archives)

The Connection

Synopsis: The Connection depicts the same type of angel-headed hipsters that Kerouac coloured his books with, and is set in a one-room tenement where junkies, musicians, and other dudes await the arrival of the Cowboy. The Cowboy is their “Connection” who will provide them with their heroin fix. All the while, Clarke shows us a documentary filmmaker who wants to capture the hip scene encouraging his subjects to just “act naturally” in front of the camera. (from Senses of Cinema)