Mothlight - Stan Brakhage [1963]

[@kaseywang6795]

You're supposed to be hearing the film reel perforations going "tktktktktk, which emulates the flapping of moth wings at the same time as each frame. And seeing the film's light projected through the theater air... Thus, Mothlight. This KZbin silent rendition loses half of the meaning. But it's still beautiful.

[@debranchelowtone]

i don't think so, most of his films are silent on purpose. He has theories about how to focus on the picture ( therefore sound should be off ). But sometimes it happens that projectionists forgot to cut the analog optical audio.

[@KarelBata]

The original soundtrack is missing. Moths were stuck onto the film including the soundtrack area. I've seen it. The end result was a bit like wings fluttering. Here it is, with soundtrack kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpKqmWN6Z7OLeaM

[@kaseywang6795]

Débranché, it was 'silent' in what you may traditionally think of as a silent film, but it really was not. It is a film - that was not put into a film camera, and yet still contains moving images. It is a film - that was not set to any music or audio, and yet still contains changing sound. As Karel said, glued leaves and moth wings make noise across the film's audio perforations, and this was done intentionally. Thanks for the correct link, Karel!!! :-)

[@nuancesdengrais]

I found them, in a DVD of Stan Brakhage, and they didn't use sound there. but, when i was watch it from an VHS, they was an sound noise from the vhs tape who sound nice as well.

[@nuancesdengrais]

as, i said before, they was no audio track from the DVD, but yes it's sound better with this noise.

[@surfercrow]

My 11th grade h.s. filmmaking teacher, Richard Olderman showed this film at 9am, (‘82). RiP, Richard & thanks 🙏 🖤

[@shantanuroy4435]

Its created without a camera . handmade and then printed on celluloid to be projected. An avant-garde initiative

[@niccosmikyd8247]

So they're not real moths?

[@ezracourse1133]

Shit up

[@vanessanorton455]

Thank you for posting this omg !

[@mrizqyabd1071]

This is moth's heaven after acquiring the LÄMP

[@midab7368]

awesome

[@GrantTarredus]

WOW.

[@Needformadness2]

can i get ummmm large lamp brother?

[@PatientSoundsAV]

yes

[@hhardin8500]

the film "duke of burgundy" brought me here. apparently there was an homage to Mothlight in the aforementioned film

[@zentinela4430]

CINE EXPERIMENTAL

[@cynsen]

this is cool

[@benjaminphilippe2810]

MAJESTIC! (what the heck is that thing?)

[@massacritica5135]

Superb! goes very nice with Bitches Brew

[@KenKen3593]

I think this inspired the Spongebob Squarepants "Wormy" episode.

[@Tonyo-man]

dla frappe

[@Keenan1996]

i dont get it.

[@phantommagnolia]

good cos' there's nothing to get

[@michelledragun3075]

Stan Brakhage saw moths flying around his room dying from his lamp and made this as a tribute to them to give them a second life through film

[@mitchcorber2]

@@phantommagnolia you just don't get its beauty, that's all.

[@Cylussounds]

beautiful strip

[@cesarespinoza6831]

White film students be like: “Now this is real cinema”

[@alpha0xide9]

white..?

[@Christine.3671]

@@alpha0xide9 yeah it’s always the “you don’t know art” kinda white people

[@Christine.3671]

@@michelledragun3075 I have. Snobs exist. Saying “you just don’t get it” to people that clearly don’t like this kind of stuff.

[@bathroomsexmurder]

Way to make it about your race

[@annehebert510]

(SPOLIER ALERT!!) The final reveal that it was the Butterfly all along shocked audiences in 1963. But much of that impact has been lessened over time, as to many modern audiences, the final twist seems to be signposted too obviously in the opening scenes. I think modern audiences, used to a bloodcurdling swarm of movies about wasps, flies, and centipedes find the simple-minded exposition of Mothlight too didactic in its political messaging. People wanted positive images of insects after WW2, butterflies seranading flowers seemed to be the stock-in-trade of that genre of film. Mothlight's Cold War paranoia was too dark and cynical for audiences of the period; and the fact that it turned out to be the Butterfly all along was just too much for audiences to take at that time. Of course after Watergate, audiences were much more likely to believe that the Butterfly wasn't such a hero afterall, and was only using the Moth as a stooge. The Moth is a symbol for all of us ordinary Joes that clock in and work the night shift, who keep the lights on when all around is dark. To paraphrase (or indeed misquote) Oscar Wilde "we are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are attracted to the light."

[@raphiwaffles2920]

... interesting...

[@nihonam]

пренатальный сон Бананана

[@jacob2581]

lamp

[@OrangeJungle]

any other music vid directors thinking about using this for a transition ?😂

[@Totinobastardo]

Shit I'm still in the deep web

[@h.hholmes.492]

Wait What you find resemblance of these thing there?

[@jose000]

Jk

[@AlisCast]

Pero que mierda es esto