Page 76 - Studio International - May June 1975

Greenwich Street, San Francisco, rejection of (though we must also
Feedback Calif. 94133. The first number of Vision suspect a rejection BY) the
normal cinema and TV outlets
Left Curve included the
transcription of a radio 'action/ for their work. In many cases,
interview' made by members of this is accompanied by a
After 1, 2, 3 and 4, Schmuck 5 the Guerrilla Art Action Group: First Festival of Independent conscious search for a new
has arrived (well you can't always Poppy Johnson, Jon Hendricks, British Cinema pattern of film culture - new
be sure that 5 will follow 4)! Its Laurin Raiken, Jean Toche. This is to be no more than a production, distribution and
full title is General Schmuck no.5, Over nine years ago, in January brief report - a longer article is presentation conditions. We
January 1975, 'general' because 1966, an editorial statement needed and may get written. must also be aware that there
the contributors are once again appeared in Studio International Organized by ICW (Independent may be as many pressing
worldwide in origin: from announcing that the magazine Cinema West; for background to ideological differences within the
Denmark, USA, UK, Mexico, had acquired a new publisher, and Festival, see 'Vision', Dec 74), the two general directions as
Spain, Netherlands etc., etc. This outlining hopes for the future, it festival ran from Tuesday 11 to between them. For example,
issue is available from David was the first editorial by the new Tuesday 18 of February, at the there can be very little point of
Mayor, Beau Geste Press, editor Peter Townsend and, as it Arnolfini, Bristol. After the contact between Mike Dunford
Barhatch Farm, Barhatch Lane, happened, the last, since one of event, organizational criticisms and Derek Jarman, both
Cranleigh, Surrey at £2.60. The the changes of policy was to spare are always easy to make with ostensibly 'experimental'
magazine is now produced by readers monthly editorial gripes, such a show, but they would be film-makers, or between the
offset, and each page is printed in or 'The Art World as I See It'. relatively minor in this case. The Berwick Street Collective and
combinations of coloured inks Since Peter Townsend hangs up main error was running from Amber Films both on the
used rainbow-wise across the his hat after this issue, it seems Tuesday to Tuesday, rather than `political' axis. Apart from the
openings. It invites immediate an appropriate time to glance week-end to week-end. This was general advance in awareness
riffling, indeed it is literally back over nine and a half years. foreseen by ICW, but accepted in the minds of the public,
inviting, and not just for the pin- One of the first moves made reluctantly to fit with the critics and official bodies, that
ups, but also physically and after he took over was the Arnolfini's normal schedule. So an alternative cinema culture
graphically; it is bulging with establishment of an editorial many people travelled to Bristol exists - which the festival
securely fixed inserts, including a advisory committee, the January for the show, that it was inevitable achieved to some extent - what
little book by 'the Intermediary', 1966 issue listed them as Alan that the majority would be freer do the film-makers gain from the
ie Victor Musgrave, which details Bowness, Andrew Forge and at the week-ends. Even so, the juxtapositions in this show?
certain Chinese exploits David Thompson, with J. P. attendance at the festival was
(damned clever), as well as fold- Hodin advising on 'international extremely high, both from Can there be a productive dialogue
outs and fold-ins, a piece of stick relations'. Later in the outside Bristol and from within between the two main axes,
(for certain purposes), a leaf, September 1966 issue, three the city itself. The 'moral' case for the political and the experimental?
cards, a piece of elastic, in fact staging it outside London is I don't think the Bristol show
you name it and the odds are contributing editors were also fairly obvious. However, there answered this clearly, but there
listed: Dore Ashton, Jean Clay
that it couldn't possibly be was an unforeseen (for me at were sufficient points of contact
included - it's only a magazine and Frank Whitford; both these least) advantage in the Bristol between some of those working
after all. However, attractive as groups were subsequently venue - virtually living in, the within the political grouping and
the contents are visually, even enlarged. `Naum Gabo and the film-makers and other visitors the experimental film-makers to
sculpturally, when one gets down Constructivist tradition' in the had a chance to talk to each other convince me that the process
to the texts, particularly the April 1966 issue (which coincided in a more relaxed way than is should continue. The
literary pieces, and even some of with the first issue of Art and possible in London, where travel experimental film-makers should
the graphic work, a lack of zip Artists) made it quite plain that and the scale of the city makes continue to be exposed to the
or an excess of stodge, takes the the magazine really had adopted long and casual discussion problem of 'accessibility',
edge off one's initial excitement. a new and no longer parochial difficult. Even if no spectacular counteracting the tendency to
'Onbl exleptions for me, outlook, indeed the magazine grouping took place after the become simply incorporated into
Ian Breakwell, Robin Crozier, rapidly became part of the British Festival (the Independent the 'art-world' where the
Charlie Garrad, General Baba, modern art establishment, Film-makers Association is formally sophisticated audience is
Jiri Valoch. demonstrating close links with already formed), I feel that all the most readily found. At the same
the Tate Gallery, the ICA, the
After Schmuck 5, Schmuck 6 - Arts Council and the British people who attended now have a time, the political film-makers
but since it's not out yet, first Council, and with leading critics, practical 'sense' of the broad should be made aware of the
Wallpaper 1 and 2, of September historians, artists (who were independent film movement. poverty of sensibility and the
and December 1974 respectively. encouraged to write), and Many must have been surprised reactionary conventionality of
Wallpaper is available quarterly at dealers; although this end was by the scale of this movement - much of their film-form. That
£1.00 or $2.50 per copy, plus not without its dangers, its the sheer volume of work which the process of interaction can
postage, from 437 Springtown realization was a considerable has been done, the range and the be productive was shown most by
Road, New Paltz, N.Y.12561, achievement. In October 1967 number of people involved. Night Cleaners, a film by the
and 11 Ascham Street, London, Charles Harrison's name appeared Fortunately, representatives from Berwick Street Collective.
NW5. It is a hybrid visual/literary as Assistant Editor to Peter the BFI, the Arts Council and This work demonstrated how the
magazine, and includes - yes - Townsend; this partnership Local Arts Associations attended, subtler aspects of film 'image'
wallpaper ! lasted until the October 1971 and at least in that respect the carry their own political
Control Magazine issue 8 issue and saw special numbers on Festival must have functioned to implications, and begins to open
appeared in the latter half of 1974 Minimal Art, Biederman, demonstrate that the British up a form where political issues
and is a bargain at £0.75 plus Newman, the British Avant Independent Cinema is well can be handled within a film,
postage; copies are obtainable Garde and the exhibition in beyond the embryo stage, and is, without resort to a conventional
from the editor, Stephen Willats, the magazine in July/August 1970, in many areas, in an advanced propagandist system of editing
5 London Mews, Paddington, as well as the gradual involvement stage of development. and commentary. The film makes
London W2. Contributors to this of the magazine with the Perhaps the main underlying use of image repetition and empty
issue include Kevin Lole, international avant-garde, more assumption about the Festival's black spacing as practical
Erling Steen Petersen, Joe Wilson, risk-taking, less adherence to a selection and scope was that the devices for the re-examination of
Andrew Ironside, Stephen Willats, safe formula and a more various directions of the current the image content, and to avoid
Gerald Laing and John Stezaker. challenging magazine. Recent non-commercial film scene could simple narrative consequence in
The articles by Lole, Willats and developments hardly need be usefully brought together and the montage of one sequence with
Stezaker, in particular, enhance recapitulation since they must viewed as aspects of a broad another. At the same time the
the claims of the magazine on the still be fresh in the mind; I would cultural movement. It is already film sacrifices simple
attention of anyone interested in suggest, in conclusion, that the obvious that as the situation accessibility - aware that it aims
radical reassessments of art theory last decade has been one of the develops some basic at 'intellectuals'. Of the political
and practice. high-points in the 82-year history incompatibilities must emerge work shown, whilst I remain
A tri-quarterly (sic) magazine of Studio. between the various film generally sympathetic to the
which has 'a basic orientation `ideologies' represented by the intention of groups like
centering around issues Clive Phillpot scope of the Bristol programme. Liberation Films, Cinema Action
concerning art and revolution' The broad divisions remain the or the Women's Film Group,
and which sets out to accommodate post-Underground, avant-garde, even liking some of the work more
`all "left" tendencies' and to experimental direction, on one than I had anticipated, only the
`include all art - from film to hand, and the political, social, Night Cleaners presented a
poetry' entitled Left Curve, first community direction on the surprise and avoided simplistic/
appeared in the Spring of 1974; it other. They are for the moment propaganda analysis. In general
costs $1.00 per issue from 1016 held together by a common my preferences and prejudices
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