Lawrence (Larry) Jordan

AMERICAN AVANT-GARDE: THE LAWRENCE JORDAN ALBUM.

An extensive collection of works from acclaimed American animator and experimental filmmaker Larry Jordan. Spanning five decades, the range of films included here shows Jordan to be an influential director of live-action shorts, as well as a master of cut-out animation. He meticulously combines 19th-century engravings, modern imagery, and common symbols to construct unmistakable, dream-like narratives. Disc One features “The Short Animations” (Duo Concertantes, Gymnopedies, Our Lady of the Sphere, Orb, Once Upon a Time, Moonlight Sonata, Carabosse, and Masquerade), followed by the animated retelling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1977, 42 mins.)–narrated by Orson Welles–and Enid’s Idyll (17 mins.). Disc Two houses “The H.D. Trilogy” (1994, 115 mins.), a loving portrait of poet and novelist Hilda Doolittle told in three parts: The Black Oud, The Grove, and Star of Day. Disc Three consists of Sophie’s Place (1986, 86 mins.), The Visible Compendium (1990, 17 mins.), and Blue Skies Beyond the Looking Glass (17 mins.). Disc Four comprises The Sacred Art of Tibet (1972, 28 mins.), “The Short Live Films” (Visions of a City, Adagio, In a Summer Garden, Winter Light, and Cornell, 1965), and “Odyssey” (Water Light, Tapestry).

Larry Jordan—USA—1957-2007—465 mins

For more info on this film, visit http://www.facetsdvd.com/product-p/dv101058.htm.

Facets Multi-Media is a non-profit media arts organization founded in Chicago in 1975, and dedicated to making cinema accessible to all through film preservation, distribution, presentation, and education. For more information, visit http://www.facets.org.

Our Lady of the Sphere (1969)

A 10 minute colour collage of rococo imagery juxtaposed with symbols and images from antiquity to the space age. The film draws its theme from the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner Orson Welles

Larry Jordan’s 1977 experimental film – using animated engravings of Gustave Dore with Orson Welles reading the timeless Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

Carabosse

available as part of a 4 DVD Lawrence Jordan set from Facets Video http://www.facetsdvd.com/

Made in 1980. Inspired by his years as Joseph Cornell’s assistant, Jordan uses a fluid stop-motion technique with cutouts that evoke Max Ernst and Cornell’s collage work. Filmed with 16mm camera, and optical printer. Music: Six Gnossiennes, No.1 by Eric Satie.