Stan Brakhage
Directing
🎂 1933-01-14
Stan Brakhage is one of the most influential filmmakers in American avant-garde cinema, noted for his unflinching social commentaries and technical innovations. Over his nearly 40-year career, he has made over 200 films of varying length. He made his first film, Interim (1952) at age 18 after dropping out of college. Brakhage films seek to change the way we see. They encourage viewers to eschew traditional narrative structure in favor of pure visual perception that is not reliant on naming what is seen; rather his goal is to create a more visceral visual experience, for he believes that a "stream-of visual-consciousness could be nothing less than the pathway of the soul." To this end, his films are shot in highly sensual colors and utilize minimal soundtracks. His work can be divided into distinct periods. His first short films explored the properties and possibilities of light. In many of his experimental ventures, Brakhage has forgone traditional cinematography in favor of working directly with the film stock itself. He has occasionally painted, inked, scratched and dyed images onto it; he has also tried pasting organic objects on the film. His most famous example is the 1963 short Mothlight in which he glued moth wings onto the stock. Some of his early films were based on his most intimate experiences that included making love to his new bride--depicted on negative film--in Wedlock House: An Intercourse (1959), and an attempt to bring his dead dog back to life with a camera in Sirius Remembered (1959). During the 1960s, Brakhage's iconoclastic views were celebrated for their poetry, but during the '70s, his focus changed to social issues and he alienated many supporters with such disturbing film series as the "Pittsburgh documents" in which he presented many gruesome views of inner city life with films such as Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes (1971) which was shot in a morgue. He also continued with autobiographical material with the "Sincerity/Duplicity series. During the 1980s, Brakhage's focus again changed--this time he became intrigued with creating truly "abstract" films such as Arabics (1982) which consists of brilliant bursts of colored light which he claims, represent "envisioned music." In addition to filmmaking, Brakhage also wrote books about films and filmmaking and also served as a teacher.
Cast credits(61)
Himself
1972
Man
1965
Noon Sr.
1996
Self
2000
Self
1998
1962
Self (uncredited)
1959
Himself
2002
Himself
2011
Himself
1986
Self
1997
Self
1994
Self
2013
Narrator (voice)
1974
Self
1959
1963
Himself
1999
Self
1991
Himself
2009
1963
1965
Himself
2002
1954
Self (archive footage)
2003
2003
1984
Himself
1993
Narrator
1989
Self
2006
Himself
2002
Self (archive footage)
2006
1956
1988
1959
2006
Himself
1969
2002
1988
2001
1956
Himself
2000
1964
Himself (voice)
1979
1964
Self
1985
1997
2022
1956
1995
Himself
2003
1997
Self
1987
1993
1964
Self
2003
Voice
2004
Himself
1972
Self
1981
1998
2008
self
1996
Directing (384)
Director
Director
Director
Director
1965
Director
1962
Director
1963
Director
2000
Director
1962
Director
1995
Director
1988
Director
2003
Director
1959
Director
2001
Director
1971
Director
1996
Director
1999
Director
1997
Director
1995
Director
1996
Director
1999
Director
1991
Director
1979
Director
1981
Director
1980
Director
1999
Director
1979
Director
2012
Director
1996
Director
1974
Director
1995
Director
1981
Director
1976
Director
1999
Director
1994
Director
1999
Director
1987
Director
1959
Director
1981
Director
1974
Director
1966
Director
2001
Director
1990
Director
1961
Director
1957
Director
1963
Director
1973
Director
1971
Director
1980
Director
1955
Director
2001
Director
2000
Director
1993
Director
1990
Director
1995
Director
1993
Director
1981
Director
1976
Director
1989
Director
1988
Director
1963
Director
1978
Director
1965
Director
1996
Director
1976
Director
1997
Director
2001
Director
1978
Director
1976
Director
1995
Director
1980
Director
1993
Director
1981
Director
1981
Director
1981
Director
1973
Director
1993
Director
2000
Director
1970
Director
1996
Director
1998
Director
1994
Director
2001
Director
1996
Director
1999
Director
1972
Director
1974
Director
1994
Director
2000
Director
1992
Director
1980
Director
1980
Director
2000
Director
1987
Director
1954
Director
1979
Director
2002
Director
1955
Director
1999
Director
1955
Director
1978
Director
1965
Director
1954
Director
1980
Director
1978
Director
1977
Director
2000
Director
1967
Director
1972
Director
1969
Director
1977
Director
1976
Director
1977
Director
1967
Director
1984
Director
1970
Director
2003
Director
2000
Director
1972
Director
1990
Director
1987
Director
1978
Director
1964
Director
1996
Director
1953
Director
1993
Director
1972
Director
1986
Director
1988
Director
1978
Director
1962
Director
1972
Director
1965
Director
1986
Director
1996
Director
1971
Director
1994
Director
1975
Director
1994
Director
1967
Director
2001
Director
2003
Director
2001
Director
1975
Director
1968
Director
1986
Director
1965
Director
2001
Director
2001
Director
1967
Director
1999
Director
2001
Director
1996
Director
1991
Director
1973
Director
1977
Director
1989
Director
1996
Director
1996
Director
1986
Director
1991
Director
1981
Director
1993
Director
1996
Director
1972
Director
1996
Director
1957
Director
1974
Director
1993
Director
1994
Director
1995
Director
1995
Director
1965
Director
1983
Director
1968
Director
1981
Director
1996
Director
1954
Director
1984
Director
2000
Director
1972
Director
1998
Director
1990
Director
1985
Director
1989
Director
1965
Director
2001
Director
1997
Director
1990
Director
1952
Director
1982
Director
1956
Director
1994
Director
1988
Director
1996
Director
2002
Director
1969
Director
1965
Director
1965
Director
1959
Director
1998
Director
1999
Director
1981
Director
1978
Director
1975
Director
2001
Director
1981
Director
2000
Director
1955
Director
1972
Director
1999
Director
1993
Director
1988
Director
1989
Director
2001
Director
1967
Director
1961
Director
1974
Director
1966
Director
1996
Director
1965
Director
1962
Director
1996
Director
1980
Director
2010
Director
1980
Director
1978
Director
1960
Director
1964
Director
1980
Director
1996
Director
1970
Director
1964
Director
1996
Director
1996
Director
1984
Director
1999
Director
1981
Director
1996
Director
1999
Director
1975
Director
1991
Director
1966
Director
1976
Director
1973
Director
1980
Director
1975
Director
1993
Director
1964
Director
1964
Director
1958
Director
1987
Director
1996
Director
1969
Director
1972
Director
1996
Director
2002
Director
1976
Director
1979
Director
1995
Director
1990
Director
1990
Director
1984
Director
1971
Director
1997
Director
1979
Director
1980
Director
1961
Director
2001
Director
1971
Director
1966
Director
1996
Director
1970
Director
1968
Director
1982
Director
1969
Director
1996
Director
1981
Director
1982
Director
1965
Director
2000
Director
1996
Director
1960
Director
1967
Director
1964
Director
2001
Director
1974
Director
2001
Director
1965
Director
1990
Director
1981
Director
1956
Director
1970
Director
1980
Director
1969
Director
1975
Director
2002
Director
1961
Director
1978
Director
1997
Director
1974
Director
1971
Director
2001
Director
2001
Director
1976
Director
1986
Director
1966
Director
1981
Director
1970
Director
1978
Director
1955
Director
1959
Director
1956
Director
1998
Director
1972
Director
1968
Director
1981
Director
1996
Director
1996
Director
1992
Director
1953
Director
1984
Director
1986
Director
1996
Director
1975
Director
1969
Director
1974
Director
1966
Director
1967
Director
1968
Director
1996
Director
2002
Director
1988
Director
1964
Director
1964
Director
1974
Director
1998
Director
1964
Director
1971
Director
1982
Director
1996
Director
1970
Director
1976
Director
1975
Director
1981
Director
1974
Director
Director
1975
Director
1969
Director
1994
Director
2000
Director
1996
Director
1964
Director
1981
Director
1975
Director
1965
Director
1971
Director
1982
Director
1990
Director
1972
Director
1966
Director
1999
Director
1974
Director
2002
Director
1966
Director
1981
Director
1996
Director
1996
Director
1998
Director
1979
Director
1976
Director
1975
Director
1995
Director
2002
Director
1975
Director
Director
1965
Director
1999
Director
1982
Director
1994
Director
1991
Director
1976
Director
1984
Director
1963
Director
1999
Editing (23)
Crew (22)
Cinematography
1965
Thanks
2009
Cinematography
1974
Cinematography
1976
In Memory Of
2011
Cinematography
1954
Cinematography
1955
Cinematography
1955
Cinematography
1954
Cinematography
1953
Cinematography
1962
Cinematography
1967
Cinematography
1954
Cinematography
1952
Cinematography
1978
Cinematography
1961
Cinematography
1959
Cinematography
1964
Cinematography
1960
Cinematography
1961
Cinematography
1955
Cinematography
1964