Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc. (1966) Online

All this film is footage of woman posing - I mean - REALLY POSING.

Sitting there, looking at the camera, not moving (perhaps they are testing light and color on her skin?).

At any rate, she doesn't move.

But the real kicker here is that the frame showing her is off-center on the screen.

So the audience sees not just one but two frames of her on the running film - as well as the edge of the film and the sprocket holes - at CENTER SCREEN no less - that pass by. These holes, unlike the images of the woman, are much more variable and therefore flicker. As such, they are much more apt to gain your attention.

And there you have it, the essence of "deconstructivism": the marginal becomes center, and the center becomes marginal.

And there you have:

"Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc." is a short experimental movie created by George Landow. It's an original abstract film made of one catch on a part of fragmented reel with a woman face. There is only one dramatic (but minimalistic) element: returning letters on one half of screen. The impressive woman face is dynamized by the shading of its colors and forms and all the movie is accompanied by the specific sound of projector which has hypnotizing charm. Thus the visual content is limited, but the significant plane is rich. Abstract art is prolific in interpretations and this movie may refer to numerous meanings, e.g. analysis of artwork to its parts facilitates location of new senses and beauties. You can vote your own interpretation.

Owen Land's "Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles Etc. (1965-66)" can be a puzzler to those who expect some sort of narrative experience. This is not that kind of film. Experimental film is often interested in the physical film medium itself, as this wonderful film demonstrates.

The film begins dark, with some noise in the background. An image snaps into view, as if someone turned on a movie projector. The illusion of the experience of a projected movie continues as the image is adjusted several times in frame, and the sound of a running projector enters the soundtrack. The base image never changes: Two color test images of a female, one above the other, to the left of the frame. To the right, two dark vertical bars representing, I think, the sound strip for the film. In the center of the frame is the film's sprocket, normally used by the projector to advance the frame of the film. Very minimal. However, the action of the film, such as it is, is in the movement of the specks and scratches and stains and lines as they rhythmically repeat and draw the viewer's attention away from the traditional subject of film - the image - and toward the film that is running through the camera. We are conscious of the fact that we are watching a film. In addition, we are left with a lovely hypnotic experience. The rhythm of the sound of the running projector and the rhythm of the visual errata easily take one through the 6:07 of this film.

What makes this film great is this. It's easy to forget that you, the viewer, are watching a film of a film being projected, and as such are one layer of abstraction away from the direct experience of that film. As we recognise this, it's easier to give strong credit to Mr. Land for his ability to draw us into the experience of being present at the performance of his film about projecting a film. Conceptual genius.

If it weren't for the bits of semi-interesting movement the frames contain, this wouldn't even be a film, just a picture. It's barely a film, it's just an image, and whatever the filmmaker's intent was has gone right over my head. Maybe the filmmaker had no intent, maybe this film is one big joke, or maybe it's a desperate attempt to appeal to the most pretentious modern artists. Whatever it's theoretical intent may be is mostly irrelevant to me, because no matter what it is still boring as hell. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of experimental filmmaking and the avant garde. Everything from "L'age d'Or" to "Dog Star Man" to "Eraserhead" (my all time favorite film!!!) I find to be absolutely perfect! But, I still have had plenty of bad experiences with the avant garde, and watching this tedious pile of meaningless drivel. Or maybe it does have meaning. But no matter what that meaning is this still isn't any good, and it's still too boring for words!

Well, say what you like about his work, but you can't call Owen Land a liar. With this 1966 effort, the experimental filmmaker promises a Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc., and he delivers exactly that. How he came up with this nonsense I can't imagine. Perhaps he incorrectly loaded a roll of film into the projector, and enjoyed the end result of his blunder; a "blunder" is all I can call it, even if the effect was intentional. What is there to be discerned from this six minute exercise of tediousness? I'm afraid that I didn't find all that much. The short consists of a piece of film running through the projector, showing the exact same shot of a woman over and over again, such that her image is basically stationary. But that's not the important part: the image itself is off-centre, so our attention is actually focused on the margins of the film, revealing the sprocket holes and edge lettering.

I can't admit to knowing much about "deconstructivism," but I know enough to appreciate, at least to some small degree, that Owen Land is demonstrating the inherent artificiality of the film medium by making the margins the centre of the film, and vice versa. OK, I'll buy it. I bought it after one minute. I bought it after two minutes. By the sixth minute, I simply didn't care anymore. Too long to be interesting, but not quite long enough to be torturous, 'Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc.' isn't a film I'd recommend even to the most avid avant-garde fan, though there are probably some who'd get more out of it than I did. Indeed, if the title alone has gotten your heart racing, then you'll likely love it. As far as 1966 is concerned, I'll slot this one behind David Lynch's 'Six Figures Getting Sick (1966),' another pointless work of abstract cinema.

okay, so what is happening on Film in which there appear edge lettering sprocket holes dirt particles etcetera?? well, it's a good question. first of all, we must remind ourselves here that we are watching a film that has been put together with a very well meant intent. the only thing that could make you wonder is what the intent of Owen Wilson was with making a movie like this which is really about nothing at all (except for the terrible soundtrack that could make a horse fly over twelve cattle and some letters flying over the screen). is this movie about those letters, I wonder? is it a secret message that the director is projecting to the viewers? is he really supposing we would take the time to see what letters they all are? is there really any point in this? does he even try to make a point at all?? maybe Owen Land was just trying to be friendly to an ex-love out of his life (see the picture of the woman on his left and the hidden meaning of the letters together on your right). oh yeah, this is really making me happy, for I have nothing else to do than to connect those letters... finally, we witness a few seconds of darkness before the film ends. with this darkness, the 'music' disappears as well. the end of a love affair? goodbye Nashville? who might say... I bet Owen Land could!