Cremaster
I recently took in all five films in Matthew Barney's
Cremaster cycle. I saw Cremaster 2 a few years ago and enjoyed it, but being able to see all the films over the space of two weeks helped illuminate the thematic elements in the cycle (and laid bare Barney's fetish for braiding, confined spaces, and people/animals/objects moving in formation). Reading the synopsis of each on Barney's site didn't hurt either (though always after seeing the film). Cremaster 2 is my favorite, it's beautifully shot and has a loose thread of a narrative. Cremaster 3 is really good also but a bit long at three hours and very slow even for Matthew Barney.
Jonathan Bepler's music for Cremaster 3 is absolutely stunning. The film (or sculpture as Barney regards them) has no dialogue and the music plays an integral role throughout. Jonathan's music for Cremaster 2 is great as well, but my personal highlight from that film (and the soundtrack) is the Dave Lombardo/Steve Tucker/swarm of bees piece.
Posted at May 28, 2003 07:35 PM