Stan Brakhage Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection (1953)
When their car breaks down in a hilly terrain, a group of four young men and two women find themselves in a lonely spot near an abandoned mine. The driver goes to seek help; the others explore the place its a fascinating geometry of shadows and ruined structures. One of the women gets lost in an old building and cries out to her friends. The two young men who come to save her wind up in a brawl. Jealousy a love triangle suddenly it becomes nasty: one guy strikes a deadly blow. Disturbed by what he has done, the victor climbs a flight of stairs, then accidentally falls to the ground. The film concludes with shots of the survivors calling out. There is no answer. Leaves in the trees are seen shimmering in the breeze. The film is a visually stunning example of the directors early work, made before the emergence of his mature style. Brakhage accentuates the tensions within the group of young people through his use of the mine buildings crazy corridors, threatening doorways and paneless windows.
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