Whilst at uni I watched 'Forest of Bliss' (1989) by Robert Gardner, a Visual Anthropologist. I thought it was brilliant & have been looking online for the full version ever since. Here's an exert I found on youtube and my views on his work:
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'Gardner is a purveyor of highly cinematic film, strong visuals and stylistic aesthetics. His ability to establish a distinctive sense of art in his work has gain him cult status amongst visual anthropologists. He has a formulaic process to his film making; themes of death and violence occur regularly in an attempt to answer universal questions such as; 'how do people deal with death?' To achieve what he sees as an authenticity to his research he avoids taking a 1st & 2nd person accounts, like participant observation, instead choosing not to involve his subjects in the terms of a narrative i.e. dialogue etc.
Located in Benares, India, the film begins with a sunrise and ends with a sunset. Throughout there is no English dialog, voice-overs or subtitles; everything is visual. Meticulous looking shots, framed and executed to the finest detail, show how extensive storyboarding has help seemlessly move one shot to another. The subject matter, Benares itself, is remarkable, shocking, dirty and beautiful: funeral processions, kite-flying children, thousands of marigolds and dog fights are but a few items in this “fly on the wall” documentary.
We see the integration of people in the wider community, no singular character dominates, but a few people going about their daily lives. Through Gardner’s use of symbolism we see themes of death reoccurring. For instance the dead cow that is usually held in such reverence to Hindus, is dragged down the stairs with its head ricocheting off each step. I interpret this scene as no matter what incantation our soul takes, through death, plant, animal or man go through the same process. He is very subjective and makes no apology for bringing different ideas and themes together in this unique style of authorship. Therefore his audiences end up interpreting the film in many diverse ways.'
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How do you see it?!
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'Gardner is a purveyor of highly cinematic film, strong visuals and stylistic aesthetics. His ability to establish a distinctive sense of art in his work has gain him cult status amongst visual anthropologists. He has a formulaic process to his film making; themes of death and violence occur regularly in an attempt to answer universal questions such as; 'how do people deal with death?' To achieve what he sees as an authenticity to his research he avoids taking a 1st & 2nd person accounts, like participant observation, instead choosing not to involve his subjects in the terms of a narrative i.e. dialogue etc.
Located in Benares, India, the film begins with a sunrise and ends with a sunset. Throughout there is no English dialog, voice-overs or subtitles; everything is visual. Meticulous looking shots, framed and executed to the finest detail, show how extensive storyboarding has help seemlessly move one shot to another. The subject matter, Benares itself, is remarkable, shocking, dirty and beautiful: funeral processions, kite-flying children, thousands of marigolds and dog fights are but a few items in this “fly on the wall” documentary.
We see the integration of people in the wider community, no singular character dominates, but a few people going about their daily lives. Through Gardner’s use of symbolism we see themes of death reoccurring. For instance the dead cow that is usually held in such reverence to Hindus, is dragged down the stairs with its head ricocheting off each step. I interpret this scene as no matter what incantation our soul takes, through death, plant, animal or man go through the same process. He is very subjective and makes no apology for bringing different ideas and themes together in this unique style of authorship. Therefore his audiences end up interpreting the film in many diverse ways.'
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How do you see it?!
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