Since the late 1950s Stan Brakhage has been in the forefront of
independent filmmaking. His body of work -- some seventy hours -- is one
of the largest of any filmmaker in the history of cinema, and one of the
most diverse. Probably the most widely quoted experimental filmmaker in
history, his films typify the independent cinema.
Until now, despite well-deserved acclaim, there has been no
comprehensive study of Brakhage's oeuvre. The Films of Stan Brakhage in
the American Tradition fills this void. R. Bruce Elder delineates the
aesthetic parallels between Brakhage's films and a broad spectrum of
American art from the 1920s through the 1960s.
This book is certain to stir the passions of those interested in
artistic critique and interpretation in its broadest terms.