H2O | |
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Directed by | Ralph Steiner |
Release date |
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Running time | 13 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
H2O (1929) is a short silent film by photographer Ralph Steiner. It is a cinepoem showing water in its many forms.
Through innovative camera techniques and editing, "H2O" captures the element of water in its various forms, from tranquil lakes and flowing rivers to cascading waterfalls and crashing waves. The film immerses viewers in a visual journey, revealing the beauty and power of this essential element.
"H2O" was created outside narrative structure, opting instead for a poetic and impressionistic approach to storytelling. It invites viewers to contemplate the intrinsic qualities of water and its significance in the natural world.
"H2O" is a landmark in experimental filmmaking, showcasing the artistic potential of cinema as a medium for exploring elemental themes and abstract concepts. [1]
In 2005, H2O was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". [2] [3]
Blacksmith Scene is an 1893 American short black-and-white silent film directed by William K.L. Dickson, the Scottish-French inventor who, while under the employ of Thomas Edison, developed one of the first fully functional motion picture cameras. It is historically significant as the first Kinetoscope film shown in public exhibition on May 9, 1893, and is the earliest known example of actors performing a role in a film. It was also the first U.S. motion picture film ever copyrighted that same year. 102 years later, in 1995, Blacksmithing Scene was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is the second-oldest film included in the Registry, after Newark Athlete (1891).
The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) is a short silent horror film adaptation of the 1839 short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. The movie was co-directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber, and starred Herbert Stern, Hildegarde Watson, and Melville Webber. It tells the story of a brother and sister who live under a family curse. An avant-garde experimental film running only 13 minutes, the visual element predominates, including shots through prisms to create optical distortion. There is no dialogue in the film, though one sequence features letters written in the air moving across the screen.
A Movie is a 1958 experimental collage film by American artist Bruce Conner. It combines pieces of found footage taken from various sources such as newsreels, soft-core pornography, and B movies, all set to a score featuring Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome.
This Is Cinerama is a 1952 American documentary film directed by Mike Todd, Michael Todd Jr., Walter A. Thompson and Fred Rickey and starring Lowell Thomas. It is designed to introduce the widescreen process Cinerama, which broadens the aspect ratio so that the viewer's peripheral vision is involved. This Is Cinerama premiered on September 30, 1952, at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.
Fuji is a 1974 American animated short by Robert Breer.
Precious Images is a 1986 short film directed by Chuck Workman. It features approximately 470 half-second-long splices of movie moments through the history of American film. Some of the clips are organized by genre and set to appropriate music; musicals, for example, are accompanied by the title song from Singin' in the Rain. Films featured range chronologically from The Great Train Robbery (1903) to Rocky IV (1985), and range in subject from light comedies to dramas and horror films.
The Dickson Experimental Sound Film is a film made by William Dickson in late 1894 or early 1895. It is the first known film with live-recorded sound and appears to be the first motion picture made for the Kinetophone, the proto-sound-film system developed by Dickson and Thomas Edison. The film was produced at the "Black Maria", Edison's New Jersey film studio. There is no evidence that it was ever exhibited in its original format.
Nostalgia, styled (nostalgia), is a 1971 American experimental film by artist Hollis Frampton. It is part of his Hapax Legomena series.
Castro Street (1966) is a visual nonstory documentary film directed by Bruce Baillie.
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB's inception in 1988.
Under Western Stars is a 1938 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Carol Hughes, and the Maple City Four. Written by Dorrell McGowan, Stuart E. McGowan, and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a populist singing cowboy who decides to run for Congress in order to seek federal assistance to help small ranchers regain their water rights during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. His campaign comes into conflict with greedy water company executives.
The Lead Shoes is a 1949 experimental film directed by Sidney Peterson at Workshop 20 at the San Francisco Art Institute. The film was made using distorting lenses. The film is a 17-minute black and white short.
Scratch and Crow (1995) is a four-minute, 16mm, animated film made by Helen Hill as her MFA thesis at the California Institute of the Arts. On January 1, 2017, an authorized Helen Hill Vimeo account launched and includes a high-resolution streaming version of the film, with this annotation: "This hand drawn animated film reveals the secret life cycle of chickens, from their hatching by mother cats to their noisy ascent into Heaven. Filmed in 16 mm."
The Revenge of Pancho Villa (1930–36)—Spanish title La Venganza de Pancho Villa—is a compilation film made by the Padilla family in El Paso, Texas, USA, from dozens of fact-based and fictional films about the celebrated Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa (1878–1923).
Heroes All is a 1920 American World War I documentary film that was released by the American Red Cross.
Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972) is a short student film written and directed by Martin Brest, then an undergraduate at New York University, featuring Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman in her acting debut.
The Red Book is a 1994 American experimental animated short film by experimental filmmaker and theater/installation artist Janie Geiser.
Study of a River is a 1997 experimental film directed by Peter Hutton.
Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment is a 1963 direct cinema documentary film directed by Robert Drew. The film centers on the University of Alabama's "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" integration crisis of June 1963. Drew and the other filmmakers, including D. A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock, were given expanded access to key areas, including United States President John F. Kennedy's Oval Office and the homes of United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Governor George Wallace of Alabama. The film first aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as an installment of Close-Up! four months after the incident, on October 28, 1963. It was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress on December 28, 2011.
13 Lakes is a 2004 American independent non-narrative experimental film by independent filmmaker James Benning. Consisting of 13 ten-minute-long static shots of different lakes in the United States, 13 Lakes is an instance of slow cinema, placing emphasis on introspection and contemplation. Shot on 16 mm film, 13 Lakes had its world premiere at the Vienna International Film Festival on October 20, 2004. Due to the experimental nature of the film, it did not receive a theatrical release, but has been distributed by Canyon Cinema. 13 Lakes received positive reviews, with particular praise directed towards its ambience, cinematography and Benning's direction. In 2014, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.