[Frameworks] My Trip To PFA And Canyon Cinema Part 5

[Doug Chaffin("Douglas Graves")]

At PFA Oct, 2 2012

Next,  two of the greatest masterpieces of cinema ever, James Whitney's "Yantra" and "Lapis". 

Both old beaten up prints with scratches and dirt but fortunately, still vibrantly alive with color and movement! I have only been to see them on dvd, so it was a thrilling experience with one caveat, they obviously have to
 be projected on a much bigger screen. Anyone who has had the joy and privilege of seeing them knows that Mr. Whitney achieved a huge epic scale of vast cosmological magnitude. Somehow he accomplished these miracle movies on the 1.33:1 aspect ratio of 16mm and I can
 only imagine what clean, quality prints look like projected properly on a big screen! They have to be overwhelming and transcendent. I love "Wu Ming" too and I am very excited to see "Dwija" and "Kang Jing Xiang". These works of cinema art are like the "9th Wonder of the World". They should be honored classic American artworks, like the symphonies of Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, the poetry of Walt Whitman, the paintings of Jackson Pollack, or the writings of Mark Twain. But for some reason in our current dark age, we don't even have a quality dvd of his work that is available to own or check out from the library.

"Notes On The Port Of St. Francis" Frank Stauffacher   

Really great visual documentary by the legendary Frank Stauffacher, creator and director of the ground-breaking Art In Cinema series at the SF Museum of Modern Art in the 40s and 50s.  

This gorgeous special movie abounds with striking unbelievably lyrical black and white imagery of San Francisco. It's formally composed, inspired and beautifully edited. Set to good music and the inimitable classic voice of Vincent Price! Also features handsomely illustrated title cards that flow dynamically with the montage.     

Great compositions of the bayside waters crashing against the rocks, using excellent foreground framing devices like flowers and bushes dancing in the breeze. One fantastic shot after another, the vertically rising streets and beautiful buildings of the city rising up against the lovely skylines and the majestic cityscapes. Great sections about various of locales and neighborhoods, the section about Chinatown has remained vividly in my memory. I love his sense of camerawork and editing. It all flows and comes together in a very compelling and enjoyable experience. For pure poetic beauty I'd say this is the finest movie about the beautiful city of San Francisco. 

I had only heard about this movie in passing whenever I was reading about Mr. Stauffacher's Art In Cinema series, there's always a slight mention of his own 16mm movies, this and "Sausalitio". I had no idea it was anything this special. What a wonderful surprise! This is another overlooked classic that I think many people would be delighted by today if only they had the chance to see it.

Douglas Graves
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