by Brakhage - An Anthology - Criterion Collection

2 Discs, 26 Films

Working completely outside the mainstream, Stan Brakehage made nearly four hundred films over the past half-century. Challenging all taboos in his exploration of "birth, sex, death and the search for God," Brakhage turned his camera on lovemaking, childbirth, and even actual autopsy. Many of his most famous films pursue the nature of vision itself and transcend the act of filming. Treating each frame as a miniature canvas, Brakhage pioneered the art of making images directly on film itself-starting with clear leader or exposed film, then scratching, drawing, and painting on it by hand. Brakhage sometimes produced only a quarter-second of film a day, but over the years, his visionary style of image making has influenced everything from cartoons and television commercials to MTV music videos and major motion pictures.

Criterion is proud to present twenty-six masterworks by Stan Brakhage for the first time on DVD.