Razor Blades1968

Produced in association with the American Film Institute. Projection instructions: There is sound on both reels. Place external speakers on either side of the auditorium for 'stereo' effect. Should be loud. Place identical projectors side-by-side and align the two images side-by-side.



"Compared to Tony Conrad's THE FLICKER and Michael Snow's WAVELENGTH, RAZOR BLADES is a kind of BEN-HUR of structural films, employing not only abstract designs but also little, almost Vanderbeekian cutouts of identifiable things (a strawberry sundae, a penis) and people (a man apparently cutting his wrist). The effect is extraordinarily unsettling as the mind tries desperately to make intelligent connections between recognizable images, while at the same time it automatically falls into the pace of light explosions... Just where films such as RAZOR BLADES might lead, I've no idea. It may be, of course, that they don't have to lead anywhere. In any case I'm glad that the American Film Institute has seen fit to sponsor Sharits, and that the Whitney has elected to show the results..." -Vincent Canby, New York Times



General projection instructions for 2-screen works: These works are not difficult or complicated to screen, as long as instructions are followed carefully; there are instructions with each listing here and graphic instructions will be sent along with each film piece. There are a few important, general principles which apply to all the film pieces: 1) Both projectors should be the same model, with identical lenses and identical bulbs (most projectors are supplied with a 750 watt bulb; this is too dim–use at least a 1,000 watt bulb); 2) Most of the pieces have sound on both reels; be sure that both projectors have external speakers (sometimes it is necessary to use the auditorium speaker and one external speaker); 3) Before threading the projectors, using the lights of the projectors, set up projectors: a) Place the projectors so that there is no keystoning (i.e., make sure both images are perfect rectangles); b) Align the light rectangles carefully, avoiding tilted images; c) When everything is in order, then thread up the films. -PS