"Pieces of Silver" and "What Is Cinema?" by Chuck Workman
Films
- Read More
DocumentaryThree Motion Picture Montages: Precious Images (1986), Words (1987), Pieces of Silver (1987)
Chuck Workmancolor and b/w, sound, 26 minRental format: DVD NTSC
Description
On Saturday, August 5th, 2023, at 7pm, join us at the Film-Makers' Cooperative (475 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor) for two fascinating works by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Chuck Workman: 1987's PIECES OF SILVER and 2013's WHAT IS CINEMA?
Pieces of Silver was made for Eastman Kodak on the anniversary of the invention of motion picture film. It montages images from foreign and American narrative films, newsreels, documentaries, experimental films, commercials, animation, and television since 1889. This film played at commercial theaters, screened at Anthology Film Archives and other important non-profit theaters, and at several festivals. From critic Scott MacDonald: "In the best of his compilation pieces, Workman reveals his mastery of editing. His strategy is not just to provide a succession of moments of nostalgia, but to create distinctive films, providing energy, humor, and insight."
Amidst a constant stream of hundreds of film clips, dozens of filmmakers voice their opinions on the titular question in What is Cinema?, while primarily looking beyond the Hollywood mainstream to independent, experimental, documentary, and avant-garde films.