Articulated Light: The Emergence of Abstract Film in ... - Monoskop
Articulated Light: The Emergence of Abstract Film in ... - Monoskop
Articulated Light: The Emergence of Abstract Film in ... - Monoskop
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James Sibley Watson, Jr.<br />
Bruce Posner<br />
Dr. James Sibley Watson, Jr. (1894 -1982) is one <strong>of</strong> the few examples <strong>in</strong> our century <strong>of</strong> a<br />
Renaissance man . With his friend Sc<strong>of</strong>ield Thayer, he was the publisher and the guid<strong>in</strong>g spirit <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Dial, the most outstand<strong>in</strong>g literary and arts magaz<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> American History, from 1920 to<br />
1929 . He, along with collaborator Melville Webber, was the creator <strong>of</strong> two important avant-garde<br />
American films, <strong>The</strong> Fall <strong>of</strong> the House <strong>of</strong> Usher (1927-28), and Lot <strong>in</strong> Sodom (1929-32) . He<br />
played an important role <strong>in</strong> the development <strong>of</strong> X-ray c<strong>in</strong>ematography and <strong>of</strong> optical pr<strong>in</strong>ters for<br />
motion pictures. In addition, he was the friend and supporter <strong>of</strong> Kenneth Burke, E .E . Cumm<strong>in</strong>gs,<br />
Gaston Lachaise and Marianne Moore . James Card <strong>of</strong> the International Musuem <strong>of</strong> Photography<br />
at George Eastman House noted that "what he turned to, he became extremely good at ."<br />
Melville Webber (1895-1947) pursued parallel careers <strong>in</strong> art history, archeology, pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, and<br />
direct<strong>in</strong>g motion pictures . After graduat<strong>in</strong>g from Harvard <strong>in</strong> 1917, he completed a monograph on<br />
the Romanesque frescoes at Tavant, France and then returned to Harvard for graduate study <strong>in</strong><br />
art and archeology. He was appo<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>in</strong> 1926 Assistant Director <strong>of</strong> the Memorial An Gallery,<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Rochester and also taught there as Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Art History until 1928 . In<br />
November 1926, he suggested to Dr. Watson that "he would like to try his hand at sets for a<br />
photoplay." This results <strong>in</strong> the genesis <strong>of</strong> two experimental film classics, <strong>The</strong> Fall <strong>of</strong> the House<br />
<strong>of</strong> Usher and Lot <strong>in</strong> Sodom as well as several other uncompleted film productions between<br />
Watson and Webber. Dur<strong>in</strong>g 1933-34, Webber worked <strong>in</strong> a Manhattan hotel room collaborat<strong>in</strong>g<br />
with Mary Ellen Bute and Ted Nemeth on the abstract film Rhythm <strong>in</strong> <strong>Light</strong>. Soon after fortunes<br />
shifted for Webber, he suffered a complete nervous breakdown from which he never fully recovered<br />
and died <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>stitution <strong>in</strong> Canandaigua, New York .<br />
Statement<br />
James Sibley Watson, Jr.<br />
Melville Webber and I started to work on our first enterta<strong>in</strong>ment film <strong>in</strong> the w<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>of</strong> 1926-27 . Melville<br />
was scenarist, idea man, scene pa<strong>in</strong>ter, costume designer, make-up man, director, and also played<br />
the part <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Visitor . My part was crank<strong>in</strong>g the camera, light<strong>in</strong>g the sets and the actors, develop<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, splic<strong>in</strong>g, and project<strong>in</strong>g the film . Our prelim<strong>in</strong>ary experiments leftus with many feet <strong>of</strong> discards.<br />
On the other hand, we had managed to assemble a number <strong>of</strong> "properties" that were to be extremely<br />
useful when we f<strong>in</strong>ally settled down to retell<strong>in</strong>g Poe's story. <strong>The</strong> "properties" <strong>in</strong>cluded a home-made<br />
c<strong>of</strong>f<strong>in</strong>, a cardboard flat pa<strong>in</strong>ted by Melville to represent the facade <strong>of</strong> the house <strong>of</strong> Usher, a short flight<br />
<strong>of</strong> fairly normal steps, and a long flight <strong>of</strong> steps <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>iature . We had also acquired from Scott<br />
Sterl<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>of</strong> Bausch & Lomb, prisms and distort<strong>in</strong>g lenses that could be rotated <strong>in</strong> front <strong>of</strong> the camera<br />
lens. Rotat<strong>in</strong>g the latter device causes the subject to appear successively short and wide and then tall<br />
and th<strong>in</strong>, an "effect' employed to give a sort <strong>of</strong> rhythm to the scene <strong>in</strong> which a black-gloved hand<br />
and Melville Webber<br />
smooths Madel<strong>in</strong>e's burial robe as she lies sup<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> her c<strong>of</strong>f<strong>in</strong> . In another scene, <strong>The</strong> Visitor is read<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to Roderick. Here certa<strong>in</strong> key words are emphasized by reflect<strong>in</strong>g the letters <strong>in</strong> the polished surface <strong>of</strong><br />
a platter turn<strong>in</strong>g on a monograph turntable, mak<strong>in</strong>g the syllables ripple.<br />
In Lot [<strong>in</strong> Sodom], distortion is <strong>of</strong>ten used to keep reality, or rather its appearance, from disturb<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
film's mood . And <strong>in</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>al scene the distortion makes Lot's daughter seem not only different but<br />
formidable as she grasps the w<strong>in</strong>e cup .<br />
All <strong>of</strong> the effects <strong>in</strong> Usher had to be done with, or <strong>in</strong>, the camera. For Lot, however, we had an optical<br />
pr<strong>in</strong>ter, enabl<strong>in</strong>g us to make changes <strong>in</strong> a scene after it had been shot . Run-ups and pull-backs made<br />
with the pr<strong>in</strong>ter are nearly asgood as those made by mov<strong>in</strong>g the camera, and if mistakes occur theycan<br />
be corrected without retak<strong>in</strong>g the scene . Nowadays run-ups and pull-backscan be quickly accomplished<br />
with a zoom lens, though the mov<strong>in</strong>g camera is still much m evidence, whether mounted on a car, or<br />
copter, or on the end <strong>of</strong> a massive camera-crane on wheels .<br />
Many <strong>of</strong> the transitions <strong>in</strong> Lot-4ades, dissolves, etc .-were put <strong>in</strong> with the optical pr<strong>in</strong>ter ; also split<br />
screen effects . True prismatic effects are few, although there is one such, a comically s<strong>in</strong>ister scene <strong>in</strong><br />
which people danc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a circle are "truncated" so to speak, to the extent that each one appears as a<br />
head and shoulders caper<strong>in</strong>g on a pair <strong>of</strong> legs, sans trunk.<br />
Usher was strictly amateur; none <strong>of</strong> us had any experience with pr<strong>of</strong>essional film production, least <strong>of</strong> all<br />
myself . It was only recently that I had become obsessed with the idea <strong>of</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g movies . My first<br />
camera was a Sept, a small clockwork affair that ran thirty-six feet <strong>of</strong> film at a load<strong>in</strong>g . Later I bought a<br />
second-hand Bell & Howell "studio" camera and a speed movement for it . <strong>The</strong> standard B. & H . movement<br />
could be adjusted to run two films, and it was <strong>in</strong> this way that we were able to superimpose a mov<strong>in</strong>g<br />
horse and rider on a background <strong>of</strong> mov<strong>in</strong>g clouds, the open<strong>in</strong>g scene <strong>of</strong> our film .<br />
By the time we had given up on a film entitled <strong>The</strong> D<strong>in</strong>ner Party as be<strong>in</strong>g too difficult and were ready to<br />
beg<strong>in</strong> work on Lot, two new members had been added to our group, Remsen Wood and Alec Wilder.<br />
Remsen wanted to use our equipment <strong>in</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g a sound film <strong>of</strong> objects mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> time to the music <strong>of</strong><br />
Strav<strong>in</strong>sky's Fire Bird. In return he agreed to help us with Lot, and help us he did . It was through him<br />
and his friends at Kodak Park that we obta<strong>in</strong>ed a sound on film recorder. He kept our new optical pr<strong>in</strong>ter<br />
work<strong>in</strong>g, made valuable suggestions, and, most important <strong>of</strong> all, he helped Melvile with the difficult task<br />
<strong>of</strong> synchroniz<strong>in</strong>g our film with its sound track-4he musical score composed and conducted by Louis<br />
Siegel and played by students from the Eastman School, amongthem the Oboist Mitchell Miller. Though<br />
crudely recorded, this music gives to portions <strong>of</strong> the film an impact and a mean<strong>in</strong>g that would be badly<br />
missed if the projector's sound system were to break down . <strong>The</strong> same can be said <strong>of</strong> the Wilder score<br />
for Usher.<br />
James Sibley Watson, Jr ., "<strong>The</strong> <strong>Film</strong>s <strong>of</strong> J.S . Watson, Jr., and Melville Webber:<br />
Some Retrospective Views (1)," <strong>The</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Rochester Library Bullet<strong>in</strong>, Vol . XXVIII, No. 2, W<strong>in</strong>ter<br />
1975, 74-75 .<br />
<strong>The</strong> Fall <strong>of</strong> the House <strong>of</strong> Usherby James Sibley Watson, Jr. & Melville Webber,1927-28 :<br />
Museum <strong>of</strong> Modern Art <strong>Film</strong> Stills<br />
Lot <strong>in</strong> Sodom by James Sibley Watson, Jr. & Melville Webber,1929-32: Museum <strong>of</strong> Modern Art<br />
<strong>Film</strong> Stills<br />
Dudley Murphy<br />
William Moritz<br />
Of the six or more "Visual Symphonies," short films synchronized to classical music, which Dudley<br />
Murphy (1897-1968) made between 1920 and 1922, only one seems to survive, Danse Macabre<br />
to the Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Sat<strong>in</strong>s music . Unfortunately, it is atypical <strong>in</strong> that it records Adolph Bolm's stage dance<br />
performance, while the others were shot more filmically: the 1920 Soul <strong>of</strong> the Cypress [probably<br />
Debussy's "Uaprbs-midi d'un faune"], for example, was praised for its excellent lyrical photography<br />
<strong>of</strong> landscape, and was cited by <strong>The</strong> New York Times as one <strong>of</strong> the best films <strong>of</strong> the year. Murphy<br />
also made a feature comedy High Speed Lee (1923), and studied lens technology at college so he<br />
could design his own "special effect"lenses with irregular, beveled surfaces that created kaleidoscopic<br />
imagery .<br />
Murphy's desire for more accurate synchronization led him to Paris where he met Man Ray and<br />
proposed a collaboration on a more adventurous film . Together they shot scenes on the street<br />
(<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g store w<strong>in</strong>dows and a washerwoman walk<strong>in</strong>g up stairs) and <strong>in</strong> Luna Park, scenes <strong>of</strong> Kiki<br />
<strong>in</strong> white mime make-up and Kather<strong>in</strong>e Murphy <strong>in</strong> romantic poses, footage <strong>of</strong> mach<strong>in</strong>e parts pump<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to be <strong>in</strong>tercut with erotic scenes, and shots <strong>of</strong> cake molds and other utensils taken through Murphy's<br />
lenses-before runn<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>of</strong> money . When Murphy resolved to ask Fernand Leger for f<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g<br />
funds, Man Ray demanded no mention <strong>of</strong> his name <strong>in</strong> connection with the film, as he feared a<br />
1 3<br />
James Sibley Watson, work<strong>in</strong>g on a film : George Eastman House<br />
mishap <strong>in</strong> the hands <strong>of</strong> the humorless Leger . <strong>The</strong> result<strong>in</strong>g film, Ballet Mecanique (1924), is<br />
Murphy's most famous work, albeit under the name <strong>of</strong> its f<strong>in</strong>ancial backer, Leger, who had no<br />
practical knowledge <strong>of</strong> such filmmak<strong>in</strong>g techniques as camerawork, light<strong>in</strong>g, lenses and edit<strong>in</strong>g .<br />
Murphy returned to America where he made "special effects" <strong>of</strong> montages and kaleidoscopic illusions<br />
for the Gloria Swanson film <strong>The</strong> Love <strong>of</strong> Sunya (1927), wrote films like Last Command (1928)<br />
and Dracula (1931), and directed some dozen features <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the Paul Robeson Emperor Jones<br />
(1933), the musical <strong>The</strong> Night is Young (1935) and the socialist protest film One Third <strong>of</strong> a Nation<br />
(1939), as well as two successful features <strong>in</strong> Mexico . He also cont<strong>in</strong>ued to make musical short<br />
films, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the Bessie Smith St. Louis Blues (1928), the Duke Ell<strong>in</strong>gton Black and Tan (1929),<br />
and ten "soundies" (juke box films) <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Lazybones (1941) with Hoagy Carmichael and Dorothy<br />
Dandridge . Throughout this commercial work, Murphy was regarded as someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> an<br />
experimentalist, and he persisted <strong>in</strong> try<strong>in</strong>g to give dynamic and musical qualities to the camerawork<br />
and edit<strong>in</strong>g . <strong>The</strong> "kaleidoscopic" lenses used <strong>in</strong> Ballet Mecanique, for example, were further used<br />
for dance sequences <strong>in</strong> Black and Tan (where the mirrored floor <strong>of</strong> the Cotton Club provides even<br />
more complex facets) and <strong>in</strong> <strong>The</strong> Sport Parade (1932) (where there is no real necessity for a<br />
musical number) .<br />
William Moritz, Musee du C<strong>in</strong>ema, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1996