Strange Sinema: Oddities from the Oddball Archives July 31, 2009

Event: “Strange Sinema: Oddities from the Oddball Archives” featuring new finds, buried junk and avant garde gems including the Whitney Brothers early computer generated film Binary Bit Patterns, the frozen frontiers of Siberia, girls gone wrong in Caught Shoplifting, the pioneers of early cinema and the Library of Congress’s Paper Print Collection documentary First Flickers, a primer on Eastern thought with Buddhism: Path to Enlightenment, and a campy 70s promotional short Come to LA! plus cinematic surprises including How to Handle Credit Cards, Trik Film and TV News Outtakes.
Date: Friday, July 31st, at 8:30PM.
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or [email protected]
Web: http://www.oddballfilm.com/oddballftp/Strange_Sinema_15.pdf

Siberian Summer
"Strange Sinema”
Oddities From the Archives
Screens at Oddball Films

Friday, July 31st, we present “Strange Sinema: Siberian Summer”, Offbeat Oddities from the Archives”, a collection of films from our unarchived collection. Showtime is 8:30PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: [email protected] or 415-558-8117.

Deep in the stacks of Oddball Films’ 50,000 film collection lie thousands of unviewed and undiscovered curiosities that have never seen the light of a projection lamp. In many cases the purpose they were made (though some seem to have no purpose!) has long since outlasted their exhibition possibilities.

These offbeat and bizarre medical, mental hygiene, arty, adult, educational, music, movie trailers, home movies and commercial throw-aways were collected and archived by curator Stephen Parr in his quest to make the world a stranger cinematic place. As historical detritus they provide valuable insight into the rich variety of sub-cinema culture that lies beneath the surface of conventional feature film fare.

Some of these are films that will, in all likelihood never be screened anywhere again. Join us as we unearth and re-screen these filmic finds never to reappear on DVD or any other format again. Tonight we present some truly remarkable oddities recently retrieved from our South of Market Storage space and a new collection of TV news outtakes.

Binary Bit Patterns (1969)
In the early 1960s digital computers became available to selected artists for the first time. The output medium was usually a pen plotter, microfilm plotter line printer or an alphanumeric printout, which was then manually transferred into a visual medium. Computers were expensive-from $100,000 to several millions of dollars. It took a high degree of technical expertise and a fundamental understanding of systems to create anything approaching art.
Decades before digital imaging became a part of our everyday lives, the Whitney Brothers were exploring the potential of creating moving images using computers, and interrogating the emerging relationship between artist and computer.
This seldom-seen film, programmed on a computer and then optically printed explores the graphic permutations of a Persian motif. The spectacular, fast-paced film features quilt like tapestries of polyhedral and crystalline figures pulsating and multiplying with a kind of universal logic, elicting a hypnotic, trancelike effect from the viewer. This film echoes a preoccupation with the mandala image and the interest in Eastern meditative philosophy which is seen in the work of the whole Whitney family. With original soundscore.
Siberia (1977)
We continue our fascination with Siberia as we learn more about its geography, history and people. We ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad (1977’s version anyway), learn about its history through archival clips, visit the coldest town on earth where milk is carried in frozen slabs and watch how the Soviet government takes film projectors into the wild indoctrinating and educating the Siberians in the remotest part of their territory.

Caught Shoplifting (1971, Color)
The catalog description for this film reads: “Caught Shoplifting provides an in-depth reflection of economic as well as human motivation behind shoplifting. It also focuses on the greater need to examine our individual understanding of ethics and morality” Hardly...this film, moderated and narrated in vignettes features a staged “tell it like it is” roundtable with several so-called experts in the field including a undercover police woman. In this Orwellian world of consumerism and shopping malls, security people scan store interiors with hidden cameras recording thievery where they see it. One teenage culprit is caught, then forced to witness the act via the wonders of ½” reel to reel videotape 1971 style. Not exactly funny, more like sad and sinister. Steal a blouse-pay the price! Let the humiliation vignettes begin! Note: This film is dedicated to Saks shoplifter Winona Ryder.
First Flickers (1976)
Motion pictures date back to the mid-1890s. Most of the original nitrate prints have either disintegrated or were destroyed in fires. Until 1912 in order to copyright films, paper photographs of each frame of film had to be registered with the Library of Congress.
In the 1960s a method of converting these paper prints back into motion pictures was developed by Kemp R Niver who later received an Academy Award for his invention and his work in reprinting over 2 million feet of paper prints to film.
This documentary presents highlights from the rare restored print collection of the earliest of American films.
Edison’s The Sneeze, vintage Melies, the French master of film fantasy and historical clips from The Great Train Robbery and more are featured along with footage of actual paper prints. Produced by WRC TV in Washington, DC, in conjunction with the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress. Plus! Tinted films from George Melies!

For info on the Paper Print Collection: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Prints

Buddhism: Path to Enlightenment (1979)
Another recent discovery in our Asian collection, this well-made cinematic experience by Elda Hartley (director of award-winning docs like India and the Infinite and Islamic Mysticism: The Sufi Way), Buddhism: Path to Enlightenment vividly portrays the journey of the Buddha’s path to self-realization and gives the viewer a fundamental understanding of Buddhist culture.

Come to LA! (1970s)
They say there is a war between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The only problem is they don’t know anything about it in Los Angeles. The city everyone loves to hate has more amusement parks than any other city in the country. Who cares, you say. Well this lively and oftentimes idiotic promotional piece, complete with Shaft-like wah wah funk soundtrack made by the Greater Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau tells you things you never knew about LA like: “Did you know when you come to LA you can be relaxed and casual? Where else can you have lunch outside everyday? And Beverley Hills- just think people actually live here!” Wow, a promotional piece capitalizing on all the cliches we’ve known grown to hate-don’t miss the opening and closing bikini scenes. Truly trashy. Welcome to LA-oh yea-be right there!

Plus!
Tinted Melies films, Handling Credit Cards, (Yes, they actually made films about how to use and process credit cards!) and a surprise Trik Film (a hand-made film) for early birds-come on time-you’ll be glad you