A few minutes afterwards, I don't dislike 'Battery Film (1985)' as much as I did while watching it. It think that experimental films, by their very nature, raise complex expectations from viewers that they can rarely satisfy. Throughout the whole film, I was constantly searching for some thread of coherency in its structure, for any possible reason why the filmmakers were mixing still-shots of Manhattan with crude animated reconstructions of the landscape. I was looking so hard that I couldn't appreciate the sheer peacefulness of every wintry cityscape, the disquieting calm of America's greatest metropolis, devoid of all human habitation and left, instead, with the tranquil trees and stone war memorials. The film was directed by Franklin Backus and Richard Protovin, and was the third in a trilogy after 'Manhattan Quartet (1982)' and 'Southern Images (1983)' that explored New York at a different time and day, though always without any glimpse of people. 'Battery Film,' according to the final title, was filmed on Thursday, January 19, 1984.
An experimental film like this might have worked very well, if it weren't for the animation that frequently breaks up the serene images of calm and isolation. Comprised of crudely-constructed dots and dashes, which shift sequentially to simulate the formation of these Manhattan landscapes, this animation would certainly have been time-consuming; however, it also looks very cheap and crude, and, more than anything else, succeeded in giving me a throbbing headache. The vaguely-Oriental music is very appropriate for the images, and was composed and performed by Asian-American violinist Jason Kao Hwang. At nine minutes in length, 'Battery Film' feels like about fifteen minutes, probably because I spent most of the time trying to work out what point the filmmakers were trying to get across. Among the New York landmarks featured in the film are Battery Park, the World Trade Centre twin towers, and the East Coast War Memorial. Overall, this film is worth watching for those who know what to expect, and you'll receive the most enjoyment if you just try to immerse yourself in the serenity of it all.
An experimental film like this might have worked very well, if it weren't for the animation that frequently breaks up the serene images of calm and isolation. Comprised of crudely-constructed dots and dashes, which shift sequentially to simulate the formation of these Manhattan landscapes, this animation would certainly have been time-consuming; however, it also looks very cheap and crude, and, more than anything else, succeeded in giving me a throbbing headache. The vaguely-Oriental music is very appropriate for the images, and was composed and performed by Asian-American violinist Jason Kao Hwang. At nine minutes in length, 'Battery Film' feels like about fifteen minutes, probably because I spent most of the time trying to work out what point the filmmakers were trying to get across. Among the New York landmarks featured in the film are Battery Park, the World Trade Centre twin towers, and the East Coast War Memorial. Overall, this film is worth watching for those who know what to expect, and you'll receive the most enjoyment if you just try to immerse yourself in the serenity of it all.
