Bleu Shut (1970) by Robert Nelson
Thursday, March 29, 1984, 8:00 pm
Robert Nelson
The Cinematheque is proud to honor Robert Nelson with a three-part retrospective of his work. Nelson, a painter turned filmmaker, is a San Francisco native now living and teaching in Milwaukee. Of the San Francisco style, with which Nelson is closely associated, Nelson says: “It is basically a non-intellectual practice with roots in the Historical Art Tradition. The unique cultural situation in California, the influx of Near and Far Eastern thought and a strong sense of community among artists have all nourished this tradition… It has no goal.” Nelson did collaborative film-work with funk artist William T. Wiley, Ron Davis (director of the S.F. Mime Troupe), and composer Steve Reich.The third program in this retrospective will be shown early May. (Suite California: Parts 1 & 2).
The Awful Backlash, 1967, 14 min.; Nelson’s response to the structural film.
The Off-Handed Jape, 1967, 9 min.; Made with Wiley. “Impeccably realized, (this film) suggests a vaudeville of daily life …anticipating that aspect of Performance Art by nearly a decade.” — J. Hoberman
Bleu Shut, 1970, 33 min.; Soundtrack by Nelson and Wiley. “A comic statement on the absurdities of the bourgeois pursuit of pleasure.” — S.F. Examiner.
Deep Westurn, 1974, 6 min.; By Nelson, Wiley and Mike Henderson.
Hamlet Act, 1982, 20 min. Directed by Nelson, screenplay by Joe Chang. Docudrama style — Hamlet as a video camera-person.