Bodysong (2003)
Part of the Artist Films: The Invisible And The Real
| Director: | Simon Pummell |
|---|---|
| Certificate: | Guideline 18 |
| Length: | |
| Format: | Unknown |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | UK |
‘A beautiful, hypnotic experience that will show all audiences something they have never seen before.
Even the most hardened cynic will be filled with a sense of wonder about human existence.' - EMPIRE MAGAZINE
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/events/123806554462065/
Archival + Found Footage from Birth to Death
Simon Pummell’s remarkable film recalls Bill Morrison’s Decasia (2002) in its astonishing accumulation of archive material, arranged here to evoke the entire process of life, from birth to death by way of love, violence, religion and so on.
Pummell’s range of sources – found footage, medical films, video diaries, etc. – is a marvel in itself, but the film’s lasting strength is its affirming presentation of human togetherness across a culturally diverse planet and a century’s worth of moving images. This is a rich and compassionate piece.
Music by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood
The entire film has no dialogue, and is set to a score composed by Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead). The Bodysong soundtrack album was Greenwood's first solo release.
You can watch an extract of the film, with JOnny Greenwood's music, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqeFn0kOuXM
Awards
2004
Interactive BAFTA (British Academy Award for the www.bodysong.com to partner the film)
2004
Best Feature at The Focal International Awards
2004
Ivor Novello Nomination 2004 for the soundtrack
2003
Best Documentary Feature British Independent Film Awards
2003
International Film Festival Rotterdam Nomination Tiger Awards
REVIEWS
“Moving, scary and hypnotic. Bodysong is pretty out there and pretty special.” – FILMMAKER PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON (‘There Will Be Blood’, The Master’)
"A beautiful, hypnotic experience that will show all audiences something they have never seen before. Even the most hardened cynic will be filled with a sense of wonder about human existence." - EMPIRE MAGAZINE
"Bodysong is an oddity; even though it focuses on the physical, the lasting impression is emotional, one that grows even after the film has finished." - FILM 4
“Extraordinary movie… a powerful and prodigious achievement.” – UNCUT
"An impressive compilation film' a unique labour of love‚ a dazzling natural ballet." Variety
DESCRIPTION OF THE FILM FROM THE ARTIST'S WEBSITE
"The editing, music, and the mythic narrative arc of the material is designed to take the viewer on a roller coaster tour of the human body and life cycle. Every possible depiction of the human life from microscopic medical to portraits and newsreels, from births to deaths, are cut to a music track by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead to create a mythic narrative of the arc of a single life."
TICKETS
On the door: £5 / £3.50 (concessions)
Or advance tickets online: £4.50 and £3 (concessions) http://www.wegottickets.com/event/204683
Other films in the Artist Films: The Invisible And The Real:
15
Film: Andy Warhol's Screen Tests (1964-1966) + Live Musical Score By Hapsburg Braganza
15 Feb 2013, 7:30 p.m.
A selection of Screen Tests, pop art legend Andy Warhol’s fascinating series of moving-image portraits, shot over three years in his famous New York studio, The Factory.
21
Film: Fishtank (1998) + Short Film: Sunday (2009)
21 Feb 2013, 7:30 p.m.
This double bill brings together works from two distinct British artists whose body of work also includes photography.
07
Film: An Evening Of Nicolas Provost Shorts (2002-2011)
7 Mar 2013, 7:30 p.m.
“The most beautiful thing I discovered is the fine line between fiction and reality. The moment in which the audience asks themselves ‘is this real or is this fiction? ” – NICOLAS PROVOST
14
Film: Our Daily Bread (2005)
14 Mar 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Award-scooping documentary Our Daily Bread is a highly impressive look at the mechanised process of food production.
24
Film: The Arbor (2010) + Short: The Girl Chewing Gum (1976)
24 Mar 2013, 7:30 p.m.
The perceived and the actual are at odds in this double-bill conclusion to our Real and the Invisible film season.