Glancing Outward
notes on the New Historicist Film
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51359/2763-8693.2025.264577Keywords:
avant-garde film, New Historicism, material culture, aestheticsAbstract
The purpose of this essay is to make some general observations about a recent development in avant-garde film and video that I will refer to as the emergence of the New Historicist Film. The goal is to describe certain affinities between a number of films and videos that refract themes common to avant-garde cinema through the prism of historical narrative. In particular, this essay will compare and contrast the works of four filmmakers — David Gatten, Rebecca Meyers, Deborah Stratman, and Erin Espelie — and my intention is to outline some of their shared thematic preoccupations, aesthetic predilections, and formal strategies.
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