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The Curtis Harrington short film collection
Title
The Curtis Harrington short film collection / Flicker Alley [presents] ; film[s] by Curtis Harrington.
ISBN
1893967794
9781893967793
Edition
Deluxe combo Blu-ray/DVD ed.
Published
[Los Angeles, Calif.] : Flicker Alley ; [Chicago, Il.] : Drag City, Inc., ©2013.
Physical Description
2 videodiscs (100 min.) : sound, black and white, color ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 booklet (27 pages ; illustrations ; 15 cm)
Medium
4 3/4 in.
Notes
Collection includes feature (100 min.) in two media versions: DVD and Blu-ray disc.
Title from container.
DVD/Blu-ray release date: July 2013.
"From the Academy Film Archive collection."--Disc surface.
Includes illustrated booklet (27 p. ; ill.) with an essay by Lisa Janssen and film notes by Mark Toscano.
Bonus features include two films The four elements (1966), an avant-garde documentary Harrington made for the U.S. Information Agency, and The fall of the house of Usher (1942), the original film made by Harrington when was in high school (from which Usher is based); a short interview shot (22 min.) by filmmakers Tyler Hubby and Jeffrey Schwarz, who are responsible for the documentary House of Harrington (2009); 2003 interview (43 min.) with Harrington conducted by Rani Singh and Michael Friend for the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles; an enclosed booklet contains notes on restorations by Academy Film Archive preservationist Mark Toscano and an essay by Lisa Janssen.
Fragment of seeking (1946 ; 16 min.), Picnic (1948 ; 22 min.), On the edge (1949 ; 6 min.): short, b & w, written and directed by Curtis Harrington.
The Assignation (1953 ; 8 min.), The Wormwood Star (1955 ; 10 min.): short, color, written and directed by Curtis Harrington.
Usher (2002 ; 38 min.): short, color, written and directed by Curtis Harrington; based on the short story The fall of the house of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe.
Summary
A collection of Curtis Harrington shorts that he wrote, directed, and occasionally starred in. The films are generally silent, strange, moody, and metaphorical.
Fragment of seeking: Harrington plays a young man desperately seeking out the fleeting image of a female companion, and though he never quite catches her, he discovers much more through the surreal explorations of his own sexuality.
Picnic: Beginning in the reality of American middle-class life, Picnic portrays the idealistic dream-quest of the protagonist, from which he is finally cast off. Harrington himself described the film thus: "A satirical comment on middle-class life frames a dream-like continuity in which the protagonist pursues an illusory object of desire."
On the edge: In this poetic fantasy, set against a dark industrial landscape, Harrington casts his own mother and father in the lead roles.
The Assignation: Long considered lost, this was Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and not unlike Fragment of seeking, follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.
The Wormwood Star: A film study of the artwork of famed painter Majorie Cameron.
Usher: Director's final film, Usher is a remake of the original film made by Harrington when was in high school, and based on the classic Edgar Allan Poe story "The fall of the house of Usher."
Variant and related titles
Container title: 3 films by Curtis Harrington, American avant-garde film producer
Fragment of seeking.
Picnic.
On the edge.
Assignation.
Wormwood Star.
Usher.
Fall of the house of Usher.
Four elements.
Format
Images / Video & Film
Language
English
Added to Catalog
February 22, 2018
Credits
Fragment of seeking (1946 ; 16 min.), Picnic (1948 ; 22 min.), On the edge (1949 ; 6 min.): short, b & w, written and directed by Curtis Harrington.
The Assignation (1953 ; 8 min.), The Wormwood Star (1955 ; 10 min.): short, color, written and directed by Curtis Harrington.
Usher (2002 ; 38 min.): short, color, written and directed by Curtis Harrington; based on the short story The fall of the house of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe.
Cast
Curtis Harrington, Sean Nepita, Fabrice Uzan.
System details note
DVD: NTSC, region 0 (all regions); aspect ratio: 1.33:1 and 1.78:1; mono sound format.
Blu-ray disc: A, B, C regions; aspect ratio: 1.33:1 and 1.78:1; mono sound format; requires Blu-ray player.
Contents
Fragment of Seeking / Curtis Harrington (1946, 16 min.)
Picnic / Curtis Harrington (1948, 22 min.)
On the Edge / Curtis Harrington (1949, 6 min.)
Assignation, The / Curtis Harrington (1953, 8 min.)
Wormwood Star, The / Curtis Harrington (1955, 10 min.)
Usher / Curtis Harrington (2002, 38 min.)
Fall of the House of Usher, The / Curtis Harrington (1942)
Four Elements, The / Curtis Harrington (1966).
Videorecording number
FA0030 Flicker Alley (set)
FA0030-1 Flicker Alley (Blu-ray disc)
FA0030-2 Flicker Alley (DVD)
Subjects
Genre/Form
Drama.
Experimental films.
Fiction films.
Horror films.
Low budget films.
Short films.
Horror films.
Short films.
Experimental films.
Low budget films.
Fiction films.
Also listed under
Drag City (Firm), film distributor.
Flicker Alley (Firm), production company.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Film Archive, sponsoring body.
Bookmark As
Citation
