Synopsis
Film as a Subversive Art is a documentary film about Amos Vogel. He was the man who founded the membership cinema club ‘Cinema 16’ in 1947. The film begins with two persons - as if trying to bring back memories of Dadaist Hans Lichter’s chess film made in the US, 8*8 - playing chess. Perhaps one can find similarities between Hans Licther and Amos Vogel. Both fled to the United States to escape Nazism, and whereas German born Hans Lichter made experimental films in the US, Austrian born Amos Vogel worked for experimental film distribution. Vogel crosses a crosswalk, which looks like a chessboard. He then sits at a park bench and starts to read. Then we see the statute of Liberty (which came from France), and we get the feeling that European culture has found refuge in America. The film begins with Vogel’s childhood memories. He starts to recount his old memories. Paul Cronin objectifies Cinema 16 through the narration of Scott McDonald instead of using his own voice. Cinema16 was one of most important movements that led to the birth of American independent and experimental films. The movement was an alternative to the American cinema dominated by highly polished films. Its influence can be still felt to this day. The film leaves two questions: First, even though the film is about ‘film as a subversive art,’ the film itself is not subversive. Second, the film does not concern itself with what the movement means in today’s environment. With the news that Seoul Art Cinema will be closing very soon, one cannot stop but wonder when Korea will have its own Cinema16. (PARK Dong-hyu