This early work belongs in the company of Paik and Yalkut's classic collaborative "video-films," including Video Tape Study No. 3, Beatles Electronique, and Missa of Zen. To the accompaniment of the abrupt sonic interjections of Fluxus-affiliated composer Takehisa Kosugi, Yalkut's black and white film records brief, masked actions: an arm with clenching fist; a pair of faces, visible only about the eyes, which squint, gaze, and rest; Paik eating a slice of bread. Reminiscent of Beckett's theater, as well as the minimal movements of 1960s avant-garde dance, Cinéma Metaphysique is a study in gesture and stillness, noise and silence.
Nam June Paik
Director
Jud Yalkut
Director
Brats67%
Metallica: Cliff 'Em All77%
The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer69%
Qwerty60%
A Fan's Guide to Ms. Marvel70%
Alice in Wonderland60%
Destino71%
Koyaanisqatsi79%
Anima Mundi67%
The Director and the Jedi72%
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One69%
End Game71%
Alternative Math69%
Very Nice, Very Nice60%
Jodorowsky's Dune78%
The Cowboy and the Frenchman60%
The Velvet Underground67%
A Day's Pleasure62%
Powaqqatsi72%
Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall81%
