Saturday, January 31, 2009

Relative Time

Chronos, a 1985 film by Ron Fricke (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKfB4IARXYA), travels through time in a way I never can: time-lapse images sail through grand sites like the Grand Canyon and southwestern Native American land, Stonehenge and the Seine at night, through the Vatican and Pompeii, into the streets of New York City and the concourse of Grand Central Station, all accompanied by Vangelis music. About an hour in length, at times the film lingers on the seductive play of balletic light; at others, it roller-coasters, speeding up to match the rhythms of city.

The Netflix description says, "Prepare to be awestruck by this unique film that's unlike anything you've ever seen before." I was awestruck, as much by the beauty of nature and art and the light embracing both as I was by the inventiveness of the filmmaking. In fact, I'm going to watch it again and wonder.

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