Film UbuWebJohn Cage (1912-1992)
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Birdcage - 73'20.958" for a Composer [John Cage] (1972)Directed by avantgarde writer, composer and theorist Hans G Helms for the German TV station WDR in 1972, this documentary about John Cage is apparently so rare that it doesn't even have an imdb entry, nor was I able to come up with any useful link to another site, sorry. The title refers both to Cage's composition "Bird Cage" and the so-called 'time-length pieces' of the 1950s; however for unfathomable reasons the film is only 57 minutes long; but it was broadcast this way.
Made on the occasion of Cage's 60th birthday, "Birdcage" shows the composer at the time of his most radical work. In the form of a collage, the film investigates Cage's music and philosophy, with a special emphasis on his thought about society. But of course we see Cage at work with the Cunningham troupe, performing his text compositions (with and without David Tudor), playing chess with Teeny Duchamp, and composing the electronic composition that gives the film its title. Most interesting perhaps is the sequence in which Cage discusses his work with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, both good friends of the composer. We also learn a bit about mushrooms, unsurprisingly.
[Note: as this was a German production, there is a voice-over in that language which partly obscures Cage's original words. Still, a large amount of his original words is left intact, and of course you can always enjoy the filmic collage and the musical performances even if you don't speak German.]
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