The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes (1971)

Director:

Stan Brakhage

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot Keywords:

Punctuation In Title | Autopsy | Mondo Film | Apostrophe In Title | Exploitation

Runtime:

32 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Allegheny County Coroner's Office - 542 Fourth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Trivia:

In order to obtain entry to the morgue, Stan Brakhage had to agree that he would not show any of the faces of the deceased. Also, the film had to be approved by all the medical examiners who were captured on film.

Movie Connections:

Follows Eyes (1971)

A chilling deconstruction of the human form on film.

Shot by Mr. B in a busy metropoliton morgue. The recently deceased are prepared for embalming by technicians we barely see. Hands wearing rubber gloves open torsos with scalpels. Heads are opened and brains are removed. Real people are pulled apart and thrown away. Who were they? Who are we? Grainy 16mm color stock. Available light. Moderately long lenses. No sound. No music. Silence.