A Moment in Love (1956)
I see Shirley Clarke really likes to screw around with the opacity a lot.
Very cleansing and meditative stuff. If you’re ever feeling a little under the weather or even unusually infuriated, turn on A Moment in Love. It’s as curing as flowing down a warm, gentle river… With a bunch of colors flashing back and forth cause…art?
Verdict: 3.5/5
Bridges-Go-Round (1958)
Review of Version 1
It’s either a synthetic POV from an alien looking out the window of his UFO…
Or a genuine statement on how aliens would probably feel gazing at the humongous structures that mankind has created. Spoilers, they could feel petrified.
Gets me freaked out and stoned at the same time. Two for the price of one; good job, Clarke.
The jazz (2nd) version of this short is quite the perspective changer. Really makes you realize how detrimental music is to film.
Verdict: 3.5/5
Butterfly (1967)
Peace and love, peace and love, man.
And, weed. Oh yeah, you should take lots of it watching this. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and…
Can we proclaim “color-spasm” as a genre now thanks to Shirley Clarke?
Verdict: 3.5/5
The Quintessential Short Films
These Short Films are Now Available to Stream on The Criterion Channel.
Burning the Celluloid 
Published by