R. Bruce Elder
A Man Whose Life Was Full of Woe Has Been Surprised by Joy
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Add rightsFormat Interzone Blu-ray
Original format 16mm
Year 1997
Language(s) English
Artist(s) R. Bruce Elder
Running time 96 min
Description
A Man Whose Life Was Full of Woe Has Been Surprised By Joy explores the question of transformations – the transformation of images through collage and montage, history as transformation, eros as a transformative force, and, above all, the transformation of the self. The film rejects the inhumane technological order of modernity and seeks to re-establish the link between the body and the self.
Filmmaker R. Bruce Elder is one of Canada's most celebrated experimental directors and critics. His films have taken the form of the epic, in the manner of Pound. They are a profound exploration of history, philosophy and vision – qualities that led Jonas Mekas to call him "the most important North American avant-garde filmmaker to emerge during the 1980s."