GAZWRX : The Films of Jeff Keen

Jeff Keen's unique and imaginative cinema has survived the diverse scenes in which it developed: the counterculture of the '60s, punk and beyond.

Making works of immediate power and raw intensity on a range of film stocks (though he always preferred 8mm: more contentious, more disposable, less marketable), this World War II veteran, self-taught artist and pioneer of radical British independent cinema continues to defy categorization. The more than forty films presented here are drawn from the various phases of Keen's output, and reveal the astonishing, tireless talent of a unique individual unafraid to tackle sex and war, or experiment with multi-screen presentations, visceral soundtracks and brutal animation techniques.

Truly inspired and inspiring, this collection is a testament to the irrepressible force that is Jeff Keen.

"The films in this set are framed in 1.33: (and close to 2.35:1 for the twin-screens). The excellent HD transfer emphasises the grain of the films, but also, importantly, the dirt, and the various postproduction manipulations. A four DVD boxset of Keen's films.  The first disc includes early 16mm films, such as Cineblatz (1967), Rayday Film (1968-70 and 1976) and Dr G’s home movies, including The Cartoon Theatre of Dr Gaz (1976-9), and White Dust (1972). The second DVD includes Super 8mm and 16mm films such as Keen’s Family Star diary films, Self Portrait films and Artwar Super 8 films of the 1990s. The third DVD features more early 8mm films such as Wail (1960), Breakout (1962), Instant Camera (1964-5 and 2007) and The Pink Auto (1964). This disc also features Family Star Continued (The Mutt & Jeff Icecream Sundae + Mothman) and Self Portrait Continued (Spontaneous Combustion). The fourth DVD contains Keen's video works - Rayday Videos, Artwar Videos, and an informative documentary, Jeff Keen Films (1983), which shows the artist at work in Brighton.

The box set also features a beautifully designed and illustrated 96-page booklet including written contributions from Jack Sargeant, Tony Rayns, Raymond Durgnat and Keen himself. This collection is highly recommended."

-Paul Newland, Viewfinder Magazine

TECHNICAL INFO
Editor: BFI
Running time: 585 mins approx.
Director(s): Jeff Keen
Language of Subtitles: English for the Hard of Hearing
Main Language: English
Number of Discs: 4
Region: 2
Brand: BFI