The Painting

Movie
The Painting
NR 12 minMy Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure PosterPart of My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure
The Painting intercuts shots of traffic navigating the old-world remnants of downtown Bern, Switzerland, with details from a 15th-century altarpiece, “The Martyrdom of St. Hippolytus”. The Painting intercuts shots of traffic navigating the old-world remnants of downtown Bern, Switzerland, with details from a 15th-century altarpiece, “The Martyrdom of St. Hippolytus”. The painting shows the calm, near-naked saint in a peaceful landscape, a frozen moment before four horses tear his body to pieces while an audience of soigné nobles look on; in the movie’s revised version, Beavers gives it a comparably rarefied psychodramatic jolt, juxtaposing shots of Gregory Markopoulos, bisected by shafts of light, with a torn photo of himself and the recurring image of a shattered windowpane. (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice)
StarringGregory J. Markopoulos
DirectorRobert Beavers

Movie Details

Original Language:English

My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure

Avant-garde film by Robert Beavers. At first glance, this expression appears like a poetic riddle, but its practical relevance becomes quite obvious for those who see and hear the films. Beavers has worked extensively on re-editing his films to create the larger film cycle "My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure," a project started in 1968 and finished in 2002.