Screening Room with Hillary Harris
From the Screening Room series
by Robert Gardner
color, two DVDs, 75 min/76 min, 1973 & 1979/2005
institutional price includes public performance rights
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In March 1973, Hilary Harris visited Screening Room to screen and discuss films such as Longhorns, Highway, and Seawards the Great Ships, as well as footage from a work-in-progress about New York City. Hilary Harris returned to Screening Room in January 1979 to screen and discuss his film, Organism, as well as an excerpt from The Nuer. He also demonstrated his sound mixer and image generator designs.
Over the years, the work of Oscar-winning filmmaker Hilary Harris moved steadily from abstraction to social commentary. In answer to his question, "Why make films at all?" he responds, "To give a richer vision of surrounding reality. My aim is to lift people out of their preconceptions." His pioneering films include Longhorns, Highway, Seawards the Great Ships, Organism, The Nuer, and Nine Variations on a Dance Theme. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, he lectured extensively, taught film editing, designed filmmaking and sound mixing equipment, and practiced sculpture.
"...Hilary Harris was one of the great cameramen of cinema..." — Jonas MekasAbout the Screening Room series
In the early 1970s a group of idealistic artists, lawyers, doctors and teachers saw an opportunity to change commercial television in Boston and the surrounding area. It would require years of litigation up to and including the Supreme Court, but the case was won and the Channel 5 license was given to WCVB-TV. Screening Room was one of several programs offered in an effort to provide alternative television viewing. The idea behind Screening Room was to give independent filmmakers an opportunity to discuss their work and show it to a large urban audience. Nearly 100 ninety-minute programs were produced and aired between 1973 and 1980.
Screening Room was developed and hosted by filmmaker Robert Gardner, who at the time, was Director of Harvard's Visual Arts Center and Chairman of its Visual and Environmental Studies Department. His own films include Dead Birds (1964), and Forest of Bliss (1986).
Other films from the Screening Room series
Alan Lomax
Caroline Leaf and Mary Beams
Derek Lamb
Ed Emshwiller
Emile de Antonio
George Griffin
Hollis Frampton
Jean Rouch
Jonas Mekas
Les Blank
Michael Snow
Peter Hutton
Ricky Leacock
Robert Breer
Robert Fulton
Standish Lawder & Stanley Cavell
Suzan Pitt
Yvonne Rainer