Empire (1964 film)

Empire is an underground experimental film and documentary film by Andy Warhol. He was shot in the night from 25 to 26 June in 1964 in 16mm format. The first performance was by the Film-Makers ' Cinematheque on March 6, 1965 held at the City Hall Cinema ( Manhattan).

Content

The eight-hour black and white silent film shows unmoved perspective from the upper floors and the top of the Empire State Building in New York City at slumping evening darkness late into the night at 2:42 clock. Filmed from the office of Henry Romney on the 44th floor of the Time-Life Building. Cameraman was Jonas Mekas, co-director John Palmer. Although filmed with a Auricon sound film camera, Empire has been shown here without the recorded conversations between Warhol, Romney, Palmer, Mekas and Gerard Malanga.

Background

With 8 hours and 5 minutes, the running time of the film is longer than the real-time recording ( June 25, 1964, 20:06 clock until June 26, 1964, 02:42 clock ). This is due to that has been shot at 24 frames per second and the projection is performed at 16 frames per second.

The film was introduced, due to its length and because of its apparent uneventful international sensation. He is considered one of the most famous and infamous cinematic Warhol works. He was classified as " unansehbar ". This was of course from the very beginning under false pretenses. This is a work of conceptual art, not a feature film. Rather Empire is a (minimal passing by flying aircraft, a switched on and off lights in the houses moving ) paintings that stimulates the viewer to meditate on beauty and transience. He is art history in the tradition of vanitas and memento mori iconography.

According to Warhol, the intention of this film is to watch the " passage of time ". Because of this artistic intention abridged versions of the film have not been authorized.

Warhol's assistant at that time Gerard Malanga is the creation of the film quoted as saying that Warhol did not affect how the camera while shooting so well and this unit it had the artistic work should decrease.

In recognition of its cultural, historical or aesthetic value Empire registry was recorded in 2004 in the National Film.