Some of Rappaport's recurring themes are the more or less forgotten actors and actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Generally, the production of such video essays has grown exponentially in recent years, but where many others turn to star worship and simply re-dress the old films in new varnish, Rappaport breaks through the smooth surface to show how underlying conditions regarding politics and sexuality affect what appears on the screen.
In some of the essays, Rappaport uses the daring approach of putting words in the mouth of the subject in the form of a fictional, first-person commentary. This is an effective way to reveal contextual conditions - the biological individual becoming just one of these. And in this way, through meditative reflection, somewhere between fact and fiction, he shares wry views of art and society from previously unexplored perspectives.
In this programme, we get four fairly new video essays in this spirit. We are pleased to have Mark Rappaport present to introduce the films and to answer questions from the audience.
Print Source: Mark Rappaport, marrap@noos.fr |