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RR

RR

2007 · 115 min · ★ 7.0 · Documentary

Looping, chugging and barreling by, the trains in Benning's latest monumental film map a stunning topography and a history of American development. RR comes three decades after Benning and Bette Gordon made The United States of America (1975), a cinematic journey along the country’s interstates that is keenly aware “of superhighways and railroad tracks as American public symbols.” A political essay responding to the economic histories of trains as instruments in a culture of hyper-consumption, RR articulates its concern most explicitly when Eisenhower's military-industrial complex speech is heard as a mile long coal train passes through eastern Wyoming. Benning spent two and a half years collecting two hundred and sixteen shots of trains, forty-three of which appear in RR. The locomotives' varying colors, speeds, vectors, and reverberations are charged with visual thrills, romance and a nostalgia heightened by Benning's declaration that this will be his last work in 16mm film.

Directed by James Benning

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The United States of AmericaThe United States of America · 1975
The United States of America
★ 7.81975
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A conceptual bicentennial film dealing with spatial and temporal relationships between two travelers, their car, and the geographic, political, and social changes from NY to Los Angeles.
North on EversNorth on Evers · 1992
North on Evers
★ 7.51992
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In NORTH ON EVERS James Benning takes the road movie seriously, making his circular trip across the U.S. a marvelously photographed, intensely felt, and disturbing portrait of contemporary America. In many ways, this recent film is a departure of Benning’s earlier films which are characterized, at times, by extremely long, carefully planned takes and a minimal narrative approach. In NORTH ON EVERS, the shots are kept short with a narrative that is direct and detailed, like a diary or a long series of postcards to a friend. What this work shares with the other films is a dry wit and a deep interest in the American social landscape.
Grand Opera: An Historical RomanceGrand Opera: An Historical Romance · 1979
Grand Opera: An Historical Romance
★ 7.51979
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Grand Opera marks a stock-taking of Benning's work and his life, presenting a personal and artistic autobiography woven together with a series of events dealing with the historical development of the number pi, Benning's travels, and homages to Michael Snow, Hollis Frampton, George Landow (Owen Land), and Yvonne Rainer.
Landscape SuicideLandscape Suicide · 1987
Landscape Suicide
★ 7.41987
MovieCrimeDrama
Benning continues his examination of Americana in this film through the stories of two murderers. Ed Gein was a Wisconsin farmer and multiple murderer who taxidermied his victims in the 1950s. Bernadette Protti was a California teenager who stabbed a friend to death over an insult in 1984.
El Valley CentroEl Valley Centro · 2000
El Valley Centro
★ 7.42000
MovieDocumentary
Experimental filmmaker James Benning returns with this abstract documentary about California's Central Valley, part 1 of his "California Trilogy". Consisting of 35 shots, each over two minutes long, the film quietly portrays nature's subjugation to encroaching commercial interests. This film was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.
Ten SkiesTen Skies · 2004
Ten Skies
★ 7.22004
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An experimental film portraying different skies in very long takes.
One Way Boogie Woogie/27 Years LaterOne Way Boogie Woogie/27 Years Later · 2005
One Way Boogie Woogie/27 Years Later
★ 6.62005
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One half filmed in 1977, one half filmed 27 years later. Director combined the structural analysis of image and sound with fragments of a narrative interspersed with autobiographical traces and an almost "classical" interest in image composition, color, light and landscape.
RuhrRuhr · 2009
Ruhr
★ 6.62009
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Seven entirely static shots make up James Benning's quiet reflection on existence in the Ruhr Valley.
Water SpellWater Spell · 2007
Water Spell
★ 6.52007
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"Sandy Ding's WATER SPELL is a bold, abstract journey that takes us into the psychic interior of our very cellular structure... and back. For me, this film is about reincarnation and transformation, on both the spiritual and sub-atomic levels. This is not an easy film, but it is a powerful one."

--Nina Menkes
20 Little Films20 Little Films · 2012
20 Little Films
★ 6.02012
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Since 1995, the Viennale has invited renowned directors to create short, one-minute films as personal contributions to the festival. Ranging from home movies to political essays, musical sketches to abstract studies, these “little films” form a unique anthology of cinematic moments. 20 Little Films collects a selection of these works, premiering together for the Viennale’s 50th anniversary at the Locarno Film Festival.
Used InnocenceUsed Innocence · 1989
Used Innocence
★ 6.01989
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Using experimental narrative structure as his vehicle, Benning recreates the sensationalized and controversial circumstances surrounding Lorencia Bembenek, aka "Bambi", former "Playboy bunny" turned cop, turned accused and convicted killer who disappeared after a daring escape from prison. The film shows the evolution of Benning's and Bembenek's relationship presented through their actual letters read in voice over which depict the filmmaker's curiosity with the subject as it evolves from intrigue to a love obsession.
Spring EquinoxSpring Equinox · 2016
Spring Equinox
★ 6.02016
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Filmed in Sierra Nevada, California over one day. Static and still shots of the actual landscape and environments in the area.
Little BoyLittle Boy · 2025
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★ 6.02025
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A film looking at the past to warn about the future, from a little boy's point of view. A companion to ‘American Dreams (lost and found)’ (1984)
YouTube Trilogy: 4 Songs, History, Asian GirlsYouTube Trilogy: 4 Songs, History, Asian Girls · 2011
YouTube Trilogy: 4 Songs, History, Asian Girls
★ 5.72011
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Director James Benning turned his attention to the digital world in YouTube Trilogy, organizing found material around three thematic clusters.
The United States of AmericaThe United States of America · 2022
The United States of America
★ 5.52022
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A crisscross through the USA, carving it up into a series of static shots of just under two minutes, one for each state, presented alphabetically, from Heron Bay, Alabama to Kelly, Wyoming.
Santa Teresa & Other StoriesSanta Teresa & Other Stories · 2015
Santa Teresa & Other Stories
★ 5.42015
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In the fictional city of Santa Teresa, located on the border between Mexico and USA, the researcher Juan de Dios Martínez straddles the line between journalism and detective work. Based on an unfinished book by Roberto Bolaño, his character investigates a handful of crimes and abuses perpetrated on women and workers of the zone.

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