Easy Rider

Easy Rider

2012 · 96 min · ★ 6.8 · Documentary

'After doing a re-make of John Cassevetes’ "Faces" [1968], I decided to re-make another American classic, Dennis Hopper’s "Easy Rider" [1969]. "Easy Rider" interests me in two ways: its portrayal of 60’s counterculture – unlike "Faces" which for me is more about the 50’s – and its search for place. I divided the original film into scenes (like I did with "Faces") and then replaced each scene with one shot filmed at the original location (unlike "Faces" where shots were gleaned from the original film itself). My "Easy Rider" tries to find today’s counter-culture (if one exists) by replacing the 60’s music with music that I listen to today.' ~ James Benning

Directed by James Benning · Written by James Benning

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Grand Opera: An Historical Romance

Grand Opera: An Historical Romance · 1979

Grand Opera: An Historical Romance

MovieDocumentary

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.

North on Evers

North on Evers · 1992

MovieDocumentary

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.

El Valley Centro

El Valley Centro · 2000

El Valley Centro

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.

Casting a Glance

Casting a Glance · 2007

Casting a Glance

MovieDocumentary

Casting a Glance is a tribute to the American artist Robert Smithson. Between May 15 2005 and January 14 2007, I made 16 trips to the Spiral Jetty. Created in 1970, the Jetty is a 1,500-foot long spiral-shaped jetty extending into the Great Salt Lake in Utah constructed from rocks, earth, salt and red algae.

Landscape Suicide

Landscape Suicide · 1987

Landscape Suicide

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.

Ten Skies

Ten Skies · 2004

MovieDocumentary

An experimental film portraying different skies in very long takes.

Sogobi

MovieDocumentary

Named after the Shoshonean word for "Earth", this is the third and final part of Benning's "California Trilogy" and his approach to the Californian wilderness in 35 static scenes.

Small Roads

Small Roads · 2011

MovieDocumentary

Lengthy static shots of various backroads, smaller interstates, quieter roads, and lonely highways.

Water Spell

Water Spell · 2007

"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

13 Lakes

13 Lakes · 2004

MovieDocumentary

Shots of 13 great lakes in the USA, with each shot containing half water and half sky or land.

20 Little Films

20 Little Films · 2012

20 Little Films

MovieDocumentary

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 Innocence

Used Innocence · 1989

MovieDocumentary

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.

O Panama

O Panama · 1985

O Panama features a man confined to his apartment on a winter day as he suffers through an illness. Built on the polarity between hot and cold, the tedious reality of the man's sickness and the vivid hallucinatory visions of his delirium, O Panama conveys the workings of the subconscious.

YouTube Trilogy: 4 Songs, History, Asian Girls

YouTube Trilogy: 4 Songs, History, Asian Girls · 2011

YouTube Trilogy: 4 Songs, History, Asian Girls

MovieDocumentary

Director James Benning turned his attention to the digital world in YouTube Trilogy, organizing found material around three thematic clusters.

I-94

Intercourse between two people who never appear on the screen at the same time. An exploration of sex and male/female identities.

She Dies Tomorrow

She Dies Tomorrow · 2020

She Dies Tomorrow

Amy is ravaged by the notion that she is going to die tomorrow, which sends her down a dizzying emotional spiral. When her skeptical friend Jane discovers Amy’s feeling of imminent death to be contagious, they both begin bizarre journeys through what might be the last day of their lives.

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