Grand Opera | O Panama

In James Benning's Grand Opera. An Historical Romance (1979) the static landscapes and cityscapes that made his name by the  late 1970s are augmented with a number of experiments with established forms and conventions and a brief homage to four icons of the avant-garde: Hollis Frampton, George Landow, Yvonne Rainer, and Michael Snow. What distinguishes Grand Opera and sets it apart from Benning's previous work is the  film's engagement with history – both the filmmaker's personal biography as well as that of cinema. O Panama (1985) is Benning's only film based on fictional material (a collage of three short stories written by Burt Barr). The film resembles a sick man's (Willem Dafoe) fever dream, deftly blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. 

Edition Filmmuseum 122
1st edition: 2021
Edited by: Austrian Film Museum
Grand Opera. An Historical Romance (USA 1979, James Benning) 81 min. With: Hollis Frampton, George Landow, Yvonne Rainer, Michael Snow | O Panama (USA 1985, James Benning, Burt Barr) 27 min. With: Willem Dafoe
 
Language: English OV (Subtitles: German); No dialogue
All Regions, 4:3 PAL
20-page booklet with two conversations between James Benning and Neil Young in English ("James Benning's Life (Of pi). Grand Opera. An Historical Romance" and "A Man, a Plan. O Panama") and an essay by Barbara Pichler ("Grand Opera - An Iconography of the Midwest") in German and English.
 
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