Film as a Subversive Art

by Amos Vogel

A classic returns. The original edition of Amos Vogel's seminal book, Film as a Subversive Art was first published in 1974, and has been out of print since 1987. According to Vogel--founder of Cinema 16, North America's legendary film society--the book details the "accelerating worldwide trend toward a more liberated cinema, in which subjects and forms hitherto considered unthinkable or forbidden are boldly explored." So ahead of his time was Vogel that the ideas that he penned some 30 years ago are still relevant today, and readily accessible in this classic volume. Accompanied by over 300 rare film stills, Film as a Subversive Art analyzes how aesthetic, sexual, and ideological subversives use one of the most powerful art forms of our day to exchange or manipulate our conscious and unconscious, demystify visual taboos, destroy dated cinematic forms, and undermine existing value systems and institutions. This subversion of form, as well as of content, is placed within the context of the contemporary world view of science, philosophy, and modern art, and is illuminated by a detailed examination of over 500 films, including many banned, rarely seen, or never released works.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Art, History, Media Tie In, Philosophy, Politics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[hayatem · Rating 5 out of 5]

"يبدأ الهدم أو التدمير في السينما عندما تغمر العتمة صالة السينما، و ينبجس الضوء من سطح الشاشة. إنها نقطة الانطلاق في مسيرة التدمير الطويلة والشاقة، حيث تصبح السينما هنا ميدان سحر تتحد في العوامل السيكولوجية والبيئية لخلق أفق مفتوح أمام الدهشة و الإيحاء، ولتحرير العقل الباطن. إنها الموضع المقدس حيث الطقوس العصرية المتأصلة داخل ذاكرة تمتد جذورها إلى ماضٍ سحيق ورغبات كامنة تحت نطاق الوعي، تُمارس في الظلام وبمعزل عن العالم الخارجي ."

يقرأ فوغل السينما بلغة نقدية مفاهيمية مغايرة عن المعتاد؛ بل يخلق فن قرائي جديد للسينما بمدارسها المختلفة. ‫ مرتكزاً أو مؤسساً لسيل الوعي بلغة السينما، و فن السرد.‬
في مزاوجة بارعة للمركبات السينمائية والسيكولوجية والفنية؛ يهدم، يفكك، يحلل ويفسر، كما يعيد تكوين الفيلم "الصورة السينمائية." في محاولة لاستشفاف واكتشاف طبيعة السينما.

مقدماً الصور والتفاصيل الدقيقة التي يمكن للقارئ التعويل عليها لفهم الأعمال السينمائية بطبيعتها المختلفة والكابوسية. بنظرة بانورامية تدميرية، بآثارها الفكرية الأنثروبولوجية،
والفلسفية الحسية، والسياسية .

"كل عمل فني إبداعي لا يتصالح مع الماضي هو جوهرياً تدميري. باستخدام شكل ومضمون جديدين فإنه يناقض القديم، ويخدم كقوة دينامية -على نحو أزلي- في عملية التغيير. التدمير لا يتوقف عند نقطة معينة، ولا يستريح عند محطة ما كي يحصل مكاسبه. إنه في حركة دائمة وفعل مستمر. الفنان يلغي نفسه في اللحظة التي يقتنع فيها بأنه حقق انتصاره وأن الأوان قد حان لأن يلتقط أنفاسه. هو يصبح عندئذ قديماً ومنتهياً."

الغرض الأساسي للسينما التدميرية ، هو تدمير الوعي الحالي و خلق وعي جديد.

" إن مونولوج ماكبث الداخلي، حول ضآلة الحياة الإنسانية وتفاهتها، قد ترجم أول تحول في عصرنا إلى شكوى كونية تبثها إحدى روايات ( أولاف ستابليتون) التي تنتمي إلى الخيال العلمي والتي تنقلنا إلى حضارات أخرى يزخر بها الكون من خلال رحلة خيالية ."

هي دعوة للتحرر من قيود الماضي بكياناته وخلق وعي جديد بكيان متجدد لا يركن لنقطة ما بل يتحرر حتى من قيود الزمن!

آموس فوغل ناقد ثائر مرعب وخطير !
كتاب سينمائي عظيم! عظيم جداً!!

[Mala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review pending. I'm looking at more than 40 pages of notes & wondering where/how I'm gonna fit that into the review space!
But do read the book ( & more importantly watch the movies) — it's very well-researched & engagingly written. As far as I'm concerned, this book could go on forever!
It's really crying for a sequel. Perhaps Mr. Žižek would oblige!

[James Blake]

There's a lot of thought-provoking arguments and analysis Vogel makes when examining a lot of films that exist on the fringe of cinema, both heavily artistic and exploitative. He harps on the merits of well-established art films, bringing a new perspective of how they challenge cinema and the audience's ideas, but mostly focues on a lot of elusive and under-seen films. There are certainly many gems to be found, but probably as many duds as Vogel's conception of subversion and philosophy of cinema as a political tool becomes more important than the merits of the films themselves at some point.

I think he falls into the trap of thinking breaking taboos for the sake of breaking taboos is justifiable, and that which can be filmed and represented should manifest itself. This sort of radical, all-encompassing view of cinema is a cinema without ethics, or at least a cinema where the only ethic is to strip and expose everything for its own sake. Vogel dreams of a cinema without boundaries or taboos, ignoring most great art arises because of those limitations imposed by society, censorship and a sense of personal decency. Hence Vogel ultimately deludes and muddles subversion with shock value.

[Erik F.]

I skimmed through this several years ago, writing down many names and titles; at that point in my life it was very eye-opening, as I was just beginning to expand my cinematic horizons into the sometimes twisted/sometimes ridiculous/sometimes transcendent realm of experimental/avant-garde/non-narrative filmmaking (if you think that Kenneth Anger's and Stan Brakhage's work is the extent of it, then you really need to read this!). In this Internet-driven era, with no shortage of movie-related sites and online video streaming, it probably won't be too difficult to find and watch even the most obscure films discussed in this book. Though it was first published more than a quarter of a century ago, meaning new directors and developments since then are not covered (obviously), it's still a seminal and intriguing work in this area of film studies.

[Stacy Pershall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book! I first bought it out of the $1 bin at the bookstore where I worked in grad school, then later paid way more than that for a replacement copy, as it was out of print. I'm so thrilled to see that it's back in print! I learned about my favorite film, Allan King's "Warrendale," because of this book. It's one of my major life goals to someday see every movie Vogel included. An absolute must for anyone who likes cinema to challenge you and make you think. I'd give it more stars if I could!

[Distress Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world's greatest Netflix list.

[M.D. Perkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amos Vogel’s classic love letter to cinematic subversion—albeit a very specifically quaint mid-century modernist brand of subversion—is not without a handful of charms but certainly cannot sustain the weight of its own baseless presuppositions. Vogel dreams of a cinema that changes the world and then fills his book with often cloying capsules of mostly lost films that are shipwrecked somewhere in the late-60s avant-garde scene. The most interesting and helpful summaries are films that have gained some lasting relevance today, either filmmakers known on the world scene—such as Herzog, Godard, Tarkovsky, Oshima, or Jansco—or films that just sound interesting because of story or national background. But really, the list of interest is quite small considering the scope and structure of the book.

I fundamentally disagree with Vogel at multiple points and find his insistence upon subversion as the highest artistic good to be foolishly untenable. Of course, what he wants subverted are sexual norms, political conservatism, capitalism, social etiquette and good taste—revealing a moral bankruptcy that ends up praising something like Otto Muehl’s violently pornographic transgressions that are as out-dated as they are defilingly disgusting. One imagines a humorous scenario where an argument breaks out extolling the merits of a contemporary blockbuster for subverting the subvertors.

It is a startling reminder of the infinite feedback loop that is the academic appraisal of the avant-garde—a movement that now seems so antiquated as to be obsolete. Even the genuinely great filmmakers of the AG such as Michael Snow or Stan Brakhage are only appreciated in the structural sense that they reveal the apparatus of filmmaking instead of the visceral impact that a viewer may have with those works, as self-distancing as they may be.

I find Vogel has shockingly little to give me at this point in my life. He is a man groping desperately for significance with no justifiable reason to desire it, no purpose in achieving it, and no hope in sustaining it. Maybe it’s just an elaborate ruse to give his life meaning and purpose—or, at the very least, employment. Either way, it comes off as peak entitlement wrapped up in an antiquated shell trying to praise the works of the cutting edge that now find themselves even more hopelessly irrelevant than when a handful or rich New Yorkers were sharing gasps over wine and cheese in an art gallery in the late 1960s.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Criticism will always be totally unnecessary but discussion of broad trends and important works will always be valuable so idk

[Tentatively, Convenience · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the title of this was enuf to make me want to read it for a long time - but it took me a long time to get around to it. Any bk w/ this as a basic premise is likely to appeal to me. The cover image is from Makavajev's "WR". This is mostly capsule reviews so it's not as in-depth as it cd be but WHAT A SELECTION! These are probably the movies nearest & dearest to me.

[Steven Godin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite rightly down as a seminal work, this book is the film connoisseur's wet dream. Especially when it comes to those weird forbidden fruits, and the European avant-garde scene. Whilst I have nothing against mainstream cinema, it's what lies beyond its borders that interests me far more. And this ticked all the boxes.

[Enxhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fresh, down-to-earth book that not only provides a compelling and well-researched list of subversive films from around the world (or at least it tries to do so), but also weaves in a thorough analysis of the 20th-century cultural climate. If I had to structure a series of lectures on Cinema and Countercultures, this filmography and its discussion topics would definitely be my go-to starting point.

[Zac Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I’m very excited to catch up with the 100+ recs that stuck out to me while reading this, it was definitely one of the harder books for me to finish / digest due to the academic style of writing and endless barrage of examples of subversive cinema. According to GR, I started this a year ago to the day, a telling sign that I’ll probably be avoiding indexes like this in the future (although it’s already been well worth the read based on a couple of the films I’ve watched from it so far - Horse Feathers and Innocence Unprotected chief among them)

https://boxd.it/BpIru

[Guillem BG]

P

[awwsalah · Rating 2 out of 5]

well. kind of wasted my time. it's not whatbi expected to it be

[Fatema J · Rating 5 out of 5]

أنهيت هذا الكتاب في يوم واحد، كتاب توثيقي شيّق بقدر ما هو صادم ومُوتِر، يناقش فيه فوغل طبيعة السينما التدميرية ودورها في كسر تابوات مجتمعية عديدة كتابوات الجنس والموت. ألحق فوغل قائمة طويلة من الأفلام التي تستحق المطالعة والتي قد تجبرنا على إعادة نظرنا في الكثير من مفاهيمنا المجتمعية بغض النظر عن حساسيتها. هذا كتاب مرجعي مهم لمحبي الفن والسينما وهو بلا شك جدير بالقراءة.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

a classic - i paid $200 for this book back in the day. i do not regret it, but much, much cheaper copies are now available. ah well. it's still special to *me*

[Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit dated.

But I loved the film stills & descriptions of random Russian socialist films.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent reference book to have!

[Amlux · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could force the entire world to read just one book, I’m not sure I wouldn’t pick this one.

[Max Hechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the most indispensable film reference guides in existence. I probably have learned more about underground film from perusing this book than any other guide.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subversive can sometimes mean different things to different people. What I find subversive isn't necessarily what you would find subversive. To Amos Vogel, it means anything that goes against the ruling class, whether that be the Catholic church, the government of whatever country you're in, or the rules of editing. And, the more something is subverted, the more it changes. Therefore, anything that is subversive today will be subverted tomorrow.

Vogel has collected a ton of films that subvert something. From Eisentstein and those editors to a pornographic film with an actual plot and character arcs. The book originally came out in 1974, so it's a bit behind the times, but that doesn't matter. It's still a fascinating look into films around the world that someone found "dangerous" in some way.

I had never even heard of this book a couple of months ago. Now I've read it and am going to try to see a bunch of the films. They're mostly easier to find now than they were nearly 50 years ago (ouch...my age). In fact, a lot of the shorts are on YouTube or some other online venue. But there are still a few that aren't easy to come by. Naturally, those are the most interesting ones.

[Andrew Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

While tracking down some of these movies will be a quest on its own - remember, interlibrary loan is your friend - the experience of the book itself will be enough to keep you going. Vogel's introductions and captions are excellent as is the intriguing choice of film stills. Thanks to the British film label Second Run there were a good number of the Czech New Wave movies that I was able to watch finally. While it's sadly out of print - again, hit up the local library for an interlibrary loan request - Vogel's work and the availability of these movies elsewhere is quite the gift. A valuable companion volume would be Hoberman and Rosenbaum's Midnight Movies. Rest in peace, Vogel and yes you too VHS.

[J K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vogel, as founder of the avant-garde group Cinema 16, was able to such a wide range of short and feature films in his lifetime. If you are a fan of movies, this text is essential. Many of the films in the book are still subversive to this day. Expand your taste and keep a checklist of the movies mentioned here that you have seen. In addition to the great selection, he has a great collection of stills as well.

[Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book thinking that I should watch more movies (the ones mentioned in it) so I can understand it, but actually I didn’t have to because most of these movies are more of surreal or chaotic or just lost and can’t be watched … but the book is really good, it can explain a lot of movies that r too surreal or too complicated to be understood

So if someone is interested in surreal movies and wants to know what’s behind them this book is for u

[لؤى طارق · Rating 4 out of 5]

من أفضل الكتب الي قريتها عن السينما، بيتناول السينما من منظور إنها فن تدميري هادِم لكل الكليشيهات و التابوهات الي البشرية اتعودتْ على وجودها حتى القرن ال20 إلي بدأت فيه ولادة السينما و تشكُلها كأهم فن معاصر.

أنصح بيه لكل مُحِب للفن الأهم في العصر الحديث ألا و هو السينما :'D

[Hector Benita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Increíble y metódico estudio sobre la subversión, el lenguaje visual y cómo el cine es una herramienta política, tanto en un sentido prácticamente coercitivo como liberador.

[Regan Rigolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read looking at the ways artists Subvert taboos and classical filmmaking to innovate and break down societal taboos. May get a bit redundant at times but nonetheless fundamental

[Adnan Al-monawis · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب عظيم...ومرجع مهم

[Hero Wings · Rating 5 out of 5]

‎كتاب بمثابة كنز لعشاق افلام للأسف قليل من افلام المذكوره غير متوفر في قاعدة البيانات و فلم
‎يفوز بقلبي la jetée

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is, and forever will be essential, "...for the subject of this book is human freedom, and its guardians, at all times and under all conditions, are the subversives."