American Dreams / Landscape Suicide
For 40 years, James Benning has been a singular, defiant voice in the American independent film scene. This 2-disc set - the first in a planned series devoted to the filmmakers oeuvre - features two of Bennings seminal works from the mid-1980s for the first time ever on DVD: American Dreams (lost and found) is the filmmakers personal take on the history of the USA from 1954 to 1976, told through a complex and thought provoking amalgamation of image, text and sound. In Landscape Suicide, he effortlessly strides the boundaries of narrative and documentary forms as he recounts two infamous murder cases that took place almost 30 years apart. Both films are presented in newly restored versions.
"The performances of both actors, Rhonda Bell and Elian Sacker, are extraordinary achievements, and the chilling, evocative
landscapes have their own stories to tell, the fusion of the two creates gaps that not even the films confusing title
can fill, but the space opened up is at once powerful and provocative." (Cinema Scope)
"These are films designed to prompt contemplation, provoke debate and, as a result, to return to again and again." (The Digital Fix)
DVD 1:
American Dreams (lost and found); USA 1984
A film by James Benning; Original format: 16mm, color, 53 min
SD down-conversion from the digital restoration intermediate (3K)
sourced from the original 16mm reversal positive
DVD 2:
Landscape Suicide; USA 1986
A film by James Benning, Original format: 16mm, color, 92 min
HD transfer from a new 16mm preservation positive struck from the original 16mm A/B camera negative rolls
Institutional sales in North America are handled by Gartenberg Media Enterprises www.gartenbergmedia.com sales@gartenbergmedia.com




