JAMES BENNING

James Benning's films are among the most fascinating work in American cinema. Since the early 1970s, Benning has produced films that defy categories, but nevertheless echo major directions the avant-garde tradition has taken since 1945, including structural film and the 'New Narrative' movement. Benning explores the relationship between image, text and sound while paying expansive attention to the 'vernacular landscapes' of American life. His films offer a complex and idiosyncratic view of American politics and culture in the late twentieth century and beyond. This lavishly illustrated volume traces Benning's artistic career as well as his biographical journey through the USA, from Wisconsin to the East Coast to Southern California. It includes contributions by scholars and fellow artists, among them Julie Ault, Dick Hebdige, Scott MacDonald, Sharon Lockhart, Allan Sekula and Sadie Benning, as well as a comprehensive filmography.

Published by the Austrian Film Museum. 

March 2008
280 pages

978-3-901644-23-8 (pbk)

£15.99

£13.59 with 15% online discount add to basket

‘James Benning is an insightful, intimate portrait of a filmmaker and his practice. the book's unconventional approach and well-conceived execution serve its subject well.’
Verena Brunner-Sung, Senses of Cinema