Totem (1964)

15 Feb
Director  Ed Emshwiller
Producer  Grove Press Film Division, 1964. Made by Ed Emshwiller and Alwin Nikolais
Contributors  Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Gladys Bailyn, Phyllis Lamhut
Length  16 Mins
B&W/Color  Color
UO Library Catalog description: “Uses split-frame photography and superimposition of images to show a complex modern dance that was choreographed by Alwin Nikolais.”
Call # FILM Mb148
Genre  Experimental
Rare  Yes
Online  No
Copyright status  No
Physical condition  Fair
Oregon-related  No

Notes:

Director and photographer, Ed Emschwiller; choreographer, Alwin Nikolais; dance company, Alwin Nikolais Dance Company; dancers, Murray Louis, Gladys Bailyn, Phyllis Lamhut.

This film is a colorful depiction of the arts combined with cinematic trickery done by experimental filmmaker Ed Emshwiller who is known for his illustrative and innovative pursuits in experimental imagery. This film was made possible by a grant through the Ford Foundation in 1964 to Emshwiller, who was later inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame for his early work as a magazine cover illustrator.

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