The Cremaster Cycle

The Cremaster Cycle
Matthew Barney's 'Field Emblem' which is a recurrent motif in all five films
Directed byMatthew Barney
Written byMatthew Barney
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Strietmann
Edited by
  • Karen Heyson (Part 1)
  • Mike Buday (Part 2)
  • Toshi Onuki (Part 5)
Music byJonathan Bepler
Distributed byPalm Pictures
Release date
1994–2002
Running time
398 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages

The Cremaster Cycle is a series of five feature-length films, together with related sculptures, photographs, drawings, and artist's books, created by American visual artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney.

The Cremaster Cycle was made over a period of eight years (1994–2002) and culminated in a major museum exhibition organized by Nancy Spector of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, which traveled to the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and the Musée d'art Moderne in Paris from 2002-03. Barney's longtime collaborator Jonathan Bepler composed and arranged the soundtracks for the films.[1] The series incorporates a multidisciplinary narrative that heavily references connections between real people, real places and real things personal to Barney himself, but are all fictionalized to some extent.

Overview

Guggenheim Museum curator Nancy Spector has described the Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002) as "a self-enclosed aesthetic system."[2] The cycle includes the films as well as photographs, drawings, sculptures, and installations the artist produced in conjunction with each episode. Its conceptual departure point is the male cremaster muscle, the primary function of which is to raise and lower the testicles in response to temperature. The project is filled with anatomical allusions to the position of the reproductive organs during the embryonic process of sexual differentiation: Cremaster 1 represents the most "ascended" or undifferentiated state, Cremaster 5 the most "descended" or differentiated. The cycle repeatedly returns to those moments during early sexual development in which the outcome of the process is still unknown — in Barney's metaphoric universe, these moments represent a condition of pure potentiality. As the cycle evolved over eight years, Barney looked beyond biology as a way to explore the creation of form, employing narrative models from other realms, such as biography, mythology, and geology. Barney portrays, at various points, a satyr and Gary Gilmore. Ursula Andress portrays the Queen of Chain in Cremaster 5. Norman Mailer, Patty Griffin, and Dave Lombardo portray Harry Houdini, Nicole Baker, and Johnny Cash respectively in Cremaster 2. Richard Serra, Aimee Mullins, and Mike Bocchetti portray Hiram Abiff, Sadhbh, and the Grandmaster respectively, in Cremaster 3.

Numerical and thematic chronology

4 1994
1 1995
5 1997
2 1999
3 2002
production order of the films,
compared with numerical order

While thematically the Cremaster films are chronological in the numbered order, they were not made or released in the same manner. The order in which they were made is as follows:

Film Year
Cremaster 4 1994
Cremaster 1 1995
Cremaster 5 1997
Cremaster 2 1999
Cremaster 3 2002

The numerical order is the thematic order, while in order of production the films increased in production quality, ambition and scope, and they can alternatively be viewed in any order, as different views of a set of themes and preoccupations.

The films are significantly different in length; the longest (and last-made) is Cremaster 3, at over three hours, while the remaining four are approximately an hour each, for a total of approximately seven hours – #3 alone makes up almost half the total length of the cycle. Like Barney's other works, most of the films lack any particular dialogue with the exceptions being Cremaster 2 and 5, the latter of which is an opera sung in Hungarian.

An important precursor of The Cremaster Cycle is Drawing Restraint, which is also a biologically inspired multi-episode work in multiple media, also featuring the field emblem.

Availability

The full series was released in a limited series of 20 sets of DVDs, sold for at least $100,000 each, in custom packaging and as fine art, rather than mass-market movies.[3] In 2007 one disc (Cremaster 2) sold for $571,000.[4]

The films are not available on mass-market DVDs, and according to the press release for the 2010 US tour, the cycle "is Not Now Nor Will it Ever be Available on DVD".[5][6] The films are primarily available via periodic screenings.[7][8] Palm Pictures, the distributor, has continued to comply with Barney's request, and has not made the series available on DVD, though there were some rumors and announcements to this effect in 2003.[9][10] Only a 31-minute excerpt, the Guggenheim scene from Cremaster 3 entitled “The Order,” was released on mass-market DVD in 2003.

Marti Domination as Goodyear in Cremaster 1
Matthew Barney as the Entered Apprentice in Cremaster 3

Reception

Reaction to the cycle is sharply divided – some consider it a major work of art, on a par with Un Chien Andalou and The Waste Land,[11] while others dismiss it as vapid, self-indulgent tedium.[12] This is summarized by one critic as "Barney's cinematic art inspires both awe and revulsion, often simultaneously." Indeed, the Village Voice featured two reviews, with art critic Jerry Saltz praising the cycle, and film critic J. Hoberman panning it.

Lavish praise includes: "The Cremaster Cycle by Matthew Barney is the first truly great piece of cinema to be made in a fine art context since Dali and Bunuel filmed Un Chien Andalou in 1929. It is one of the most imaginative and brilliant achievements in the history of avant-garde cinema."[11] In 1999, when three of its entries (the fourth, first, and fifth) had been made, Michael Kimmelman of The New York Times hailed Barney as "the most important American artist of his generation."[13] It has also, on the other hand, received scathing criticism as "a mostly tedious succession of striking but vacant imagery whose effect diminishes the longer you look at it," from which "any sense of mystery or wonder is drained."[12]

The visuals are roundly praised, however, and some (Hoberman) feel that the movies work well as parts of installations, due to visuals, though not as movies, due to poor editing and pacing.

Further reading

The large volume by then Guggenheim curator Nancy Spector, Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle (New York: Guggenheim Museum Publications, 2002), is the standard work on the Cycle and contains reproductions of production stills, concept drawings and an exegetical essay by Spector, Only The Perverse Fantasy Can Still Save Us. Neville Wakefield has produced The Cremaster Glossary, which is also included in the book.

References

  1. ^ Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle
  2. ^ Sex, life and video games; Matthew Barney. The Economist [US], 8 Mar. 2003.
  3. ^ Cremaster 2 On Sale at Sotheby's New York, October 25, 2007
  4. ^ Cremaster 2 Fetches Half a Million Dollars, November 16, 2007
  5. ^ Cremaster Cycle U.S. Theatrical Release This Spring, Tuesday, March 30, 2010
  6. ^ Epic masterwork is not now nor will it ever be available on DVD, Chicago Art Magazine
  7. ^ Cremaster Fanatic: FAQs
  8. ^ Cremaster Screenings – often years out of date
  9. ^ DVD Talk CREMASTER CYCLE 1-5 from Palm Pictures 9/16???
  10. ^ The Cremaster Cycle – Palm Pictures, archived from the original on 2003-08-02
  11. ^ a b (Jones 2002)
  12. ^ a b (Uhlich 2010)
  13. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (October 10, 1999). "The Importance of Matthew Barney". Retrieved November 15, 2016.

Sites

Reviews

Other

Read other articles:

List of events ← 2011 2010 2009 2012 in Algeria → 2013 2014 2015 Decades: 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also: History of Algeria List of years in Algeria Events from the year 2012 in Algeria Incumbents President: Abdelaziz Bouteflika Prime Minister: Ahmed Ouyahia (until 3 September), Abdelmalek Sellal (starting 3 September) January January 8: Fateh Rebai, leader of the Algeria opposition Ennahda Party, says that members of the party believe Turkish claims that the French army massac...

Les Sœurs Brontë Ficha técnicaDirección André TéchinéProducción Alain SardeGuion Pascal BonitzerAndré TéchinéJean GruaultMúsica Philippe SardeFotografía Bruno NuyttenMontaje Claudine MerlinProtagonistas 13 personasIsabelle AdjaniMarie-France PisierIsabelle HuppertPascal GreggoryPatrick MageeJulian CurryJean SorelAdrian BrineAlice SapritchHélène SurgèreRoland BarthesRoland BertinXavier Depraz Ver todos los créditos (IMDb)Datos y cifrasPaís FranciaAño 1979Género Drama y cine...

Kråkan i Kramfors kommunvapen fläker ut vingar och ben på samma sätt som heraldiska örnar brukar göra. Bron är genomgående, vilket innebär att den går ända ut till sköldkanterna. Kramfors kommunvapen stod tidigare för Kramfors stad och övertogs oförändrat av Kramfors kommun när denna kommun bildades 1974. Vapnet innehåller en kråka och en bro. Blasonering Blasonering: I fält av silver en blå, genomgående bro i ett spann och däröver en blå fläkt kråka, med beväring ...

كامل الشناوي معلومات شخصية اسم الولادة مصطفى كامل الشناوي الميلاد 7 ديسمبر 1908الدقهلية،  مصر الوفاة 30 نوفمبر 1965 (العمر 56 سنة)القاهرة،  مصر الجنسية مصري الزوجة لم يتزوج أقرباء أخو مأمون الشناوي الحياة العملية المهنة شاعر، صحفي اللغات العربية  بوابة الأدب تعديل مصدري -

Buchseite in einer Textura mit Lombarden, 14. Jahrhundert Eine Buchschrift oder Leseschrift bezeichnet in der Paläografie eine handgeschriebene Schrift mit formalem, statischem Charakter, die für das Schreiben von Büchern (Schriftrollen, Kodizes, Prachtbände) und ähnlichen hochwertigen Schriftwerken verwendet wurde. Buchschriften zeichnen sich durch besonders gute Leserlichkeit, Präzision und kalligrafische Ästhetik aus. Sie sind zeitaufwändig beim Schreiben und erfordern disziplinier...

Andromède XXXI Découverte Découvreur(s) Nicolas F. Martin et al. Date 2013 Désignations Lézard I Observation(Époque J2000.0) Ascension droite 22h 58m 16,3s Déclinaison 41° 17′ 28″ Coordonnées galactiques 101.1/-16.7 Vitesse radiale −198,4 ± 1,1 km/s Distance 756 ± 44 kpc Dimensions app. 4,2 ± 0,5 arcmin Constellation Lézard Localisation dans la constellation : Lézard Caractéristiques Type dSph m...

DownhillSutradara Nat Faxon Jim Rash Produser Stefanie Azpiazu Anthony Bregman Julia Louis-Dreyfus Ditulis oleh Jesse Armstrong Nat Faxon Jim Rash Skenario Jesse Armstrong Nat Faxon Jim Rash BerdasarkanForce Majeureoleh Ruben ÖstlundPemeran Julia Louis-Dreyfus Will Ferrell Penata musikVolker BertelmannSinematograferDanny CohenPenyuntingPamela MartinPerusahaanproduksiLikely StoryDistributorSearchlight PicturesTanggal rilis 26 Januari 2020 (2020-01-26) (Sundance) 14 Februari 202...

Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada September 2016. Zaurbek OlisayevInformasi pribadiNama lengkap Zaurbek Olegovich OlisayevTanggal lahir 2 Februari 1994 (umur 29)Tinggi 1,82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)Posisi bermain PenyerangInformasi klubKlub saat ini FC Alania VladikavkazNomor 94Ka...

The Mahabharata Secret AuthorChristopher C. DoyleCover artistRitu RathourAnand PrakashCountryIndiaLanguageEnglishGenreFictionPublisherOm BooksPublication date21 October 2013Media typePaperbackKindlePages386ISBN9-789383-202317 The Mahabharata Secret is the debut novel by Indian author Christopher C. Doyle and was released on 21 October 2013 by Om Books. The story follows Vijay and his friends, as they try to decipher a series of clues which would lead them to a devastating Secret hid...

Russian-American writer and psychologist This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view. (March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The n...

1995 film by Michael Gottlieb A Kid in King Arthur's CourtTheatrical release posterDirected byMichael GottliebWritten by Michael Part Robert L. Levy Produced by Peter Abrams J.P. Guerin Robert L. Levy Starring Thomas Ian Nicholas Joss Ackland Art Malik CinematographyElemér RagályiEdited by Anita Brandt-Burgoyne Michael Ripps Music byJ. A. C. RedfordProductioncompanies Trimark Pictures Walt Disney Pictures Tapestry Films Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures DistributionRelease date August ...

Football clubChicago Croatian1985 CONCACAF Champions League Honduras Central America.Photo from left to right top row: Coach Frank Basan, Joseph Malkoc, Yaro Dachniwsky, Leo Kulinczenko, George Rudman, Joseph Konarsky, Vlado Crnjak, Manager Joe Tadijanovic,bottom row:John Galovic, Slavko Petrina, Tony Novacio, Tony Tadijanovic, Dusko Budimir, Zygmund Tryna.Founded1949Dissolved1990StadiumHanson StadiumLeagueNational Soccer League (Chicago) Chicago Croatian was an American Soccer Club based in ...

Dích dắc lớn song song namtại Thế vận hội Mùa đông lần thứ XXIIIĐịa điểmCông viên Phoenix BogwangThời gian24 tháng 2Số VĐV32 từ 13 quốc giaNgười đoạt huy chương Nevin Galmarini  Thụy Sĩ Lee Sang-ho  Hàn Quốc Žan Košir  Slovenia← 20142022 → Trượt ván trên tuyết tạiThế vận hội Mùa đông 2018Vòng loại Nhào lộn trên khôngnamnữLòng mángnamnữDích dắc lớn song song...

Class of poetic verse Heroic verse: seems like it's describing the genre, but it's really describing the meter. Heroic verse is a term that may be used to designate epic poems, but which is more usually used to describe the meter(s) in which those poems are most typically written (regardless of whether the content is heroic or not). Because the meter typically used to narrate heroic deeds differs by language and even within language by period, the specific meaning of heroic verse is dependent...

Disney franchise Mulan (Disney) redirects here. For other uses, see Mulan (disambiguation). Disney's MulanCreated byRobert D. San SouciOriginal workMulan (1998)Print publicationsBook(s)Mulan: Before the Sword (2020)Films and televisionFilm(s) Mulan (1998) Mulan (2020) Direct-to-videoMulan II (2004)Theatrical presentationsMusical(s)Mulan Jr.GamesVideo game(s) Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan (1998) Disney's Mulan (1998) Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015)* AudioSoundtrack(s) Mulan: An Original Walt D...

Japanese director, producer, writer, and actor This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous.Find sources: Shinya Tsukamoto – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2011) (Learn how and when t...

National forest in the northwestern United States Kaniksu National ForestKootenai River Valley in Kaniksu National ForestLocationIdaho / Montana / Washington, United StatesNearest cityCoeur d'Alene, IDCoordinates48°19′01″N 116°09′07″W / 48.317°N 116.152°W / 48.317; -116.152Area1,627,833 acres (6,587.61 km2)EstablishedJuly 1, 1908Governing bodyU.S. Forest ServiceWebsiteIdaho Panhandle National Forests The Kaniksu National Forest (pronounced Ku...

Національний парк «Півострів Брюс» Bruce Peninsula National Park Печера-грот у паркуПечера-грот у парку 45°14′20″ пн. ш. 81°36′51″ зх. д. / 45.23890000002777612° пн. ш. 81.61420000002777897° зх. д. / 45.23890000002777612; -81.61420000002777897Координати: 45°14′20″ пн. ш. 81°36′51″ зх. д. / &...

1992 religious riot in India Demolition of the Babri MasjidPart of the Ayodhya dispute19th–century photo of Babri MasjidAyodhyaAyodhya (India)LocationAyodhya, IndiaDate6 December 1992; 31 years ago (1992-12-06)TargetBabri MasjidAttack typeRiotsDeaths2,000 (including ensuing riots)[1]PerpetratorsVishva Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party and Bajrang Dal workers The demolition of the Babri Masjid was carried out on 6 December 1992 by a...

Finnish basketball player Alexander MadsenMadsen in action with AEK AthensNo. 24 – VEF RīgaPositionCenterLeagueLEBLPersonal informationBorn (1995-01-26) 26 January 1995 (age 28)Valkeala, FinlandListed height2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)Listed weight103 kg (227 lb)Career informationPlaying career2011–presentCareer history2011–2016Kouvot2016–2018USK Praha2018–2019CB Gran Canaria2019–2022VEF Rīga2022–2023AEK Athens2023–presentVEF Rīga Career highlig...