Ellis Island. Book of days. Interview with filmmaker Meredith Monk.
Notes:
Title from container. Ellis Island: Vocalists, Meredith Monk, Robert Een, Julius Eastman, Paul Langland, Andrea Goodman, Monica Solem ; cello solo, Robert Een. Book of days: Music performed by Meredith Monk, Robert Een, John Eppler, Ching Gonzalez, Andrean Goodman, Wayne Hankin, Naaz Hosseini, Nicky Paraiso, Nurit Tilles, Johanna Arnold, Joan Barber, Timothy Sawyer ; conducted by Wayne Hankin. Ellis Island was originally produced in 1981; Book of days in 1988; Interview with filmmaker Meredith Monk in 2006.
Contents:
Ellis Island (28 min.) -- Book of days (75 min.) -- Interview with filmmaker Meredith Monk (60 min.).
Summary:
Ellis Island: "A film about the experiences of immigrants entering America at the turn of the century, 'Ellis Island' was one of the last films shot on location before Ellis Island was restored. Neither documentary nor fiction, Monk describes the non-verbal 'Ellis Island' as a 'ghost story told through the musicality of images'"--Container. Book of days: "'Book of days' takes place primarily in the Middle Ages, but the characters and their concerns are deeply familiar. Monk draws parallels between this age of war, plague and fear of the Apocalypse, with our modern times of racial and religious conflicts, AIDS, and the fear of nuclear annihilation. 'Book of days' has a mythic quality, a sense of displacement; it encourages the viewer to ponder the ultimate fragility of the human experience"--Container. Interview with filmmaker Meredith Monk: Meredith Monk discusses with interviewer John Killacky the general principles and inspiration for her film works, Ellis Island, and Book of days.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.