Sunday, April 1, 2018

Notes After Long Silence


Filmmaker Saul Levine Leaves MassArt Following Dispute over Artwork

My passion for film, music and reading started with studying film with Saul Levine from 1994 to 1997 at MassArt. All these years later - films I watch, I look at in a way that has so much to do with being around Mr. Levine in those years. He was just one hell of a great teacher, and going into grad school I really missed his passion as I didn't find it at the same level ever again. This business in the Art Forum article is a fucking travesty, it really reminds me that I was so lucky to have been a student at such a great time. Now with the pc nonsense that is plaguing this country, I couldn't imagine getting a proper education, luckily there had been a few teachers here and there still giving a solid education (now I am not sure). After I left grad school, most of the elder professors there were let go and young ones brought in. Just so hard to imagine the reasons behind this nonsense except the wrong people have been given power right now, it goes way beyond Donald Trump.

In addition to all this, the film in question "Notes After Long Silence", was such a huge inspiration to me in those years, and took me so far out of the conservative ideas I had about the potential of film and art in general. Working with sound throughout my life, Mr. Levine's use of sound in his films made my head spin and started a life long pursuit of what could be described as the lushness and jouissance of surface imperfection. I can't imagine how many students have gone through that film department and been so transformed by his work and teaching.

Be damned to the ninth circle all who had anything to do with this awful business, I hope this tragedy has an impact on young people and how they process the velveeta cheese that is pushed on them by the frauds that now run these universities.

No comments: