All My Life
d. Bruce Baillie, 1966
This 3-minute single shot panning along the length of a fence, only to move upward at the end of the film, is a delicate exploration of the simple marvels of the world. Accompanied by Ella Fitzgerald's titular song, there is really nothing to dislike about this marvelous film.
Castro Street
d. Bruce Baillie, 1966
More difficult than the pure euphoria of All My Life, but in many ways just as astonishing. In its 10 minutes, Castro Street paints a more complex view of a modern city than most feature-length films do. And there's also Baillie's juxtaposition of different formal aspects; his subtle use of music, black-and-white negatives, organic sounds, etc.
Mr. Hayashi
d. Bruce Baillie, 1961
Out of the three Baillies I saw, this is the only one with dialogue. The calm voice-over is narrated by a Japanese immigrant. More socially conscious than All My Life and Castro Street--though repeated viewings of the latter may reveal a deeper statement on cities--Mr. Hayashi also contains lush black-and-white images that I suspect will stay with me for a long time.
