9/64 O Christmas Tree

synopsis

Materialaktion nr. 15 by Viennese actionist Otto Muehl is transformed in Kren's lively montage into a grotesque image of Christmas orgies centred around a festive table. The main course consists of flaccid genitals with a hard-boiled egg and an anus covered in béchamel sauce. A critical view of Christmas overeating meets an emphasis on excretion as a natural part of the biological chain of food consumption. The rhythmic alternation of shocking compositions of the Christmas table, albeit without accompanying sound, seems to invite the humming of carols.

“Like most of his films, this one is extremely economical at a mere three minutes running time, this being perhaps the limit of what any audience would accept. (Not surprisingly, Kren had great difficulty finding labs to develop such material.)” — Gary Morris, “‘Sorry! It Had to Be Done!’ Radical Actioner Kurt Kren”, Bright Lights Film Journal, 1999

Source: https://brightlightsfilm.com/sorry-done-radical-actioner-kurt-kren/

biography

Kurt Kren (1929–1998) was an Austrian experimental filmmaker, a key figure in structural cinematography and the Austrian film avant-garde. In the 1960s, he collaborated with the Vienna Actionists, whose actions he captured and edited into unique films. Ji.hlava IDFF has screened several of his works, most recently in 2024 with the film 31/75 Asyl (1975).

film details

director:

Kurt Kren