Adrian Salas

MIAS 210
Winter 2015

The Challenge of Harry Smith and the Avant-garde in Film

American artist Harry Smith (1923-1991) dabbled in a broad range of disciplines
across the artistic spectrum. As Rani Singh, Smiths one-time assistant and later executor
of his estate, states in reference to Smith, [w]ell never be able to separate the truth
entirely from myth, but we can be sure that from an early childhood there were instilled
an appreciation of nature and an alchemical synthesis of the arts and sciences, which
culminated in the melding of music, anthropology, linguistics, ethnology, film, occultism,
design, and the plastic arts.1 Smith is maybe best known for curating and compiling
together the Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952 from his personnel
collection of 78 RPM records.2 No less a personage than Beat Generation figurehead
Allen Ginsberg has said, [t]his box-set was a historic bomb in American folk music. It
turned on Peter, Paul and Mary, tuned on the whole folk music world at the time...3
Beyond his influential take on musicology, Smith also built up a significant body of work
in film spanning roughly twenty films in forty years (exact numbers change depending on
where one sources their filmographic information), which is perhaps his most extensive
1 Singh, Rani. American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New York: Inanout Press,
1996. 13.

2 Cohen, John. "Sing Out!, Volume 19, No.1, 1969." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith --Selected Interviews,
edited by Rani Singh, 66-100. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999.

3 Ginsberg, Allen, and Hal Willner. "Introduction: Allen Ginsberg Interview with Hal Willner." In Think of the Self
Speaking: Harry Smith - Selected Interviews, edited by Rani Singh. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999. 4.

Salas 1

surviving artistic legacy.4 Examining the material and intellectual issues with some of his
key works such as Heaven and Earth Magic, Mahagonny, and Early Abstractions will
shed light on some of the issues involved with conserving and preserving the legacy of a
rather non-traditional filmmaker operating outside the normal studio channels that are
normally thought of as the home of moving images.
Artists such as Smith possess major shortcomings when it comes to custodianship of
their materials. Simply taking an accurate survey and inventory of his work is somewhat
complicated, as Smith was prone to sell, lose, or destroy works original works of his at
random (paintings as well as films), with little or no documentation or thoughts to future
posterity.5 Smith was also an interminable editor who constantly would go back to earlier
works in his filmography to obtain material to incorporate into later works which further
muddies the water as to making a complete picture of his projects. Smith had a system of
numbering his works sequentially (Film #1, Film #2, etc...) in addition to alternative titles
given to some works, although not every number seems to have an existent corresponding
work, or many times early works get incorporated into later works. Looking at various
sources for a comprehensive filmography yields a range of answers for the amount of
material he released. There are works going all the way to number fourteen listed in the
Film-makers Cooperative Catalogue no. 3 from 1965 (this catalogue is from way before
Smiths death in 1991 or the end of his active film-making but this list gets subsequently
republished in P. Adams Sitneys most current third edition of Visionary Cinema from
4 "Curriculum Vitae." Harry Smith Archives. Accessed March 15, 2015.
http://www.harrysmitharchives.com/1_bio/index.html.

5 Singh, Rani. "Harry Smith Interview." Interview by author. March 5, 2015.

Salas 2

2002). A program for an event called Articulated Light at Harvard in 1995 includes a
filmography that tops out at Film #18, Mahagonny. The Articulated Light list
subsequently is republished as the filmography used for the books Thinking of the Self
Speaking and American Magus. The filmography found on the webpage for the Harry
Smith Archives, and subsequently sourced with some additions to Wikipedia, shows
Smith as having produced works all the way up to Film #20. Finally, referring to the
Getty Research Institutes inventory of the Harry Smith Research Archive, which the
Getty acquired in 2013, there is a listing noting a hand spliced reel of 16mm film in the
collection titled Film #22. The breadth of his legacy combined with Smiths somewhat
eccentric and at times erratic lifestyle of cadging money off his friends, as Allen
Ginsburg says, resulted in conditions that were often perilous to the survival and correct
accounting of his films.6
The films of Harry Smith usually take the form of experimental projects situated in
the avant-garde. Cinema historian and Anthology Film Archive co-founder P. Adams
Sitney attempts to contextualize American avant--garde cinema by stating: The precise
relationship of the avant-garde cinema to American commercial film is one of radical
otherness. They operate in different realms with next to no significant influence on each
other.7 Adams in short outlines a theory that avant-garde cinema exists as a complete
separate entity from traditional popular films and that the two share very little aside from
the basic medium and technology of moving image recording and playback. In the case of
6 Ginsberg, Allen. American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New York: Inanout
Press, 1996. 109.

7 Sitney, P. Adams. Visionary Film: The American Avant-garde, 1943-2000 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2002. xii.

Salas 3

Harry Smith and his filmed works, Sitney reserves a fair measure of praise:
The hand-painted films with which he began his career as a film-maker are the
most remarkable ever achieved in that technique; and his subsequent films, both
animated and photographed from actuality, sustain his stature as one of the central
film-makers of the avant-garde tradition.8
Smiths films often encapsulate animation and collage to create non-narrative art
works, and are rife with symbolism culled from his anthropological studies of spiritual
and philosophical works. Many of his films are also influenced by his interest in
alchemy. Given Smiths musicological studies, naturally sound and music often plays
major roles in Smiths works, inspiring him to incorporate recorded audio works that
he comes across or creates as the aural component to his film, and even as a direct
influence on the visual content.
Films for an experimental or avant-garde oriented creator such as Smith were an
ongoing project. A great challenge in preservation, distribution and later restoration is to
decide what the films intended fixed form should be. Artists such as Smith could be
particularly painstaking and laborious in their continuous re-imagining of their works.
According to Singh, it seemed that Smith often worked with no defined endpoint in mind
for what form his films were to ultimately take.9 This raises many issues for caretakers of
his filmic legacy, because even though there may be clues such as documentation of
exhibitions, artists notes and papers, and existing prints and videos, the ultimate form a

8 Ibid. 235.

9 Singh, Rani. "Harry Smith Interview." Interview by author. March 5, 2015.

Salas 4

work is to take was often beholden to the whims of the artist or external forces such as
running out of resources, or approaching a deadline imposed by an exhibitor sponsor such
as a representing gallery.
While one can contend that all film makers are constrained by the limitations of their
resources and backers, an independent, non-commercial film maker like Smith works on
a different scale of economics then filmmakers working for a studio or producer. Some
projects may literally consist of one man, and as such film making could potentially go
on indefinitely assuming the artist has the will to continuously work on a project. Singh
was quick to point out that Harry Smith often made his films for himself under his own
volition, and aside from occasional grants, often lived quite destitute. The story Jonas
Mekas relates to how the Film-Makers Cooperative came to take in several of Smiths
work illustrates the catch-as-catch-can nature of how his filmography came to be
preserved:
He comes in--I see Harry Smith, and he drops his three or four boxes of films,
Can you take care--can you show my films, here they are, you can have them, do
what you want with them... Those were Early Abstractions, Late
Superimpositions, and Heaven and Earth Magic--his key works. Then a few days
later he again came in and I found out more--that these were the actually prints-that the originals do not exist or he doesnt know where they are--tell you the
truth, even now, today, we dont know.10
As often Smith was the only party with a say in the chain of custody for his productions,
this left many of Smiths films subject to his idiosyncrasies until such time that someone
10 Mekas, Jonas. American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New York: Inanout
Press, 1996. 79.

Salas 5

like Anthology Film Archive or Film-Makers Cooperative could take in copies of his
films.
Display of artists work in and of itself can be a contentious issue encountered in the
preservation of experimental film and video works. Smith was fond of exploring the
artifice of motion picture display. Often this resulted in works that were intended to have
non-standard projections and presentations. Smith has stated: In a number of cases Ive
made special screens to project films on. All those so-called early abstract films had
special screens for them. They were made of dots and lines. All those things
disappeared.11 Beyond the issue of Smiths custom screens, there are other complications
with presentation beyond the conservation and projection of film elements that exhibitors
and preservation minded parties have to take into account with screening Smiths works.

Heaven and Earth Magic: Film #12

Issues of display raise their head in one of Smiths most famous works, Heaven and
Earth Magic: Film #12 (ca.1957-1962). Talking about screening Heaven and Earth
Magic, Jonas Mekas outlines the rather complex conditions of how Smith originally
presented the work:
He had structures, machines constructed specifically to project Heaven and Earth
Magic... So he screened from 62--63 on that contraption--on the special machine
where there was a screen and the film was projected. It was projected on a screen
that has ornaments around it. And he projected--around the film itself--other
images and designs, and used also color filters here and there. So it was like every
11 Sitney, P. Adams. "Film Culture No. 37, 1965." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith -- Selected Interviews,
edited by Rani Singh, 44-64. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999. 55.

Salas 6

time it was slightly different and it was very impressive. I think its a masterpiece,
even when you see it in the black and white version as its projected now.12
The film as originally shown comes to resemble almost an immersive experience
where the audience is witness to active compositing of the imagery before them. The
films become performative actions, in a way, as their complete meanings are
continuously being created and somewhat reconstructed with each screening
according to variables beyond the standard ones which go into motion picture
projection.
Taking into account how much of the presentation was dictated by Smiths
presence, the preservation of these films require parties to engage in active
negotiation with the material to determine how much of Smiths ancillary elements
feasibly can and should be included in the films presentation going forward. Items
such as Smiths custom projector are probably too much of an idiosyncrasy and too
difficult to feasibly reconstruct, minus the existence of extensively detailed technical
documentation and interested parties with enough technical expertise and resources to
undertake such a project. As Smith described it, the projector was to show slides
along with the film, and allow for the slides to be taken out and changed as the film
ran.13 This would have allowed Smith to frame his scenes in ways that responded to
the narrative, by changing what went on outside the traditional areas employed by a
moving image projection. Presentation elements such as the filters, gels, and custom
12 Mekas, Jonas. American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New York: Inanout
Press, 1996. 80.

13 Sitney, P. Adams. "Film Culture No. 37, 1965." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith -- Selected Interviews,
edited by Rani Singh, 44-64. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999. 61.

Salas 7

drawings added to projections would be less of a challenge to incorporate into a

presentation in a more fixed form, such as digitally editing in colors to a restored
preservation, but this is dependent on whether examples and documentation exist for
what Smith had in mind. This last step can be quite complicated, as Jonas Mekas,
among others with similar stories, recounts later in the previously quoted interview
several occasions when Smith tossed films as well as other ephemera and equipment
he was using out into the street during a screening in a fit of rage.14
At the end of the day, a preservationist must work best with what material they
have. Even if Smiths extra--filmic elements exist, it can prove prohibitively
complicated to re--incorporate them into the film. A judgment call must be made in
which it is decided whether the extra elements are inextricable to viewing and
understanding the film. Mekas himself seems to find that the black and white print
version still stands up on its own merits, even with none of the other adornments of
Smiths original presentation. It is perhaps bests to view the filters, extra images and,
custom screens as illuminating additions to the film, should there be a way to
incorporate them according to the original presentations but not prohibitive obstacles
for viewers taking in the experience. An appropriate parallel can be perhaps drawn
with the tinting and toning incorporated into silent films. The extra step of tinting was
not something that was unwaveringly reproducible (within certain limits) like creating
the films prints themselves. Rather, tinting, much like Smiths extra flourishes
required an artisanal intervention with the produced film to introduce the dye to the
film stock. While a tinted silent can change the reception of the film by the audience,
14 Mekas, Jonas. American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New York: Inanout
Press, 1996. 80-81.

Salas 8

it is not a necessary element to the distribution and screening of a work. While, it

would be preferable to see moving images reproduced with their exact original
presentation elements intact, if the main heart of a work is still intact like with the
actual film of Heaven and Earth Magic an audience can still derive a significant part
of the experience from viewing the piece if it holds enough artistic merit and is
crafted well enough, as Mekas indicates.

Mahagonny: Film #18

Smiths film Mahagonny (ca.1970-1980), also known as Film #18, is a prime case-study of the difficulties inherent in attempting to present a nontraditional film work in a
way that is respectful to the perceived intentions of the artist. The technical challenges of
reconstituting the film are detailed in a short documentary, Restoring Harry Smiths
Mahagonny, which was prepared to coincide with the 2002 restoration of the work.15 The
film, according to different sources, was either shot over six years (according to the
restoration documentary), or shot over two years starting in 1970 and subsequently edited
for the next eight (according to Rani Singh).16 This confusion is perhaps par for the
course with a personality like Smith, whose rambling interviews can read like a
concoction of half-truths, misremembrances, mis-direction, the fantastical and occasional
frankness. For instance, in an interview on his filmography conducted in 1965, a few
15 Restoring Harry Smith's Mahagonny, Directed by Simon (New York: Cineric, Inc, 2002). Online. Accessed March
13, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klCfLPaC4Vg.

16 Singh, Rani. "The Getty Research Institute Presents Harry Smith's Film #18, Mahagonny: Symposium Statement."
Harry Smith Archives. January 1, 2002. Accessed March 13, 2015.
http://www.harrysmitharchives.com/4_news/mahagonny.html.

Salas 9

simple questions posed to Smith about dating related to his age and filmography causes
Smith to launch into a long series of far-fetched biographical details (including his
supposed familial ties to the Czarina of Russia, The Knights Templar, The Masons and
Aleister Crowley) which eventually leads him to make the following admission: Theres
confusion in the notes for the Catalogue [Film-makers Cooperative No.3, 1965], because
I tend to glamorize, saying that I did such and such at a much earlier age than I did it.17
At any rate, both time frames given for the length of Mahagonnys production imply that
much thought was given by Smith in planning and editing down the footage as it finally
came to be presented in 1980.
The piece, as originally conceived, was intended to be shown by having two
projectionist running four 16mm projectors and a reel to reel tape recorder
simultaneously. The films program itself consisted of twelve twenty-five minute reels of
16mm films, which were then copied to create another twelve reels of mirrored footage.
All twenty-four reels of footage were then to be run in unison on the four projectors
according to a chart of Smiths devising. The presentation was intended to be
accompanied by a 1956 German language recording of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weills
1930 opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (or Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt
Mahagonny in the original German).18 The complication of running the two hour and
twenty-one minute film resulted in only six screenings at the Anthology Film Archives in

17 Sitney, P. Adams. "Film Culture No. 37, 1965." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith -- Selected Interviews,
edited by Rani Singh, 44-64. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999. 51.

18 Hoberman, Jim. "Mirror Men." The Village Voice Movies. September 10, 2002. Accessed March 13, 2015.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2002--09--10/film/mirror-men/.

Salas 10

1980, all under the direct supervision of Smith.19 When it came time to restore the piece
there was some challenge on how exactly the presentation of the film was to be
preserved. Even if the 16mm elements for the four projectors were preserved, restored,
and released for distribution the issue of running the film correctly would be a prohibitive
challenge for many potential exhibitors, due to the equipment involved and the issues that
would present themselves with attempting to correctly synchronize the run times for four
prints. The solution that was finally settled on was to compile the four 16mm prints into a
35mm composite print with the four different images running together in a single tiled
frame along with an optically printed soundtrack.
To properly prepare the restoration, documentation was consulted to determine the
correct order and aesthetics for the piece. Sources included Harry Smiths charts which
laid out his plan for the performance, pictures of Smith working, and interviews with
audience members from the 1980 Anthology screenings. Determining the films final
presentation was complicated by Smiths continuous re-editing of the piece, but by
comparing the running times of the 16mm prints with Smiths charts, and then
referencing slides made by photographers documenting the event and Harry Smiths
preparations, sequencing, running order, and the correct orientation of the four
projections with each other were eventually deduced. Another problem was determining
how the four prints were intended to run together in time.20 Three of the prints could
easily be coordinated according to the documentation present, but the fourth proved
19 "Harry Smith's Film #18, Mahagonny." Getty Research Institute, Exhibitions & Events. January 1, 2002. Accessed
March 13, 2015. http://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/events/mahagonny.html.

20 Restoring Harry Smith's Mahagonny, Directed by Simon (New York: Cineric, Inc, 2002). Online. Accessed March
13, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klCfLPaC4Vg.

Salas 11

troublesome. After ruminating over the problem, the preservationist working on the print
discovered that one of the projectors was intended to lag behind the others by 14 seconds.
Once this key bit of information was uncovered, the other pieces of the preservation fell
into place in short order.21
The compilation of the four 16mm films into a single 35mm print, showcases the
type of problem solving that must be undertaken to ensure non-traditional works can be
presented outside their original contexts. While the composite optical print may not
necessarily be 100% accurate to Smiths original performances, the amount of variability
inherent in the original showings due to the number of elements involved in projecting
the films means that pursuing a 100% accurate recreation of the 1980Anthology
screenings is perhaps a fools errand. Rather, the composite print ensured Mahagonny
was able to have a stable record and a greater avenue of venues able to show the film to
interested audiences. Avant-garde films are not made with wide appeal in mind, but
artificially limiting the range of the films potential audience due to technical limitations
that can easily be overcome is not ideal either. Although none besides Harry Smith could
ever say for sure, the practical choices made by the Mahagonny preservation walk a fine
line, but seem to fairly balance the needs of practical presentation while not substantially
altering Smiths original vision.

Early Abstractions
Smiths film Early Abstractions (ca. 1964) was edited together as an anthology of his
earliest works from his earlier films, Film(s) #1-5, #7, and #10. According to the Harry
21 Singh, Rani. "Harry Smith Interview." Interview by author. March 5, 2015.

Salas 12

Smith Archives, the film was originally a silent print and designed to be accompanied by
a reel to reel soundtrack provided by the band the Fugs, whom Smith was associated with
through producing their first album.22 Smith was screening the film in New York in the
early 1960s with the Fugs soundtrack, and then proceeded to get in an argument with
someone in the middle of the showing and throw down his equipment and tapes, and
subsequently that was the last time he used the Fugs soundtrack.23 Around 1965, Early
Abstractions was re-edited and released for distribution with an optical soundtrack taken
from the Beatles 1964 Meet the Beatles! LP. This seems to have been a completely
unlicensed or authorized use of the Beatles music though, so it was somewhat of a
calculated risk to release the Abstractions in this form. Somehow this does not seem to
have seriously impeded the distribution of the film through the years, despite the Beatles
notoriously protective label Apple Records reputation (although Abstractions was reedited before Apple Records formed in 1968, so it seems initially the danger was in
running afoul of either the Beatles British label Parlaphone or their US label Capitol).
Many of the filmographies and interviews encountered for Harry Smith list the
Beatles cut of the film, so it seems to be the version of Early Abstractions that had the
most penetration into the public. It is curious that in Mekas interview from 1993, he talks
about finally pulling the Beatles version (whether this is through Anthology Film Archive
or Film-Makers Cooperative is a bit unclear), and the hopes that Mystic Fire Video will
put out a variant version of the film with what is said to be the original jazz soundtrack on
22 "Curriculum Vitae." Harry Smith Archives. Accessed March 15, 2015.
http://www.harrysmitharchives.com/1_bio/index.html.

23 Mekas, Jonas. American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New York: Inanout
Press, 1996. 80.

Salas 13

video at some time in the near future.24 Therefore it is curious that a DVD from 2013
released under the aegis of the Harry Smith Archives called Harry Smith: Selected Films
said to be sourced from new digital transfers contains the Meet the Beatles! soundtrack on
Early Abstractions. When I asked Rani Singh about this, she said that she just has never
considered it an issue as they film has never been challenged by the Beatles or any of
their representatives in all the years it has been in distribution. Her reasoning is that the
film is too under the radar and small for them to be concerned with going after, even
though it was deemed significant enough to be named to the Library of Congresss
National Registry in 2006.25
Soundtracks and scores can be of enormous concern in the preservation process, but
perhaps just as much, if not more, for the rights issues than the technical concerns. While
there is a significant amount of legwork involved with clearing rights for moving images,
the basic process can be fairly straightforward if a chain of custody can be determined for
the rights holders.26 Music copyright on the other hand is a much more complicated
process. The number of parties that must be dealt with in obtaining rights to either use a
song or to re-license a song that was previously cleared can start to become staggering
due to the many facets involved with music rights. As one recent book on the process of
film production states: Clearing music... is one of the thorniest jobs a producer can do. It
24 Ibid.

25 "Complete National Film Registry Listing." National Film Preservation Board. Accessed March 15, 2015.
http://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/.

26 Michael C. Donaldson and Lisa A. Califfs book Clearance and Copyright (Silman James Press; 2014) is a good
primer and guide for understanding the processes involved.

Salas 14

usually requires extensive research, long delays, and complex negotiations. If you ever
have the experience of trying to clear many songs for a movie, youll probably never
want to do it again.27 Assuming one can navigate the tricky landscape of determining the
music publisher and the record label and receiving permission to obtain the subsequent
rights (sync and public performance rights from the music publisher, and a master use
license from whoever holds the rights to a particular recording), the whole process can
still be held up if affordable fees cannot be negotiated.
Lapses in musical rights for a previously released film can come back to affect a
motion picture later on, when unresolved licensing issues or the need to renew licensing
for an extended term beyond the initial negotiated period becomes a necessity when a rerelease is contemplated. Failing to secure these music rights can essentially lock away a
movie from the public, even one that has received extensive preservation and archival
treatment. A striking examples of the effect music licensing can have on a production is
the case of Killer of Sheep (1978) which never received distribution and was only able to
be shown sporadically at festivals, despite near universal critical acclaim due to director
Charles Burnett never clearing music rights.28 The AFI Catalog notes that the film was
preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive as part of a 2000 grant, but due to
lingering musical rights issues it still took 6 years and $142,000 in licensing fees to
finally clear the movie for distribution in 2007. A further example of the power of music
copyright is the case of Its a Wonderful Life (1946). The Frank Capra film itself
27 Ascher, Steven, and Edward Pincus. "Producing and Distributing the Movie." In The Filmmaker's Handbook : A
Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age, 2013. 2013 ed. New York, New York: Plume, 2012.

28 Sterritt, David. "Killer of Sheep." Turner Classic Movies. Accessed March 16, 2015. http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/184975|0/Killer-of-Sheep.html.

Salas 15

technically entered the public domain for a while, but due to anomalies in the copyright
code and a series of legal maneuvers, Paramount was able to do a partial re-capture of
copyright of the film through exploiting rights held on Dimitri Tiomkins score.29
The aforementioned examples of music copyright serve as prime examples of the
effect music copyright can have across all facets of a motion picture. While the Beetles
soundtrack is the most blatant example of the tricky ground walked by the caretakers of
Harry Smiths estate, it is not the only example, as Smith was very interested in the
intersection between music and visual performance. Smith stated that I had a really great
illumination the first time I heard Dizzy Gillespie play. I had gone there very high, and I
literally saw all kinds of colored flashes. It was at that point that that I realized music
could be put to my films.30 Many of his films consequently are made to be played with
recordings that Smith had in mind, such as jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie or Charlie
Parker, or the Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Veill score that Mahagonny is intended to be set to. The
only film of Smiths that actually had a soundtrack printed on the film by Smith upon
original release is Heaven and Earth Magic. Instead many of his films were intended to
be accompanied by a separate recording being synched with the film. This then means
that the two, sound and film, are not inextricably linked, but instead are complementary
technologies that Smith just contextualizes by placing in proximity with each other, and
may explain why his estate seems to have been able to avoid legal entanglements over
music for the most part. While the Beetles score being later included to distributed
29 The Curious Copyright Case of It's A Wonderful Life," YouTube video, 21:37, posted by Filmmaker IQ,
December 14, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnUGXQwJMSM.

30 Sitney, P. Adams. "Film Culture No. 37, 1965." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith -- Selected Interviews,
edited by Rani Singh, 44-64. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999. 56.

Salas 16

versions of Early Abstractions is still somewhat of a puzzling anomaly, it seems that

Smiths separation of sound and visual mediums may in a way have helped allow his
films to be more unrestricted.

Conclusion
The challenge of working with Harry Smiths films can lie in a multiplicity of aspects.
There are the unique presentation and aesthetic concerns involving missing components
that are part of working with Heaven and Earth Magic that must be negotiated. The nontraditional projection issues of showing Mahagonny and its four simultaneous film reels
introduce technical restoration challenges that film preservationists must make decisions
about which may differ from the authorial intent of Harry Smith, but will enhance access.
Early Abstracts is an interesting study in taking calculated risks in the face of copyright
and clearance concerns that can potentially lock up a restoration for all intents and
purposes. While many of these concerns are universal across moving image preservation
to varying degrees, Smiths itinerant and rambunctious lifestyle introduce unique
concerns to those searching for material and documentation in order to preserve his
legacy. His works were made largely outside the framework of institutional and
commercial entities, so wrapped up in his greater autonomy to create are the dangers his
works faced from the increased exposure to his sometimes erratic whims and cavalier
custodial habits.

Salas 17

Works Cited
American Magus Harry Smith: A Modern Alchemist. Edited by Paola Igliori. New
York: Inanout Press, 1996.
Ascher, Steven, and Edward Pincus. "Producing and Distributing the Movie." In The
Filmmaker's Handbook : A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age, 2013. 2013 ed.
New York, New York: Plume, 2012.
Cohen, John. "Sing Out!, Volume 19, No.1, 1969." In Think of the Self Speaking:
Harry Smith --Selected Interviews, edited by Rani Singh, 66-100. 1st ed. Seattle:
Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999.
"Curriculum Vitae." Harry Smith Archives. Accessed March 15, 2015.
http://www.harrysmitharchives.com/1_bio/index.html.
"Complete National Film Registry Listing." National Film Preservation Board.
Accessed March 15, 2015. http://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservationboard/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/.
The Curious Copyright Case of It's A Wonderful Life," YouTube video, 21:37,
Salas 18

posted by Filmmaker IQ, December 14, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=AnUGXQwJMSM.
Ginsberg, Allen, and Hal Willner. "Introduction: Allen Ginsberg Interview with Hal
Willner." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry Smith - Selected Interviews, edited by Rani
Singh. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful Press, 1999.
"Harry Smith's Film #18, Mahagonny." Getty Research Institute, Exhibitions &
Events. January 1, 2002. Accessed March 13, 2015.
http://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/events/mahagonny.html.
Hoberman, Jim. "Mirror Men." The Village Voice Movies. September 10, 2002.
Accessed March 13, 2015. http://www.villagevoice.com/2002--09--10/film/mirror-men/.
Restoring Harry Smith's Mahagonny, Directed by Simon (New York: Cineric, Inc,
2002). Online. Accessed March 13, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=klCfLPaC4Vg.
Singh, Rani. "The Getty Research Institute Presents Harry Smith's Film #18,
Mahagonny: Symposium Statement." Harry Smith Archives. January 1, 2002. Accessed
March 13, 2015. http://www.harrysmitharchives.com/4_news/mahagonny.html.
Singh, Rani. "Harry Smith Interview." Interview by author. March 5, 2015.
Sitney, P. Adams. "Film Culture No. 37, 1965." In Think of the Self Speaking: Harry
Smith -- Selected Interviews, edited by Rani Singh, 44-64. 1st ed. Seattle: Elbow/Cityful
Press, 1999.
Sitney, P. Adams. Visionary Film: The American Avant-garde, 1943-2000 3rd ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Sterritt, David. "Killer of Sheep." Turner Classic Movies. Accessed March 16, 2015.
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/184975|0/Killer-of-Sheep.html.

Salas 19