Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film

Released Aug 3, 2012

1h 22m

Documentary

List

86%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Filmmaker Pip Chodorov pays tribute to some of the 20th-century's leading figures of experimental cinema, including Stan Brakhage, Ken Jacobs and Jonas Mekas.

Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

A pleasant ramble through little-known cinematic territory.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 17, 2013

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

New York Times

This friendly, colorful documentary from Pip Chodorov is not the last word on all the shapes, sizes and languages of experimental film, but rather an introduction brightened by a companionable enthusiasm and an apposite sense of community.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 2, 2012

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

There are simply too many obvious condensations and omissions in the course of the meager 82-minute running time ...

Rated: 3/5

Jul 31, 2012

Full Review

David N. Butterworth

La Movie Boeuf

A worthy baptism for those unacquainted with the genre but less fulfilling, perhaps, for the pre-converted eager to experience more.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 13, 2016

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A playful and audacious homage documentary to the pioneering and economically hard-pressed avant-garde filmmakers from the silents to the present.

Rated: B+

Jan 30, 2014

Full Review

Eric Monder

Film Journal International

Breezy overview of classic cinematic avant garde will be best appreciated by established fans.

Aug 2, 2012

Full Review

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Audience Member

"In this film I'd like you to meet my friends and see their films" That's really all there is to it, the son of a filmmaker compiles old interview footage with experimental film clips and some new. Kenneth Anger wasn't even mentioned, but I guess they never met. "Overview of classic cinematic avant garde will be best appreciated by established fans." Informative.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Learned a lot about experimental cinema and the free spirits behind it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A survey of 90 years of abstract experimental film (mostly the kind where they scratch into or paint directly on the celluloid), from its Dadaist origins to its NYC heyday, with rare interviews and plentiful examples, including a few full-length shorts. A decent overview of an imposing subject, though aficionados will wonder about some of the important figures who are rushed over or omitted entirely (did Hollis Frampton sleep with the director's girlfriend or something?)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

http://www.clevelandmovieblog.com/2013/01/free-radicals-history-of-experimental.html

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Pip Chodorov

Director

Pip Chodorov

Screenwriter

Lucy Allwood

Screenwriter

Ron Dyens

Producer

Aurélia Prévieu

Producer

Black Lake

Original Music

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Show More Cast & Crew

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Pip Chodorov pays tribute to some of the 20th-century's leading figures of experimental cinema, including Stan Brakhage, Ken Jacobs and Jonas Mekas.

Director: Pip Chodorov
Producer: Ron Dyens, Aurélia Prévieu
Screenwriter: Pip Chodorov, Lucy Allwood
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 3, 2012, Original
Release Date (DVD): Mar 12, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.8K
Runtime: 1h 22m