Tone Glow Presents "Eyes on the Road: Two American Road Movies"
On February 24th at Chicago Filmmakers, Tone Glow presents two structuralist road movies
EDIT: This event is now cancelled/postponed for reasons outside of our control. A new date will be announced soon. All tickets will be refunded immediately.
Tone Glow is excited to present “Eyes On the Road,” a film screening highlighting two structuralist, road-movie masterworks. The event will take place on Tuesday, February 24th at Chicago Filmmakers.
James Benning & Bette Gordon’s THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (1975) finds the two directors trekking from New York to Los Angeles, capturing the trip with a camera mounted to the back of their car. As we see America through a windshield, the radio plays pop songs and news broadcasts, painting a contemplative and expansive portrait of the country during its bicentennial. The film will be presented digitally via a 2K restoration completed last year.
Thom Andersen’s GET OUT OF THE CAR (2010) is a self-proclaimed “city symphony” of Los Angeles, with stationary shots of billboards, buildings, and murals in varying states of disarray. Describing the work as one of “militant nostalgia,” Andersen memorializes the past but forces consideration of why these signs and structures become neglected and will no longer exist in the future. “What are you doing,” someone asks in the film. “We’re just trying to document what’s left.” The film will be shown on a 16mm print courtesy of Canyon Cinema.
Tickets can be purchased here. Special thanks to Chicago Filmmakers, Canyon Cinema, James Benning, Dylan Lustrin, and Ben Creech.
“Eyes on the Road” Program:
James Benning & Bette Gordon, The United States of America (1975, color, sound, 27 mins; 2K restoration, DCP)
Thom Andersen, Get Out of the Car (2010, color, sound, 35 mins; 16mm)
TRT = 62 mins