Tone Glow Presents "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: A Celebration of Jonathan Rosenbaum"

On November 26th at the Music Box, Tone Glow presents three 16mm short films to celebrate Jonathan Rosenbaum, who will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A and to sign copies of his new book

Tone Glow is excited to announce “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: A Celebration of Jonathan Rosenbaum,” a screening that will take place at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre on Tuesday, November 26th. Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum is one of Chicago’s greatest treasures, providing decades of peerless insight into films both big and small, domestic and international. His newest book, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: A Jonathan Rosenbaum Reader, is released by Hat & Beard Press and collects six decades of his writings, from film criticism to essays to album reviews.

This screening will bring together three short films. The first is Peter Bull’s The Two-Backed Beast, or The Critic Makes the Film (1978, 45 mins), an experimental short film that finds Rosenbaum playing himself, being interviewed about a film that doesn’t exist. Bull proceeds to create the film that Rosenbaum describes. The alternating footage provides insight into these two different modes of representation. This film print is from Rosenbaum’s personal collection and was recently purchased by Joshua Minsoo Kim. Rosenbaum hand-selected two other short films to round out the program: Michael Snow’s Breakfast (Table-Top Dolly) (1976, 15 mins) and Owen Land’s On the Marriage Broker Joke as Cited by Sigmund Freud in Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious, or Can the Avant-Garde Artist Be Wholed? (1977, 18 mins). All three films will be projected on 16mm.

Rosenbaum will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. Copies of his new book will be for sale, and Rosenbaum will stick around to sign copies. Tickets for the screening can be purchased at the Music Box website here. Tickets are $11 or $8 for MBT Members. Thank you to Jonathan Rosenbaum, the Music Box Theatre, the Chicago Film Society, Julian Antos, Hat & Beard Press, and Canyon Cinema.

Tone Glow’s Editor-in-Chief Joshua Minsoo Kim recently interviewed Rosenbaum about his new book, his upbringing, and his love for jazz at the Chicago Reader. Read that piece here.

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“In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” Program:

1. Breakfast (Table-Top Dolly) (Michael Snow, 1976, 15 mins)

2. On the Marriage Broker Joke as Cited by Sigmund Freud in Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious, or Can the Avant-Garde Artist Be Wholed? (Owen Land, 1977, 18 mins)

3. The Two-Backed Beast, or The Critic Makes the Film (Peter Bull, 1978, 45 mins)

TRT = 78 mins