

The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes(1972)
At a morgue, forensic pathologists conduct autopsies of the corpses assigned. "S. Brakhage, entering, WITH HIS CAMERA, one of the forbidden, terrific locations of our culture, the autopsy room. It is a place wherein, inversely, life is cherished, for it exists to affirm that no one of us may die without our knowing exactly why. All of us, in the person of the coroner, must see that, for ourselves, with our own eyes. It is a room full of appalling particular intimacies, the last ditch of individuation. Here our vague nightmare of mortality acquires the names and faces of OTHERS. This last is a process that requires a WITNESS; and what 'idea' may finally have inserted itself into the sensible world we can still scarcely guess, for the CAMERA would seem the perfect Eidetic Witness, staring with perfect compassion where we can scarcely bear to glance." – Hollis Frampton
Movie: The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes

The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes
HomePage
Overview
At a morgue, forensic pathologists conduct autopsies of the corpses assigned. "S. Brakhage, entering, WITH HIS CAMERA, one of the forbidden, terrific locations of our culture, the autopsy room. It is a place wherein, inversely, life is cherished, for it exists to affirm that no one of us may die without our knowing exactly why. All of us, in the person of the coroner, must see that, for ourselves, with our own eyes. It is a room full of appalling particular intimacies, the last ditch of individuation. Here our vague nightmare of mortality acquires the names and faces of OTHERS. This last is a process that requires a WITNESS; and what 'idea' may finally have inserted itself into the sensible world we can still scarcely guess, for the CAMERA would seem the perfect Eidetic Witness, staring with perfect compassion where we can scarcely bear to glance." – Hollis Frampton
Release Date
1972-02-19
Average
6.3
Rating:
3.1 startsTagline
Genres
Languages:
No LanguageKeywords
Recommendations Movies

Buck Privates(en)
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.

Sundays and Cybele(fr)
The tragic story of a young orphan girl who is befriended by an innocent but emotionally disabled veteran of the French Indochina War.

Landscapes and Figures(it)
A forerunner of Al Primo Soffio Di Vento. Observations along the riverside, the flow of water, the stasis of life, and the emergence of a teenager’s sexual desires.

With a Right to Kill(da)
This documentary looks at the Danish resistance movement's execution of 400 informers during the Nazi occupation and the ensuing cover-up.

Esprit de Corps(tl)
Many have been aspiring for the position of Major Mac Favila, who is every cadet's ideal officer considering he is sharp, snappy, witty, and most of all, the most masculine among the school's many officers. Private Abel Sarmiento, who was abused when he was a child and Cain Fujika, a Filipino-Japanese whose mother worked abroad as a japayuki are the top contenders for his position.

El espadachín(es)
Evil aristocrat covets his brother's wife, swordsman-for-hire comes to her rescue.

Broken(es)

Thanatophobia(en)
A trio of teens up to no good in a graveyard discover that the line between the world of the living and the world of the dead is not as clear as we think it is.

Paris Model(en)
A new dress plays a key role in the lives of four women who are not acquainted with each other.

New Blood(en)
Steve is very good at his job. Some might say a little too good. To some others... suspiciously good. The nature of Steve's ascension to corporate glory is riddled ...

RETURN(en)
‘RETURN’ follows Torstein Horgmo, Mikey Ciccarelli, Mons Røisland, Brandon Cocard, Brandon Davis, and Raibu Katayama as they push the boundaries of what can be accomplished snowboarding when innovative minds join forces.

The Bare Wench Project(en)
Four sorority girls -- Nikki, Chloe, Lori, and Toni -- head out to the mountains to find out the truth about the local legend of the Bare Wench. It isn't long before the gals get lost, run out of food, and begin succumbing to the fear that they're doomed.

Nesting(fi)
Nesting is a story about Veikka (20), who is about to leave his work place - a construction site owned by Kari (50) - to start a new life in the big city. Veikka thinks the goodbyes will go smoothly, but gets interrupted by a rare situation: there’s a baby in the crane. The surprising problem is an annoyance at first, but in the end it opens up communication between the employees in a way that has been difficult in the past.

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas(en)
The Brain designs a mesmerizing doll, Noodle Noggin, and plans to have Santa Claus deliver one to every house so he can make people do his every command through mind control.

George Strait: For the Last Time - Live from the Astrodome(en)
George Strait plays the last concert at the Houston Astrodome.

Les Guerriers(fr)
Two men who are trying to sell a life in uniform to young people fall victim to their own wrath in this allegorical drama.

Rosamunde Pilcher: Wenn das Herz zerbricht(de)
Successful model Jessica Marsh and her fiancé, up-and-coming business lawyer Oliver Barnes, are the model couple of London society. Jessica's happiness would be complete if Oliver could finally decide to propose to her and start a family. But Oliver thinks Jessica's principles, such as marriage vows and fidelity, are out of date. While Jessica is in Devon with her photographer and godmother Bridget looking for motifs for a new photo series, she meets the mysterious organ builder Max Ryman. Max falls in love with the enchanting young woman straight away, and Jessica also finds it hard to resist his charm and charismatic appeal. But Jessisca calls herself to order - after all, she is happy with Oliver.
Ein Herz spielt falsch(de)
A man, in need of money and too lazy to work for a living, marries a plain but rich girl in the knowledge that she is ill and has not long to live.
Tossing Eggs(en)
A stationary camera looks slightly uphill at a crowd of children and adults, most wearing a hat, a cap, or a ribbon, as they engage in tossing eggs or, for most of them, watching the fun. At least one child carries a wrapped gift. There are white and black children, and in the distance, two women seem to be the organizers. One enthusiastic young man, his back to us, catches and throws a few. He seems to be playing catch with one of the women at the top of the frame.
Similar Movies

Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic(de)
The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh.
Thaumaturgic Eye(cs)
Scientists demonstrate the wonders of magnified objects.

Nanook of the North(en)
This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory(fr)
Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.

How Animated Cartoons Are Made(en)
Wallace Carlson walks viewers through the production of an animated short at Bray Studios.

Invisible Hero(pt)
Duarte, a visually impaired fifty-year-old, sets out to look for Leandro, his Cape Verdean friend. Despite the heat of a Lisbon summer, Duarte wanders through the streets of his neighborhood, but no one seems to have seen or to have even known Leandro. Duarte's investigation will lead him deep into the night, and will ultimately reveal his secret.

Behind the Lens(en)
When a student documentary crew decides to interview Julia, a puzzling young woman willing to share her sensitive past, the project grows increasingly uncomfortable for the subject as the director's relentless scrutiny and unethical transgressions soon start to blur the lines between reality and performance.

The Fashion Side of Hollywood(en)
Compilation of lighting and costume tests from various films, most notably Sternberg's "The Devil Is a Woman" (1935).

One Second in Montreal(en)
A silent succession of black-and-white photographs of the city of Montreal.

47 Days, Sound-less(en)
47 Days, Sound-less by Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Trinh Thi is a film that explores the relationships between sound and silence, vision, language, colours and their absence. Nguyễn identifies “peripheries”—including natural landscapes used as backdrops, uncredited characters and soundtracks from American and Vietnamese movies—that reveal more-than-human perspectives. Offering new ways of looking and listening, 47 Days, Sound-less invites audiences to reflect on the inextricable relationship between a place and its inhabitants.
Rambling 'Round Radio Row #1(en)
Jerry Wald has to write about radio, visiting Sid Gary gives him the tip it might be more easy for him to write this article at the radio station than at his newspaper office. At the studio they listen to the Boswell Sister's rehearsal, which is interupted by some not so friendly remarks by orchestra leader Abe Lyman, they listen at the door, where a Colonel Stoopnagel broadcast is prepared, as well as to the rehearsal of a new song for an broadcast by Kate Smith.
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra(en)
In a nightclub setting, Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with two of his vocalists, perform four of the group's best known songs. For the complete list of songs, check the soundtrack listing.

Breakdowns of 1938(en)
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1938.

Paparazzi(fr)
Paparazzi explores the relationship between Brigitte Bardot and groups of invasive photographers attempting to photograph her while she works on the set of Jean-Luc Godard's film Le Mépris (Contempt). Through video footage of Bardot, interviews with the paparazzi, and still photos of Bardot from magazine covers and elsewhere, director Rozier investigates some of the ramifications of international movie stardom, specifically the loss of privacy to the paparazzi. The film explains the shooting of the film on the island of Capri, and the photographers' valiant, even foolishly dangerous, attempts to get a photograph of Bardot.

The Romance of Celluloid(en)
Several behind the scenes aspects of the movie-making business, which results in the enjoyment the movie going public has in going to the theater, are presented. They include: the production of celluloid aka film stock, the materials used in the production of which include cotton and silver; construction crews who build sets including those to look like cities, towns and villages around the world; a visit with Jack Dawn who demonstrates the process of creating a makeup design; the screen testing process, where many an acting hopeful gets his/her start; the work of the candid camera man, the prying eyes behind the movie camera; a visit with Adrian, who designs the clothes worn by many of the stars on screen; and a visit with Herbert Stothart as he conducts his musical score for Conquest (1937). These behind the scenes looks provide the opportunity to get acquainted with the cavalcade of MGM stars and their productions that will grace the silver screen in the 1937/38 movie season.

To Kill a Mockingbird: All Points of View(en)
A 60th anniversary retrospective documentary on the influence and context of the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird.

The Water Dwellers(en)
This short documentary introduces us to a town where no one pays rent: Simoom Sound in central British Columbia, where loggers live on sturdy river craft. Every week there are visitors: the general storekeeper, the flying postman and most importantly, the forest ranger, who is ever alert to the threat of fire.

Be-In(en)
Captures the spirit and essence of the great San Francisco Human Be-In of January 14, 1967. Ten thousand people imbued with peace, love and euphoria. Set to hard rock such as only San Francisco blues can produce. BE-IN contains Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Timothy Leary, Michael McClure, Lenore Kandel and Buddha. Music by Blue Cheer.