"The Passing (1991)," by Bill Viola, is a fifty-four minute video piece shot in black and white. Eventhough a broken narrative and somewhat stream of conscious film, its themes are crystal clear. "The Passing is a personal response to the spiritual extremes of birth and death in the family," Bill Viola explains. He is referring to the birth of his son and death of his mother (to whom the film is dedicated), both of which occured in the four years prior to the making of this film.
The film opens up with a shot of complete darkeness. Slowly lights begin to twinkle and shine through the black nothingness as the camera begins to pull out. After a few moments the the grainy videotape footage begins to reveal what appears to be clouds in the night sky. The shot then fades into a close up of a man's face, specifically his blinking eye, laying horizontal. Viola later elaborates on this scene, frequently returning to a man (Viola himself) being awakened by his unsettling dreams and struggling to sleep through the night. The third shot of the film shows a figure suspened in water, clothes swaying ( a visual theme commonly used by Viola). We then emerge from the water as the camera follows Viola's son from behind as he happily runs from the ocean down the shore. The camera is positioned low--at the hight of the infant child, creating an intersting, almost voyeuristic perspective.
The rest of the film continues to juxtapose the human body with the natural world, exploring the meaning of life and our relationship with the universe. Bill Viola uses transitions and plays with the lights and shadows to convey the dreamlike imagery in "The Passing." The distressed man tosses and turns in bed, as he dreams of wandering in vast desert landscapes and being stranded in ominous bodies of water, occasionaly waking to check the clock or drink a glass of water. The only audio in the film is a loud ambient sound and distorted heavy breathing.
"The Passing" is about lonliness and spirituality. It is about life, death and everything in between.
The film opens up with a shot of complete darkeness. Slowly lights begin to twinkle and shine through the black nothingness as the camera begins to pull out. After a few moments the the grainy videotape footage begins to reveal what appears to be clouds in the night sky. The shot then fades into a close up of a man's face, specifically his blinking eye, laying horizontal. Viola later elaborates on this scene, frequently returning to a man (Viola himself) being awakened by his unsettling dreams and struggling to sleep through the night. The third shot of the film shows a figure suspened in water, clothes swaying ( a visual theme commonly used by Viola). We then emerge from the water as the camera follows Viola's son from behind as he happily runs from the ocean down the shore. The camera is positioned low--at the hight of the infant child, creating an intersting, almost voyeuristic perspective.
The rest of the film continues to juxtapose the human body with the natural world, exploring the meaning of life and our relationship with the universe. Bill Viola uses transitions and plays with the lights and shadows to convey the dreamlike imagery in "The Passing." The distressed man tosses and turns in bed, as he dreams of wandering in vast desert landscapes and being stranded in ominous bodies of water, occasionaly waking to check the clock or drink a glass of water. The only audio in the film is a loud ambient sound and distorted heavy breathing.
"The Passing" is about lonliness and spirituality. It is about life, death and everything in between.
posted by Griffin at 2:01 PM
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