Writing & Publications

"[R. Bruce] Elder is a prolific filmmaker who has also written more (and more useful) books and essays on avant-garde cinema than anyone else." P. Adams Sitney, Marvelous Names in Literature and Cinema.

A Body of Vision

Author: R. Bruce Elder
Year: 1998/99

Image and Identity

Author: R. Bruce Elder
Year: 1989

Harmony and Dissent

Author: R. Bruce Elder
Year: 2008

The Films of Stan Br..

Author: R. Bruce Elder
Year: 1998

The Body in Film

Author: R. Bruce Elder
Year: 1989

Dada, Surrealism, and the..

Author: R. Bruce Elder
Year: 2013

Full Bibliography

"Having recently completed his monumental film cycle, 'The Book of All the Dead,' Elder begins a new cycle - 'The Book Of Praise' - with 'A Man Whose Life Was Full of Woe Has Been Surprised by Joy.' Elder believes that, by using speed and by creating constructions which incorporate a number of attractions that contend with each other for attention, a filmmaker can produce a form of experience that bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the body and the senses. Accordingly, he creates dense, elaborate films that make use of intricate montage construction, complex collage (combining simultaneous multiple images) and layered sound construction. In his new film, Elder depicts forms of life that have grown increasingly out of touch with the body, and attempts to elicit and experience of the delight that results from reconnecting with our natural being."- Cinematheque Ontario, March 1998.

1:40:00 min. colour / sound 1997