Take the 5:10 to Dreamland
Encyclopedia
Take the 5:10 to Dreamland (1976) is a short experimental film by Bruce Conner
, using the technique of found footage
. It is composed out of found images from the ’40-’50 from different sources such as educational hm and soundtrack. It is closely related to Valse Triste
, another found footage short by Bruce Conner.
, a dreamlike trance of different long, pacing tones and birdcalls. According to Bruce Conner, the first time he heard the composition, he started to envision dreamlike images appearing and disappearing. Because of the length of the composition (5 minutes and 10 seconds) they decided to call the short Take the 5:10 to Dreamland. Bruce Conner had been collecting a lot of footage from educational movies over the years and decided to use these images for the short.
The sepia tinting, which adds a lot to the nostalgic atmosphere, was actually unintentional and the result of a couple of problems Conner and Gleeson had with the transformation of the sound to the optical printer. The solution to these problems required the use of color film instead of black and white film, because color film generates the sharpest, clearest sound. Since black and white film hardly ever looks like black and white when it’s transferred onto color, tinting was necessary.
Bruce Conner: “It seemed to me that the appropriate color was sepia, but I wouldn’t have thought about making a sepia-toned print if that situation hadn’t occurred.”
(1977), which he calls ‘an extension of Take the 5:10 to Dreamland’ . Although he didn’t have the same sound problems with this film, he decided to make it sepia-toned as well, so the two films go together as a pair. Some of the images of Take the 5:10 to Dreamland are re-used. The dream is present again; the first shot is a little boy going to sleep, the images that follow are his ‘dream’ about the past, full of trains, cars, factories, typical American suburbs and fences. Nature is almost absent here; we see images of men and industry, images in movement. The rhythm is quicker, and the sad but vividly waltz on the soundtrack give this film an entire other feel, less dreamlike and more specifically rooted in the American past.
, Kenneth Anger
and Sidney Peterson
.
, Report
and Mongoloid
, which share the same sense of both critical engagement and humor, turning the images of media upside down in thrilling, witty juxtapositions, using newsreels, B-movies, advertisements and even soft-core pornography. Compared to his other work, the pair of Take the 5:10 to Dreamland and Valse Triste is gentler, even poetic, and lacks this furious engagement.
Bruce Conner
Bruce Conner was an American artist renowned for his work in assemblage, film, drawing, sculpture, painting, collage, and photography, among other disciplines.-Early life:...
, using the technique of found footage
Found footage
Found footage is a filmmaking term which describes a method of compiling films partly or entirely of footage which has not been created by the filmmaker, and changing its meaning by placing it in a new context. It should not be mistaken for documentary or compilation films. It is also not to be...
. It is composed out of found images from the ’40-’50 from different sources such as educational hm and soundtrack. It is closely related to Valse Triste
Valse Triste
Valse Triste may refer to:* Valse triste , a 1904 orchestral piece by Jean Sibelius* Valse triste , a 1977 ballet by Bruno Liberda* Valse Triste , a 1979 film by Bruce Conner...
, another found footage short by Bruce Conner.
Background and production
The main catalyst for Take the 5:10 to Dreamland was the soundtrack composed by Patrick GleesonPatrick Gleeson
Patrick Gleeson is a musician, synthesizer pioneer, composer and producer, from California, USA.Gleeson began experimenting with electronic music in the mid-'60s at the San Francisco Tape Music Center using a Buchla synth and other devices....
, a dreamlike trance of different long, pacing tones and birdcalls. According to Bruce Conner, the first time he heard the composition, he started to envision dreamlike images appearing and disappearing. Because of the length of the composition (5 minutes and 10 seconds) they decided to call the short Take the 5:10 to Dreamland. Bruce Conner had been collecting a lot of footage from educational movies over the years and decided to use these images for the short.
The sepia tinting, which adds a lot to the nostalgic atmosphere, was actually unintentional and the result of a couple of problems Conner and Gleeson had with the transformation of the sound to the optical printer. The solution to these problems required the use of color film instead of black and white film, because color film generates the sharpest, clearest sound. Since black and white film hardly ever looks like black and white when it’s transferred onto color, tinting was necessary.
Bruce Conner: “It seemed to me that the appropriate color was sepia, but I wouldn’t have thought about making a sepia-toned print if that situation hadn’t occurred.”
Relation to Valse Triste (1977)
After finishing Take the 5:10 to Dreamland, Bruce Conner started working on Valse TristeValse Triste
Valse Triste may refer to:* Valse triste , a 1904 orchestral piece by Jean Sibelius* Valse triste , a 1977 ballet by Bruno Liberda* Valse Triste , a 1979 film by Bruce Conner...
(1977), which he calls ‘an extension of Take the 5:10 to Dreamland’ . Although he didn’t have the same sound problems with this film, he decided to make it sepia-toned as well, so the two films go together as a pair. Some of the images of Take the 5:10 to Dreamland are re-used. The dream is present again; the first shot is a little boy going to sleep, the images that follow are his ‘dream’ about the past, full of trains, cars, factories, typical American suburbs and fences. Nature is almost absent here; we see images of men and industry, images in movement. The rhythm is quicker, and the sad but vividly waltz on the soundtrack give this film an entire other feel, less dreamlike and more specifically rooted in the American past.
Influences
Both films are a homage to surrealist cinema and the trance films of Maya DerenMaya Deren
Maya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
, Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger is an American underground experimental filmmaker, occasional actor and author...
and Sidney Peterson
Sidney Peterson
Sidney Peterson was an American author, artist, and avant-garde filmmaker. He attended UC Berkeley, worked as a newspaper reporter in Monterey, and spent time as a practicing painter and sculptor in France in the 1920s and 1930s...
.
Other experimental films by Bruce Conner
Bruce Conner is best known for his movies A MovieA Movie
A Movie is a 1958 experimental film in which Bruce Conner put together snippets of found footage, taken from B-movies, newsreels, soft-core pornography, novelty short films, and other sources, to a musical score featuring Respighi's The Pines of Rome....
, Report
Report (film)
Report is a 1967 short, avant-garde film by Bruce Conner. It consists of found footage concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It is listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die....
and Mongoloid
Mongoloid (song)
"Mongoloid" is the first single released by Devo in 1977, on the Booji Boy Records label. It was backed with the song "Jocko Homo." "Mongoloid" also had one of the first music videos made using collage. "Mongoloid" would later be re-recorded by Devo and appeared on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A:...
, which share the same sense of both critical engagement and humor, turning the images of media upside down in thrilling, witty juxtapositions, using newsreels, B-movies, advertisements and even soft-core pornography. Compared to his other work, the pair of Take the 5:10 to Dreamland and Valse Triste is gentler, even poetic, and lacks this furious engagement.