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The Girl Chewing Gum

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The Girl Chewing Gum
Frame from the film
Directed byJohn Smith
Release date
  • 1976 (1976)
Running time
12 minutes
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish

The Girl Chewing Gum is a 1976 British short film directed by John Smith.[1][2][3]

Background

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The film, made as the ideological opposition to mainstream cinema,[4][5] was inspired by a scene in François Truffaut's 1973 film Day for Night in which the director gives instructions to the actors, and even tells a dog to urinate on a lamppost.[6][7]

Summary

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At Stamford Road in Dalston Junction of east London, the camera follows pedestrians, cars and birds while a narrator, who appears to be the (fictional) director behind the camera, seems to direct their actions.[8][9][10][11]

Legacy

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The film is widely acknowledged as one of the most important avant-garde films of the 20th century.[12]

The Girl Chewing Gum was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2019.[13]

Similar works

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Girl Chewing Gum". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  2. ^ BFI
  3. ^ From Warhol to Steve McQueen: a history of video art in 30 works|Video art|The Guardian
  4. ^ LUX
  5. ^ John Smith “The Man Girl Phoning Chewing Mum Gum” at Tanya Leighton, Berlin — Mousse Magazine and Publishing
  6. ^ Joe Moran. "The girl chewing gum", Moran's blog, 16 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  7. ^ Reading the Everyday - Google Books (pg.90)
  8. ^ Film at Lincoln Center
  9. ^ Can The Girl Chewing Gum Save the World? — ALT/KINO
  10. ^ Reality and Artifice in John Smith’s “The Girl Chewing Gum”|Artsy
  11. ^ CLOSE-UP|John Smith: Introspective (19720=-2022)
  12. ^ Reporting back on Tony Conrad screening|UAL
  13. ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
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