From a murky landscape, a wooded mountain emerges. We watch the sun. We see a bearded man climbing up the mountain through the snow. He carries an ax, and he's accompanied by a dog. His labors continue. There is no soundtrack. Images rush past - water, trees, and surfaces too close up to distinguish. He struggles. A fire burns. Nature, in long shots and magnified, is formidable and silent. It's tough going; he carries on. In a capillary, blood flows.
I adored this, quite reasonably regarded as one of the finest post-silent short experimental works. Confused why it's regarded as five separate films, though.
Seen on my university library's Criterion Collection DVD of Brakhage's anthology, Volume 1. I certainly hope to purchase for my own collection the blu release of Volumes 1 and 2.
