HERMES BIRD (US, 1979, James Broughton and Joel Singer)
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“This is the secret that will not stay hidden / this secret that is no secret / Here is the wonder of the god in man / Here is the dangling flower of Eros.” —James Broughton
So begins the poetry sequence on the soundtrack of the intimate HERMES BIRD, described by James Broughton as “a celebration and an apotheosis of the masculine miracle: the transformative powers of the phallus, revealed as a phenomenon of glowing beauty and wonder.”
Because the film occurs in extreme slow motion, the pulsations, tremors, and changes of Joel Singer’s penis as it grows erect become visible until, in the words of Broughton, “at last, reaching outward and upward, it takes flight toward its climax.”
“It was 1979’s HERMES BIRD that truly revealed Broughton’s love of the male body. This 11-minute film shows a grainy shot of a nude man’s crotch as his penis goes from a flaccid to erect state… As with all of his later films, Broughton’s poetry is featured prominently in voice-over, revealing his adoration of humankind and the pleasures of the human body.” —Michael Abernethy, PopMatters
Broughton wrote a collection of lyrical poems to accompany HERMES BIRD, which he recites in a voiceover that serves as the film’s soundtrack. The poems sing praises for the “radiant masculine mystery” of the “sacred firebird” and the “holy acrobat shaped for surprise.”
DEVOTIONS
(US, 1983)
Director: James Broughton and Joel Singer
Director of Photography: James Broughton
Starring: Joel Singer
- 11 minutes
- 16mm
- Color
- Sound
Distribution Format/s: DSL/Downloadable 1080p .mp4 file on server
Published By: GME
Classroom Price: $250
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