The Curtis Harrington short films collection
By: Flicker Alley [presents] ; film[s] by Curtis Harrington
Contributors: Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849, author; Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849; Nepita, Sean, actor; Uzan, Fabrice, actor; Jassen, Lisa, writer of added commentary, author; Tosano, Mark, writer of added commentary, author; Drag City (Firm); Flicker Alley (Firm); Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Film Archive
Edition: Deluxe combo Blu-ray/DVD ed.
Publisher: Flicker Alley; Drag City, Inc.
Published: 2013
Place of publication: [Los Angeles, Calif.]; [Chicago, Il.]
Language: eng
Format: [videorecording] /
Number of pages: 100
ISBN-13: 9781893967793
Subjects: Drama; Occultism; Man-woman relationships; Blessing and cursing; Middle class; Dreams
Other titles: 3 films by Curtis Harrington, American avant-garde film producer; Fragment of seeking.; Picnic.; On the edge.; Assignation.; Wormwood Star .; Usher.; Fall of the house of Usher.; Four elements.
Description: A collection of Curtis Harrington shorts that he wrote, directed, and occasionally starred in. The films are generally silent, strange, moody, and metaphorical.

Fragment of seeking: Harrington plays a young man desperately seeking out the fleeting image of a female companion, and though he never quite catches her, he discovers much more through the surreal explorations of his own sexuality.

Picnic: Beginning in the reality of American middle-class life, Picnic portrays the idealistic dream-quest of the protagonist, from which he is finally cast off. Harrington himself described the film thus: "A satirical comment on middle-class life frames a dream-like continuity in which the protagonist pursues an illusory object of desire."

On the edge: In this poetic fantasy, set against a dark industrial landscape, Harrington casts his own mother and father in the lead roles.

The Assignation: Long considered lost, this was Harrington's first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and not unlike Fragment of seeking, follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

The Wormwood Star: A film study of the artwork of famed painter Majorie Cameron.

Usher: Director's final film, Usher is a remake of the original film made by Harrington when was in high school, and based on the classic Edgar Allan Poe story "The fall of the house of Usher."
Notes: Title from container.

DVD/Blu-ray release date: July 2013.

"From the Academy Film Archive collection."--Disc surface.

Includes illustrated booklet (27 p. ; ill.) with an essay by Lisa Jassen and film notes by Mark Tosano.

Bonus features include two films The four elements (1966), an avant-garde documentary Harrington made for the U.S. Information Agency, and The fall of the house of Usher (1942), the original film made by Harrington when was in high school (from which Usher is based); a short interview shot (22 min.) by filmmakers Tyler Hubby and Jeffrey Schwarz, who are responsible for the documentary House of Harrington (2009); 2003 interview (43 min.) with Harrington conducted by Rani Singh and Michael Friend for the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles; an enclosed booklet contains notes on restorations by Academy Film Archive preservationist Mark Toscano and an essay by Lisa Janssen.

Fragment of seeking (1946 ; 16 min.), Picnic (1948 ; 22 min.), On the edge (1949 ; 6 min.): short, b&w, written and directed by Curtis Harrington.

The Assignation (1953 ; 8 min.), The Wormwood Star (1955 ; 10 min.): short, color, written and directed by Curtis Harrington.

Usher (2002 ; 38 min.): short, color, written and directed by Curtis Harrington; based on the short story The fall of the house of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe.

Curtis Harrington, Sean Nepita, Fabrice Uzan.

DVD: NTSC, region 0 (all regions); aspect ratio: 1.33:1 and 1.78:1; mono sound format.
Table of contents: title: Fragments of seeking (1946 : 16 min.); title: Picnic (1048 : 22 min.); title: On the edge (1949 ; 6 min.); title: The Assignation (1953 : 8 min.); title: The Wormwood Star (1955 ; 10 min.); title: Usher (2002 ; 38 min.); title: Bonus (88 min.).