Hollis Frampton's Hapax Legomena Program I

Nostalgia - Hapax Legomena I - [T]he time it takes for a photograph to burn (and thus confirm its two-dimensionality) becomes the clock within the film, while Frampton plays the critic, asynchronously glossing, explicating, narrating, mythologizing his earlier art, and his earlier life, as he commits them both to the fire of a labyrinthine structure; for Borges too was one of his earlier masters, and he grins behind the facades of logic, mathematics, and physical demonstration which are the formal metaphors for most of Frampton's films. ? P Adams Sitney Poetic Justice - Hapax Legomena II - Frampton presents us with a ?scenario? of extreme complexity in which the themes of sexuality, infidelity, voyeurism are ?projected? in narrative sequence entirely through the voice telling the tale ? again it is the first person singular speaking, however, in the present tense and addressing the characters as ?you,? ?your lover,? and referring to an ?I?. We see, on screen, only the physical aspect of a script, papers resting on a table?and the projection is that of a film as consonant with the projection of the mind. ? Annette Michelson Critical Mass - Hapax Legomena III - As a work of art I think [it] is quite universal and deals with all quarrels (those between men and women, or men and men, or women and women, or children, or war. It is war!... It is very funny, and rather obviously so. It is a magic film in that you can enjoy it, with greater appreciation, each time you look at it. Most aesthetic experiences are not enjoyable on the surface. You have to look at them a number of times before you are able to fully enjoy them, but this one stands up at once, and again and again, and is amazingly clear. ? Stan Brakhage