In 1973, the still photographer William Eggleston bought two SONY Porta-paks. A black and white camera that recorded on reel-to-reel half-inch video tape, the Porta-pak was the first video rig priced for the consumer market and, although ridiculously cumbersome by today's standards, the first that could be used outside a television studio. Introduced to the U.S. in 1966, it became a favorite tool of artists and political activist documentarians. The great advantage of the Porta-pak, in addition to the immediate feedback that distinguished it from motion picture film cameras, was that it could be used in extremely low-light conditions. And in the right hands, it produced images of ghostly beauty.
"Computer Chess" achieves the same visual thing, in addition to being a film that leaves you simply wondering what planet you were just visiting for 90 minutes. This film is an instant and odd avant-garde indie classic. I am still recovering. bye.
