13 Lakes

2004 American film by James Benning June 2023 June 2023 June 2023 13 Lakes 13 Lakes film screenshot.jpg A screenshot from the film James Benning James Benning James Benning 2004 10 20 Vienna International Film Festival Canyon Cinema 133 minutes"runtime" Sources variously give 133 or 135 minutesMullen 2017 10 for the running time of the film. United States Silent; English credits 13 Lakes is a 2004 American experimental film by independent filmmaker James Benning. Consisting of 13 ten-minute-long static shots of different lakes in the United States, 13 Lakes is an instance of slow cinema, placing emphasis on introspection and contemplation. Shot on 16 mm film, 13 Lakes had its world premiere at the Vienna International Film Festival on October 20, 2004. Due to the experimental nature of the film, it did not receive a theatrical release, but has been distributed by Canyon Cinema. 13 Lakes received positive reviews, with particular praise directed towards its ambience, cinematography and Benning's direction. In 2014, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Overview 13 Lakes consists of 13 ten-minute-long static shots of different lakes in the United States. The surface of the lakes bisect the skyline. Each transition to a new shot is separated by several seconds of darkness.http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2005/experimental-cinema/james_benning-2/ Anderson Micheal J. July 2005 James Benning's Art of Landscape: Ontological, Pedagogical, Sacrilegious Senses of Cinema 36 February 20, 2016 August 7, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180807112858/http://sensesofcinema.com/2005/experimental-cinema/james_benning-2/ liveMacDonald 2014 1 In order of appearance, the lakes featured are Jackson Lake in Wyoming; Moosehead Lake, Maine; the Salton Sea, California; Lake Superior, Minnesota; Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin; Lake Okeechobee, Florida; Red Lake, Minnesota; Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana; the Great Salt Lake, Utah; Lake Iliamna, Alaska; Lake Powell in both Utah and Arizona; Crater Lake, Oregon; and Oneida Lake, New York.MacDonald 2014 1 Synopsis The sky is clear above Jackson Lake; the sun rises during the scene. Mountains are seen in the distance. Bird vocalization and howling—likely that of a gray wolf—can be heard prominently for the first two minutes of the shot. The daylight sky above Moosehead Lake is cloudy. The horizon separates two landmasses visible to the left and rightmost sides of the scene. The daylight sky above Salton Sea is clear and sunny. For the entire duration of the scene, with mountains visible in the distance, two jet skis circle the body of water. It is a cloudy day over Lake Superior, which sees a harbor in the distance. Chunks of ice float in the lake. A container ship enters the harbor sailing from the right to left side of the shot. The sky above Lake Winnebago is clear. Land is seen in the far distance and bird vocalization is heard, which gradually increases throughout the duration of the scene. In the far distance, a sailing ship enters the scene from the left and disappears from view as it nears the center of the shot. It is a sunny day over Lake Okeechobee, although clouds are seen in the distance which slowly approach the shot. Flora—possibly seagrass—is seen emerging from the water, as are rocks, with forested wetland visible in the near distance. A level crossing is heard, followed by a train horn and train noise as a train passes behind the shot.https://canyoncinema.com/catalog/film/?i=4852 Benning, James 13 Lakes Motion picture 2004 Canyon Cinema January 28, 2023 January 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230127063633/https://canyoncinema.com/catalog/film/?i=4852 live The sky above Red Lake is cloudy. The only landmass visible is in the far distance to the rightmost side of the shot. Thunder is heard throughout the scene as rain clouds emerge from the right side of the shot and float leftwards. The sky above Lake Pontchartrain is also cloudy. Visible is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, disappearing in the distance as it heads left. It is a clear day over Great Salt Lake, although clouds are seen in the distance. Mountainous terrain is visible at the center of the lake. Birds circle the area at the start of the shot, after which they can be seen in the distance flying across the lake. Two planes are heard flying overhead. Lake Iliamna is cloudy, with mist visible across the lake. In the distance, snowy mountains rise up along the horizon, towering above the lake. It is a clear day over Lake Powell as the sun is setting. The shot, encircled by the Colorado Plateau, becomes gradually encompassed in darkness. A plane can be heard, and later a small passenger ship sails from the right to the left of the shot. Crater Lake is perfectly reflected in the clear water on a clear day, though several clouds do pass by. Several gunshots are heard throughout the duration of the scene, which echo around the lake. It is a cloudy day over Oneida Lake, with the only visible land located to the left of the shot. Production thumb|left|Benning in 2012 James Benning is an American independent filmmaker known for utilizing long takes in his films.Mullen 2017 9 Benning's The United States of America (1975) was described by the Criterion Channel as "one of the major works of the structuralist film movement of the 1970s."https://www.criterionchannel.com/directed-by-bette-gordon/season:1/videos/the-united-states-of-america The United States of America The Criterion Channel January 28, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20200927144620/https://www.criterionchannel.com/directed-by-bette-gordon/season:1/videos/the-united-states-of-america September 27, 2020 dead Many of Benning's works focus heavily on landscape.Jorge De Luca 2015 267 His films have been described as an example of slow cinema, a genre of art cinema that is characterized by a style that is minimalist, observational, and with little or no narrative, and emphasis on long takes.Mullen 2017 9–10 Scott MacDonald, writing in an essay for the National Film Registry, notes Benning's previous films 11 x 14 (1977) and One Way Boogie Woogie (1977) which both prominently incorporate landscape. MacDonald regards 13 Lakes as the culmination of Benning's gradually increasing interest in testing the patience of the audience.MacDonald 2014 1 According to Andrew Chan of Slant Magazine, Benning was aiming to replicate the "experience of perceiving", and aimed for 13 Lakes to have a more austere tone than any of his previous films.https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/nudging-the-mind-james-bennings-13-lakes/ Chan Andrew July 8, 2007 Nudging the Mind: James Benning's 13 Lakes Slant Magazine January 28, 2023 January 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230127064504/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/nudging-the-mind-james-bennings-13-lakes live MacDonald believes that Benning specifically chose the thirteen lakes because of his personal history with each of them. For instance, Oneida Lake was chosen due to his frequent visits with friends residing in central New York, and Benning is fond of both the Salton Sea and the Great Salt Lake.MacDonald 2014 1 Benning purposefully chose to bisect the lakes with the skyline as he considered the sky to add atmosphere and contribute to each lake's uniqueness.Lübecker Rugo 2017 163 Nikolaj Lübecker and Daniele Rugo notice a similarity between the title of 13 Lakes and the works of painter and photographer Edward Ruscha—citing Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1963), Thirtyfour Parking Lots (1967) and Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass (1968) as examples.Lübecker Rugo 2017 21 13 Lakes is the longest of Benning's films to be shot on 16 mm. Benning has since moved to digital film, which allows his works to be even longer.Lübecker Rugo 2017 26 13 Lakes was shot and released alongside another film by Benning entitled Ten Skies.Mullen 2017 9 Release and reception 13 Lakes had its world premiere at the Vienna International Film Festival (Viennale) on October 20, 2004.https://www.indiewire.com/2004/10/viennale-impresses-again-with-its-hospitality-programming-innovations-78572/ Mitchell Wendy October 29, 2004 Viennale Impresses Again With Its Hospitality, Programming & Innovations IndieWire January 28, 2023 Due to the experimental nature of the film, it did not receive a theatrical release, but has been distributed by Canyon Cinema. 13 Lakes received positive reviews. John Anderson, writing for Variety, praised the film as a "singular cinematic experience, equally meditative and exciting, and ultimately exhilarating", lauding the film for making the viewer "sit down and notice" the small changes that occur in each shot.https://variety.com/2005/scene/markets-festivals/13-lakes-1200526069/ Anderson John May 5, 2005 13 Lakes Variety January 28, 2023 Joshua Land of Time Out gave the film a maximum of five stars, praising Benning's direction and the cinematography which Land called beautiful and "hypnotic", adding "to a momentary glance, it might appear that nothing is 'happening' ... but Benning's brilliant use of real time unlocks their inexhaustible potential."https://www.timeout.com/movies/13-lakes Land Joshua June 21, 2007 13 Lakes Time Out January 28, 2023 January 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230127064451/https://www.timeout.com/movies/13-lakes live Andrew Chan of Slant Magazine lauded both the boldness and serenity of 13 Lakes, praising the cinematography which "reveals itself to be mindfully directed", adding "13 Lakes offers up humility not as a fancy moral pose, but as an acknowledgment that art reflects (rather than transcends) human weakness." In 2014, 13 Lakes was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-14-210/new-films-added-to-national-registry/2014-12-17/ December 17, 2014 Cinematic Treasures Named to National Film Registry Library of Congress January 28, 2023 November 26, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201126213653/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-14-210/new-films-added-to-national-registry/2014-12-17/ livehttps://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/2014-additions-to-national-film-registry/ December 17, 2014 2014 additions to National Film Registry CBS News February 21, 2023 February 21, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230221180258/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/2014-additions-to-national-film-registry/ live Themes Benning asserted at the screening of 13 Lakes for the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival that it was an anti-war film, saying that his films—especially 13 Lakes—showed "the kind of beauty we're destroying." Responding to confusion and negative reception from the audience during the screening of the film at Tribeca, Benning said that "Maybe if we looked and listened a little more, we wouldn't do stupid things ... we wouldn't drop bombs on each other." Similarly, Benning regarded Ten Skies as a metaphor for peace.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-nov-06-tm-benning45-story.html Gottlieb Akiva November 6, 2005 Just Look The Los Angeles Times February 21, 2023 13 Lakes, like Benning's previous minimalist films, has also been positively compared to paintings of landscapes.MacDonald 2014 1Lübecker Rugo 2017 p. 130: "With specific analyses of the tradition of contemplation in landscape painting, Rugo discusses how these films simultaneously demand, from both director and audience, responsiveness and relinquishment, blurring the lines between activity and passivity, and thus producing an environment dominated by patience" Nikolaj Lübecker and Daniele Rugo note that 13 Lakes does not attempt to tell a concrete story and chooses instead to focus on the imagery of film itself; for them, 13 Lakes demands patience from the audience and "might be a place where we find refuge in getting lost. Or, conversely, in finding one's bearings."Lübecker Rugo 2017 pp. 130, 137: "Like the great panel in the Prado, 13 Lakes might be a place where we find refuge in getting lost. Or, conversely, in finding one's bearings" Notes References Bibliography https://books.google.com/books?id=E0ckDQAAQBAJ Slow Cinema Nuno Barradas Jorge Tiago De Luca 2015 Edinburgh University Press Traditions in World Cinema 978-0-7486-9603-1 10.1515/9780748696031 https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1tqxvn2 Nikolaj Lübecker Rugo Daniele 2017 James Benning's Environments: Politics, Ecology, Duration Edinburgh University Press 978-1-4744-1794-5 10.1515/9781474470346 10.3366/j.ctt1tqxvn2 247901586 https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/13_lakes.pdf MacDonald Scott Scott MacDonald (media scholar) 2014 Film essay for '13 Lakes' National Film Registry Library of Congress https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/14908 Mullen Catherine Mary 2017 Experimental cinema and embodiment in nature-based video installations Montana State University External links 0445158 thirteen-lakes Film Art Category:2004 American films Category:2000s avant-garde and experimental films Category:2004 films Category:American independent films Category:Films directed by James Benning Category:United States National Film Registry films inducted in 2014 Category:Non-narrative films