Join Treasures from the Yale Film Archive online for a conversation with filmmaker Robert S. Withers '69, in conjunction with the online debut of his recently-preserved award-winning short film 16 Millimeter Earrings (1979), which creatively captures a performance by legendary composer, choreographer, and performer Meredith Monk. Monk's performance, which combined dance, music, singing, and projected images, debuted at the Judson Memorial Chapel in Greenwich Village in 1966. Thirteen years later, using short films, audiotapes, and props from the original theater piece, the filmmakers constructed additional props and a set, found new images, recorded new sound, and re-filmed projections for the recreation. Thanks to a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation, and through laboratory work by Colorlab, Audio Mechanics, and DJ Audio, 16 Millimeter Earrings was preserved on film by the Yale Film Study Center in 2017.
In a conversation recorded in June, 2020, Robert Withers speaks to Yale's film archivist Brian Meacham about the making of the film, as well as his time studying film at Yale and working with filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Standish Lawder.
Watch 16 Millimeter Earrings (25 mins)
Watch the Filmmaker Conversation (30 mins)
Both videos are presented with optional closed captioning, and both are available for viewing through the end of December, 2020.
What is Treasures from the Yale Film Archive?
Treasures from the Yale Film Archive is an ongoing series of classic and contemporary films in 35mm curated by the Yale Film Study Center and screened at the Whitney Humanities Center.