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''Hours for Jerome'' (1980–82) is an American silent
experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...
in two parts directed by
Nathaniel Dorsky Nathaniel Dorsky (born 1943 in New York City), is an American experimental filmmaker and film editor who has been making films since 1963. He attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio where he developed his interest in filmmaking. He won a ...
recording the daily events of Dorsky and his partner, artist Jerome Hiler, around Lake Owassa in New Jersey and in Manhattan. The two films revolve around the four seasons with Part 1 revolving around spring through summer while part 2 revolves around fall through winter. According to Dorsky, he states that the film "is an arrangement of images, energies, and illuminations from daily life" and a "silent tone poem". In 2012, ''Hours for Jerome'' was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
of the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.


Production

The footage for the film was shot in the late 1960s but Dorsky did not begin editing it until 1980. Although the title refers to the religious
Book of Hours The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscri ...
which covers prayers for the course of a day. Nonetheless, the images are according to Scott MacDonald intended to act as prayers and "reaccess something of the sacred". Like most of Dorsky's work, it is intended to be projected at silent film speeds of 17-20 frames per second, rather than the usual 24 fps of sound films. The films are recorded in
16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
and run on 18 fps. According to Dorsky's blog, the film reels are not available online or digitized because it would've been reproduced and it would ruin the original experience of viewing the film in-person in theaters and the artistic aspects of the director's intention. Currently, no digital copy exists.


Summary

Both films depict the seasonal aspects while including Dorsky and his romantic partner. Together, the two parts cover a year, with part one depicting spring and summer and part two fall and winter.


Critical reception

Critic Matthew Flanagan chose it as one of the ten greatest films ever for the 2012
Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
poll. Scott MacDonald praised its depiction of the passing year, calling it "America's most compelling cinematic paean to temperate-zone seasonality".


See also

* List of films preserved in the United States National Film Registry * 2015 New York Film Festival


References


External links

*
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Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
1980s avant-garde and experimental films 1982 films American LGBT-related films American silent films Films directed by Nathaniel Dorsky Silent films in color United States National Film Registry films 1980s American films {{LGBT-film-stub