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River of Fundament
Directed by
Written byMatthew Barney
Based onAncient Evenings by Norman Mailer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Streitmann
Music byJonathan Bepler
Production
company
Laurenz Foundation
Release date
February 12, 2014 (United States)[1]
Running time
330 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$44,840[2]

River of Fundament is a 2014 operatic experimental film written and directed by American contemporary artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney, and co-directed by longtime collaborator Jonathan Bepler. It was produced by Barney and the Laurenz Foundation, and is loosely based on American author Norman Mailer's 1983 novel Ancient Evenings. The film features Barney, Dave Bald Eagle, Milford Graves, John Buffalo Mailer, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Madyn Greer Coakley, Paul Giamatti, Shara Nova, Joan La Barbara, Elaine Stritch, Debbie Harry and Aimee Mullins.

Plot edit

Cast edit

Themes edit

Production edit

River of Fundament was produced over 2007 to 2012, being the final product of a series of performances that accumulated into becoming the film's narrative. The film follows Norman Mailer (played by three actors over the course of the film) as he travels through three reincarnations, enduring the seven mythological states of his soul, loosely based on his own novel, Ancient Evenings (1983).[3] Along with the main narrative, it includes other elements from performance, sculpture, and opera. It has been described as a "eulogy for Mailer".[4]

Release edit

River of Fundament premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in 2014, with the film's over five-hour runtime screened over the course of a 4-day long event, from February 12th to the 16th.[1] It received two individual screenings at the Manhattan-based art theatre IFC Center, with screenings being split into three parts, first occurring from December 4th to the 6th, and the second lasting from the 7th to the 9th.[5]

Reception edit

Box office edit

Critical response edit

River of Fundament was widely polarized by critics upon its release. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

The Paris Review

Legacy edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b n.a. (2014). "River of Fundament". Brooklyn Academy of Music. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "River of Fundament". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Barney, Matthew. "Synopsis". River of Fundament. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  4. ^ Benns, Sway (September 16, 2015). "This 6-Hour Film Will Test Your Patience, Thirst, and Expectations for Art". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  5. ^ n.a. (2015). "River of Fundament - IFC Center". IFC Center. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "River of Fundament". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2023.

External links edit

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