GAZWRX – The Films Of Jeff Keen (1960 – 2002/Shorts/Britain/BFI Blu-ray/Region
Free)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Shorts: C+
PLEASE NOTE: This Blu-ray/DVD set edition is
only available in the U.K.
from our friends at BFI (British Film Institute’s home video arm) in the U.K. and can be
ordered from them at the website address link provided below at the end of the review or at finer retailers. This is a Region Free Blu-ray with Region
Free PAL DVDs.
Short
films can be a hit or miss proposition, but a few filmmakers have made their
reputation on them and Jeff Keen is one of them. A British artist, he has made his share of
film and videotaped shorts. Now, BFI has
collected them in a new Blu-ray/DVD box set that shows them off about as well
as they will ever look or sound. The
filmed shorts are all collected on the single Blu-ray, then repeated on the
DVDs, which add the analog videotaped works in the new GAXWRX – The Films Of Jeff Keen box set.
Whether
it is his style of montage, crude animation, practical graffiti or use of
nudity, not to mention the nostalgia/time capsule value of his work, Keen has
been making his shorts since 1960s and like them or hate them, they are not
without their view-ability or mature content.
It could be argued that the man is an auteur, but without narrative
tendencies. Think of the Led Zeppelin 3 cover done as dozens of
shorts over many decades in various ways.
Interesting, but it can only go so far.
However,
he is important enough to the world of shorts that BFI issued this set and some
may really enjoy the main works, but they have also included extras so you can
see and learn all about the man and his art.
The 1080p
1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image comes mostly from 16mm, 8mm and Super
8mm film footage, which are varied in their quality in part due to age, as well
as the choppy nature of the montage style used with his crude animation. Color is accurate for the most part and the
DVDs repeat the films with the color being a little weaker and Video Black
weaker as well, but also adds low-definition PAL analog video shorts he made
later. The PCM 2.0 48/24 Mono on the
Blu-ray is a little richer than the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on the DVD versions
of the shorts repeated, but the audio shows its age in these cases too.
Extras
include an informative, high quality, 96-page booklet printed on high quality
paper inside the box with a few essays, while the DVD also adds a new filmed
interview with Keen, half-hour 1983 documentary with interview and experimental
documentary on Keen entitled Art Flies
Free from 2000.
As noted
above, you can order this Blu-ray/DVD import exclusively from BFI at this link:
http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_11924.html
- Nicholas Sheffo
