By Brakhage: An Anthology, Vol. 2 [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

"Running over 7 1/2-hours, this exhaustive package constitutes the second anthology of collected works by avant-garde pioneer Stan Brakhage (1933-2003) to be issued by the venerable Criterion Collection. The first Criterion box set presented 26 of Brakhage's best-known and loved experimental shorts; this one offers thirty more. Highlights include Murder Psalm, Scenes from Under Childhood, The Wonder Ring and 23rd Psalm Branch. The package offers new high-definition digital transfers of all the films, plus a wealth of bonus supplements including: footage from the filmmaker's Sunday salons at the University of Colorado; the short film For Stan (directed by widow Marilyn Brakhage); audio recordings of lectures by Brakhage; an essay on the preservation of the films, written by Mark Toscano; two segments from a 1990 interview with Brakhage, done for The Boulder Arts Commission; and much more."