Criterion Collection Themes - Independent American Cinema
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In a national cinema dominated by behemoth Hollywood studios, independently produced films have always made for refreshing alternatives. There’s a great, diverse history of autonomous moviemaking in the United States, by artists whose intensely personal visions and ideas would have been unlikely to see a green light from, say, MGM or Universal. This selection of American films from the collection—narrative, documentary, experimental—got made without studio financing, whether by choice or necessity. The titles below come from raw, rough, and ready directors of nearly every period, including the silent era (Body and Soul, directed by African-American pioneer Oscar Micheaux), World War II (Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz’s political semidocumentary Native Land), the radical sixties (the fiercely idiosyncratic films of John Cassavetes and William Greaves), and the indie waves of the eighties (Jim Jarmusch and Gus Van Sant’s daring early works) and nineties (the debuts of Whit Stillman and Wes Anderson). Whether exposés on disenfranchised subcultures, character studies heavy or hilarious, or microbudgeted horror flicks, these are some of the most uncompromised films ever made.
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1 new
Alambrista!
1977, in 2 top lists Check -
2 new
The Baron of Arizona
1950, in 1 top list Check -
3 new
Beyond the Law
1968, in 2 top lists Check -
4 new
Blast of Silence
1961, in 2 top lists Check -
5 new
Body and Soul
1925, in 5 top lists Check -
6 new
Border Radio
1987, in 1 top list Check -
7 new
Borderline
1930, in 2 top lists Check -
8 new
Bottle Rocket
1996, in 3 top lists Check -
9 new
Desistfilm
1954, in 2 top lists Check -
10 new
Wedlock House: An Intercourse
1959, in 1 top list Check -
11 new
Prelude: Dog Star Man
1962, in 0 top lists Check -
12 new
Dog Star Man: Part I
1962, in 0 top lists Check -
13 new
Dog Star Man: Part II
1963, in 0 top lists Check -
14 new
Dog Star Man: Part III
1964, in 0 top lists Check -
15 new
Dog Star Man: Part IV
1964, in 0 top lists Check -
16 new
The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes
1971, in 9 top lists Check -
17 new
Cat's Cradle
1959, in 2 top lists Check -
18 new
Window Water Baby Moving
1959, in 7 top lists Check -
19 new
Mothlight
1963, in 6 top lists Check -
20 new
Eye Myth
1967, in 1 top list Check -
21 new
The Wold Shadow
1977, in 2 top lists Check -
22 new
The Garden of Earthly Delights
1981, in 1 top list Check -
23 new
The Stars Are Beautiful
1974, in 1 top list Check -
24 new
Kindering
1987, in 1 top list Check -
25 new
I... Dreaming
1988, in 1 top list Check -
26 new
The Dante Quartet
1987, in 1 top list Check -
27 new
Night Music
1986, in 1 top list Check -
28 new
Rage Net
1988, in 1 top list Check -
29 new
Glaze of Cathexis
1990, in 1 top list Check -
30 new
Delicacies of Molten Horror Synapse
1991, in 1 top list Check -
31 new
For Marilyn
1992, in 1 top list Check -
32 new
Black Ice
1994, in 1 top list Check -
33 new
Study in Color and Black and White
1993, in 1 top list Check -
34 new
Stellar
1993, in 1 top list Check -
35 new
Crack Glass Eulogy
1992, in 1 top list Check -
36 new
The Dark Tower
1999, in 1 top list Check -
37 new
Comingled Containers
1997, in 2 top lists Check -
38 new
Lovesong
2001, in 1 top list Check -
39 new
The Wonder Ring
1955, in 2 top lists Check -
40 new
The Dead
1960, in 3 top lists Check -
41 new
Two: Creeley/McClure
1965, in 1 top list Check -
42 new
23rd Psalm Branch: Part I
1967, in 2 top lists Check -
43 new
23rd Psalm Branch: Part II
1978, in 2 top lists Check -
44 new
Scenes from Under Childhood Section #1
1969, in 3 top lists Check -
45 new
The Machine of Eden
1970, in 2 top lists Check -
46 new
Star Garden
1974, in 1 top list Check -
47 new
Desert
1976, in 1 top list Check -
48 new
The Process
1972, in 1 top list Check -
49 new
Burial Path
1978, in 1 top list Check -
50 new
Duplicity III
1980, in 1 top list Check
Last updated on Jun 7, 2014; source