Shanghaied Text

Ken Kobland

1996 | 00:19:47 | United States | English | Color | Mono | 4:3 | Video

Collection: Single Titles

Tags: Future, Landscape

A self-described “collage piece” of “stolen images,” Shanghaied Text starts with quiet Montana landscapes, among which are views of a powerful dam. When the dam breaks loose you find yourself “shanghaied” to places unknown, where Kobland confronts you with a provocative mix of historical, lyrical, sexual and political references. Using quotes and pieces from movies by Vertov, Dovjenko, and Buñuel, along with archival images of social protests from the liberation of Paris, the piece builds to an operatic culmination with Turandot’s final choir. Shanghaied Text is a remarkable, dense and gripping work that leaves the viewer pondering our political and cultural heritage, as well as the role and place of technology in our future.

This title is also available on The New McLennium.

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Prizes + Awards

Golden Gate Award: San Francisco Festival
Juror's Prize: Black Maria Festival
Best Experimental Film: Ann Arbor Film Festival, 1999