The Girl Chewing Gum

The Girl Chewing Gum is a 1976 British short film directed by John Smith.[1][2]

The Girl Chewing Gum
Directed byJohn Smith
Release date
1976
Running time
12 minutes
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish

Background

The film, made as the ideological opposition to mainstream cinema,[3][4] was inspired by a scene in François Truffaut's 1973 film Day for Night in which the director gives instructions to the actors, and even tells a dog to urinate on a lamppost.[5][6]

Summary

At Stamford Road in Dalston Junction of east London, the camera follows pedestrians, cars and birds while a narrator, who appears to be the (fictional) director behind the camera, seems to direct their actions.[7][8][9][10]

Legacy

The film is widely acknowledged as one of the most important avant-garde films of the 20th century.[11]

The Girl Chewing Gum was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2019.[12]

Similar works

See also

References
  1. BFI
  2. From Warhol to Steve McQueen: a history of video art in 30 works|Video art|The Guardian
  3. LUX
  4. John Smith “The Man Girl Phoning Chewing Mum Gum” at Tanya Leighton, Berlin — Mousse Magazine and Publishing
  5. Joe Moran. "The girl chewing gum", Moran's blog, 16 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  6. Reading the Everyday - Google Books (pg.90)
  7. Film at Lincoln Center
  8. Can The Girl Chewing Gum Save the World? — ALT/KINO
  9. Reality and Artifice in John Smith’s “The Girl Chewing Gum”|Artsy
  10. CLOSE-UP|John Smith: Introspective (19720=-2022)
  11. Reporting back on Tony Conrad screening|UAL
  12. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
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