Alexander Hammid

Alexander Hammid

Born: December 17, 1907
Died: July 26, 2004
in Linz, Austria
Alexander Hammid born Alexandr Hackenschmied (17 December 1907, Linz – 26 July 2004, New York City) was a leading photographer, film director, cinematographer and editor in Czechoslovakia between the two world wars. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1938 and became involved in American avant-garde cinema. He is best known known for his film, Crisis (1939), Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) and To Be Alive!(1964). He made Meshes of the Afternoon, with his wife Maya Deren—to whom he was married from 1942 to 1947. He won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) for To Be Alive! (1964), which he co-directed with Francis Thompson.

Movies for Alexander Hammid...

Maya Deren, Take Zero
Title: Maya Deren, Take Zero
Character: Himself
Released: January 30, 2012
Type: Movie
This documentary interweaves celluloid and voice recordings by Maya Deren, and colleagues who knew her firsthand: Jean Rouch, Jonas Mekas, Alexander Hammid, Cecile Starr etc. Maya Deren (1917-1961) was an experimental filmmaker. In the 1940s and 1950s she made several influential avant-garde films, such as Meshes of the Afternoon (1943). Images from this and her other work are used in this documentary. You can also hear her voice, as well as accounts by contemporaries such as Jean Rouch and Jonas Mekas.
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In the Mirror of Maya Deren
Title: In the Mirror of Maya Deren
Character: Himself
Released: March 15, 2002
Type: Movie
Documentary about the life of avant-garde filmmaker Maya Deren, who led the independent film movement of the 1940s.
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Maya Deren - Experimental Films
Title: Maya Deren - Experimental Films
Released: February 2, 2002
Type: Movie
The collected shorts of Maya Deren the "Mother of the trance film" who worked completely outside the commercial film industry and made her own inner experience the center of her films.The collected shorts of Maya Deren the "Mother of the trance film" who worked completely outside the commercial film industry and made her own inner experience the center of her films.
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Aimless Walk - Alexander Hammid
Title: Aimless Walk - Alexander Hammid
Character: Himself
Released: April 1, 1997
Type: Movie
We accompany the 90-year-old filmmaker Alexander Hammid on a stroll through New York, wandering with him through the outer and inner landscapes of his world. The observation of details takes on a meditative character.
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Invocation: Maya Deren
Title: Invocation: Maya Deren
Character: Himself (as Sasha Hammid)
Released: April 24, 1986
Type: Movie
Maya Deren is a legend of avant-garde cinema. This authoritative biography of the charismatic filmmaker, poet and anthropologist features excerpts from her pioneering Meshes of the Afternoon and her unfinished documentary on Haiti, interviews with Stan Brakhage and Jonas Mekas, and recordings of her lectures. Narrated by actress Helen Mirren, this definitive documentary offers startling insights into one of the most intriguing, accomplished figures in cinema history.
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At Land
Title: At Land
Released: January 1, 1944
Type: Movie
A woman lies on the sand, left there by the tides and waves (and in a pose that would be copied in From Here to Eternity). She reaches up across tree roots and makes a difficult climb. Only to discover herself climbing horizontally along a long dinner table as bourgeoise black-tie guests chat and drink and smoke, oblivious to her. At the top of the table, a man is playing chess but abandons the game. Fascinated, she gazes at board, the pieces moving unaided. The woman chases a pawn as it falls to the floor. Falls down a waterfall. Is lost.
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Meshes of the Afternoon
Title: Meshes of the Afternoon
Character: The Man
Released: January 1, 1943
Type: Movie
A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.