Truth and Illusion
King Vidor, USA, 1964, 25m

Metaphor
King Vidor, USA, 1980, 36m

Journey to Galveston
Catherine Berge, USA, 1980, 26m

Introduction from Catherine Berge on August 14

Later in his career, Vidor made a fascinating pair of documentaries. Though this might appear a departure from the rest of his filmography, one can find a certain continuity with even his earliest work. “A silent film,” Vidor once explained, “is more difficult to perform and more difficult to direct than a film with dialogue. It’s the inside of consciousness. It’s one’s whole being.” The question of consciousness animates the first film in the program, Truth and Illusion, an artful primer on matters metaphysical. In a different key, Metaphor concerns the painter Andrew Wyeth, and features the director and the painter discussing their respective art forms, as well as their mutual influence on one another. Closing out FLC’s survey is Catherine Berge’s Journey to Galveston, a tender and revealing portrait of Vidor, shot at his ranch in Paso Robles, California, near the end of his life. Metaphor courtesy of Catherine Berge and the Filmmuseum Munich.