| Empire | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Empire_Screenshot_Warhol.jpg) Screenshot from the film | |
| Directed by | Andy Warhol John Palmer |
| Produced by | Andy Warhol |
| Cinematography | Jonas Mekas |
| Distributed by | Warhol Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 485 minutes |
| Country | United States |
Empire is a 1965 American underground film by Andy Warhol. When projected according to Warhol's specifications, it consists of eight hours and five minutes of slow motion black-and-white footage of an unchanging view of New York City's Empire State Building. The silent film does not have conventional narrative or characters, and largely reduces the experience of cinema to the passing of time.[1] Warhol stated that the purpose of the film was "to see time go by."[2]
A week after the film was shot, experimental filmmaker Jonas Mekas (who was cinematographer for Empire) speculated in the Village Voice that Warhol's film would have a profound influence on avant-garde cinema.[3] In 2004, Empire was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5]
- ^ Crimp (2012), p. 142.
- ^ Bourdon (1989), p. 188.
- ^ Mekas, Jonas (July 30, 1964). "Movie Journal". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "Film Registry-National Film Preservation Board". The Library of Congress. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
- ^ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 30, 2020.