4 BROTHERS.
Parallel Universes: 1+1=1.
Two unedited scenes from On The Waterfront (1954) & Raging Bull (1980) are combined and mixed together. In this Parallel Universe there is deliberate quotation. Jake LaMotta revisits the words of Terry Malloy. Schrader quotes Schulberg. Across the distance of space and time despite the proximity of inches four brothers move in and out of harmony. With Parallel Universes there are always echoes, mirrors and miracles: De Niro tries to hug Pesci and in turn is hugged by Brando.
These experiments are about seeing and experiencing films in a new way. Both the act of creation and the viewing pleasure are meditative. Repetition and patience are required in each. The strategy employed in these experiments is usually rigorous: find the films, find one sync point, match them in the edit and export the result. The initial process can be quick and instinctual. In the case of 4 Brothers the process unfolded over a year. Initially the rule was always to find three films that are in some way parallel in form, content and aesthetics. 3 film sequences that will speak to each other and hopefully become 1. 4 Brothers includes only two films. Love & Hate & Love & Hate as well as The Final Waltz are the only other Parallel Universes that are currently a combination of only 2 films. Notably all 3 experiments involve direct quotation/adaptation. The snatch of the "Contender" speech in Trees Lounge (1996) was too brief to consider. George Romero's Knightriders (1981) includes the same speech as an after dinner imitation from Harold Wayne Jones (Bors). This was meant to the third film.
The experiment including Knightriders was called De Niro Brando Romero. Perhaps the title pleased me more than the finished work. The resulting mix was too diffuse and confusing. The removal of Knightriders allowed the truths and emotions of 4 Brothers to be discovered. Emotional depth beyond the spoken words.
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