Das Alliertenband

1982, 10:29 min, color, sound

To the ominous accompaniment of a martial drum roll, vom Bruch constructs a charged visual metaphor of internal and historical conflict and confrontation. Through rapid-fire video switching, vom Bruch merges his own image, staring directly into the camera, with World War II archival footage of the bombed rubble of German cities. In a collapse of the personal and the historical, flashes of the artist's face and aerial views of destruction — tanks and aircraft, explosions and bridges destroyed — are seen simultaneously. As the artist's identification (and the spectator's point-of-view) shifts from that of pilot to victim, vom Bruch occupies an ambiguous position in his self-imposed roles of manipulator and manipulated, enemy and ally. In an ironic twist, vom Bruch then composes a second self-portrait, posing at home before the camera as though it were a mirror. He concludes with a quote from Karl Marx on the necessity of learning from history.

Music: "La Danza," Rossini; "Silent Running" Soundtrack; "Notte a Venezia," Benjamino Gigli. A Video Rebellen Production.

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Rental
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Digital File
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DVD NTSC
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