You are here:

A Movie

Name: A Movie
Director: Bruce Conner
Released: 1958
Duration: 12 min

Representation Score

5.2/10

Fair

1958

Director

Bruce Conner

Runtime

12 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

A Movie is an avant-garde collage that functions as a critique of mid-century mass media. It does not aim for demographic inclusion or character-driven storytelling, resulting in low scores for specific identity representations like LGBTQ+ and disability. Instead, the film's strength lies in its intellectual disruption of the status quo. By repurposing found footage, it exposes the rigid social hierarchies and sanitized veneers of the 1950s. Ultimately, the film's value is found in its cultural critique of capitalism and national myth-making rather than in the presence of a diverse cast.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does A Movie have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film lacks intentional queer narratives or depictions of LGBTQ+ identities. Instead, it primarily reflects the straight-centered standards of mid-century media.

How does A Movie portray gender?

Limited

Traditional gender hierarchies are hard to assess due to the lack of characters. However, the archival footage often mirrors 1950s gender roles, though the film's fragmented structure disrupts idealized domestic imagery.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Movie?

Fair

Non-white individuals appear incidentally within the found newsreels and educational clips. The film's deconstructive montage highlights the racial hierarchies and systemic tensions present in the original source materials.

How does A Movie represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The work excels in critiquing Western institutional stability and the American Dream. It uses consumerist and patriotic imagery to challenge capitalist authority and the social control of mainstream media.

Does A Movie include disability representation?

Limited

There is no intentional representation of disability. The film focuses on sensory overload and rhythmic violence rather than providing a platform for characters with disabilities to act independently.

Present on Screen

Provides a powerful critique of Western institutional stability and the American Dream.
Highlights the racial hierarchies and systemic tensions embedded in 1950s mainstream media.
Disrupts the seamless presentation of traditional domesticity and consumerist imagery effectively.

Limited or Absent

Lacks intentional representation or role for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Does not provide a platform or narrative device for the representation of disability.
Relies on archival footage that largely reflects the rigid gender roles of the era.

Official Synopsis

Bruce Conner's landmark experimental film consisting entirely of found footage edited to a new score.

How are these scores produced? →