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23rd Psalm Branch: Part I

Name: 23rd Psalm Branch: Part I
Director: Stan Brakhage
Released: 1967
Duration: 33 min

Representation Score

0.6/10

Minimal

1967

Director

Stan Brakhage

Runtime

33 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Stan Brakhage’s work is an exercise in pure formalism that prioritizes sensory experience over conventional storytelling. Through hand-painting, the film challenges traditional cinematic language and questions how media represents reality. The film’s focus on the rhythmic montage of nature and the abstraction of war means it does not engage with social representation or multi-layered themes.

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Category Breakdown

Does 23rd Psalm Branch: Part I have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film is an experimental piece without any characters or depictions of LGBTQ identities.

How does 23rd Psalm Branch: Part I portray gender?

Minimal

The work lacks a character-driven structure and does not depict gendered roles or interpersonal dynamics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is 23rd Psalm Branch: Part I?

Minimal

The film combines images of Colorado landscapes with WWII newsreels, focusing on the abstraction of war rather than diverse character representation.

How does 23rd Psalm Branch: Part I represent religion and culture?

Fair

Stan Brakhage uses hand-painted frames to emphasize subjective sensory experiences over objective historical accounts, critiquing traditional media.

Does 23rd Psalm Branch: Part I include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters or depictions of disabilities or mental health conditions in the abstract visual field.

Present on Screen

Disrupts traditional cinematic language through radical formalist experimentation.
Challenges conventional expectations of ordered reality via subjective, sensory truth.
Uses hand-painted filmstrips to critique the limitations of traditional media representation.

Limited or Absent

Lacks human subjects, making it impossible to address characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity.
Does not depict gendered roles, racial diversity, or identity.
Focuses on formalist study rather than serving as a medium for social or political messaging.

Official Synopsis

In this haunting but lyrical meditation on war, Brakhage intercuts 8-mm footage of Colorado with imagery from WWII newsreels. He responds to the violence and nightmare of war by painting directly on the filmstrip.

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