“Among Mr. Mekas’s many achievements, one of the finest remains “Lost, Lost, Lost” (1976), a beautifully constructed diary film consisting of material from three decades, beginning in 1949 and ending in 1963.” — Manohla Dargis, 2005
Microscope is very pleased to present a screening of Jonas Mekas’ film “Lost Lost Lost,” one of the masterworks of diaristic cinema, as part of our new monthly screening series “New York by Foot,” curated by and with Julius Ziz. The nearly 3-hour long film covers the first fourteen years of the artist’s life in the New York after arriving in the US in 1949 as a displaced person. The work, which includes Mekas’ earliest 16mm footage shot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn within a few weeks of his arrival with his brother Adolfas, will be screened in its original 16mm film format.
Described by critic Scott MacDonald as “one of the most remarkable [narrative films] of the seventies,” Lost Lost Lost poetically conveys the state of mind of an immigrant refugee, one with an obsession, shared with his brother, of capturing on film the daily life unfolding around them.
“Filmed in 1949-1963, edited 1976. These six reels of my film diaries come from the years 1949-1963. They begin with my arrival in New York in November 1949. The first and second reels deal with my life as a Young Poet and a Displaced Person in Brooklyn. It shows the Lithuanian immigrant community, their attempts to adapt themselves to a new land and their tragic efforts to regain independence for their native country. It shows my own frustrations and anxieties and the decision to leave Brooklyn and move to Manhattan. Reel three and reel four deal with my life in Manhattan on Orchard Street and East 13th St. First contacts with New York poetry and filmmaking communities. Robert Frank shooting THE SIN OF JESUS. LeRoy Jones, Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara reading at The Living Theatre. Documentation of the political protests of the late fifties and early sixties. First World Strike for Peace. Vigil in Times Square. Women for Peace. Air Raid protests. Reel five includes Rabbit Shit Haikus, a series of Haikus filmed in Vermont; scenes at the Film-Maker’s Cooperatives; filming HALLELUJAH THE HILLS; scenes of New York City. Reel six contains a trip to Flaherty Seminar, a visit to the seashore in Stony Brook; a portrait of Tiny Tim; opening of TWICE A MAN; excursions to the countryside seen from two different views; that of my own and that of Ken Jacobs whose footage is incorporated into this reel. The period I am dealing with in these six reels was a period of desperation, of attempts to desperately grow roots into the new ground, to create new memories. In these six painful reels I tried to indicate how it feels to be in exile, how I felt in those years. These reels carry the title LOST, LOST, LOST, the title of a film myself and my brother wanted to make in 1949, and it indicates the mood we were in, in those years. It describes the mood of a Displaced Person who hasn’t yet forgotten the native country but hasn’t gained a new one. The sixth reel is a transitional reel where we begin to see some relaxation, where I begin to find moments of happiness. New life begins. What happens later, you’ll have to see the next installment of reels …” — Jonas Mekas, March 31, 1976
The title of the series “New York by Foot” references both the history of filming the city while walking its streets and that referring to the length of a celluloid film by the number of feet of its rolls, rather than its duration in minutes.
Future programs will continue to place on the third Monday of each month.
"Lost Lost Lost"
By Jonas Mekas
16mm film, b&w & color, sound, 1976, 178 minutes
With: Jonas Mekas, Adolfas Mekas, Ken Jacobs, Flo Jacobs, Frank O’Hara, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Beard, Ed Emshwiller, Robert Frank, LeRoi Jones, Tiny Tim.
Jonas Mekas (1922, Semeniškiai, Lithuania – 2019, Brooklyn, NY) Mekas was brought to the US along with his brother Adolfas in 1949 by the UN Refugee Organization. Within weeks, Mekas borrowed money to buy his first Bolex camera and began to record brief moments of his life. Mekas is now considered among the most influential makers of avant-garde film and a master of the diaristic form. His films, installations and other artworks have been screened and exhibited regularly in the US and internationally. Institutional solo exhibitions and retrospectives of his works have appeared at PS1 Contemporary Art Center MoMA, Queens; Serpentine Gallery, London, UK; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany; Documenta, Kassel, Germany; Stadtmuseum, Wiesbaden; Germany; Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM) Karlsruhe, Germany; The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia; DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, Czech Republic; Museo Universitario Arte Contemporaneo (MUAC), Mexico City, Mexico; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul, South Korea, and the Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy among others. His work has also exhibited at Apalazzo Gallery, Brescia, Italy; James Fuentes Gallery, New York; Krinzinger Projekte Vienna; and Galerie Du Jour, Paris, France, among others. Jonas Mekas will be the subject of a career survey at the Jewish Museum, New York in early 2022. Mekas published more than 20 books of prose and poetry, which have been translated into over 12 languages. He was co-founder of the influential Film Culture magazine and wrote his “Movie Journal” column at the Village Voice for 20 years. He also founded the Film-Makers’ Cooperative in 1962, and in 1964 the Film-Makers’ Cinematheque, which eventually grew into Anthology Film Archives. Both are still in existence today.