Gordon Ball's films have been acclaimed for their originality, their powerful directness. As filmmaker Stan Brakhage has written of Ball's two works on the death of his mother and the death of his father, he "has accomplished something unique in the autobGordon Ball's films have been acclaimed for their originality, their powerful directness. As filmmaker Stan Brakhage has written of Ball's two works on the death of his mother and the death of his father, he "has accomplished something unique in the autobiographical genre of motion pictures. " Jonas Mekas declared Ball's Mexican Jail Footage "the best jail film I've seen"; of the same movie Robert Frank exclaimed "I can't forget this film."