Allures

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This film has been called an early masterpiece of avant-garde cinema. Belson stated ""I think of Allures as a combination of molecular structures and astronomical events mixed with subconscious and subjective phenomena - all happening simultaneously. the beginning is almost purely sensual, the end perhaps totally nonmaterial. It seems to move from matter to spirit in some way." He shot 16mm footage in his home studio of various effects, including a few interference patterns and a small bit of traditional animation. Contrary to popular myths, this film was not screened at the Vortex Concerts (1957-59), where Belson was Visual Director. It took over a year and a half to complete the soundtrack, working with his Vortex collaborator Henry Jacobs. It was completed in 1961 after the Concerts ended. Belson was not happy with the first short version, so he continued on to make the final longer version. Allures contains a few shots that are homages to artists whose work greatly influenced Belson - Oskar Fischinger and Thomas Wilfred. Allures was restored from Belson's original 16mm a/b/c rolls by Center for Visual Music, and has been screened in museums, festivals and archives worldwide, both digitally and with new 16mm prints. Recent 16mm screenings were held at Centre Pompidou, British Film Institute, Whitney Museum, Tate Modern, SFMoMA, Walker Art Center, and Berkeley Art Museum.