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Zorns Lemma

Zorns Lemma

1970
Documentary
1h 0m
A rhythmically edited alphabet composed of street and shop signs shot in New York City and other elements is gradually replaced by repeated seemingly abstract shots in this influential structuralist film.
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Zorns Lemma

1970
Documentary
1h 0m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 52.85% from 107 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(107)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 05 Dec 2007
10
0th
It may not technically be the worst film I've ever seen, but what it lacks in raw badness it makes up for by being both incredibly boring and incredibly full of crap. If you want to see a 45 minute slideshow of badly shot representations of the alphabet, bookended by bad readings of pretentious crap, go ahead and see this.
Rated 02 Mar 2008
57
31st
# 860
Rated 19 Dec 2008
58
16th
838
Rated 15 Jan 2010
56
12th
885
Rated 16 Jan 2011
53
9th
It is tempting to write this off as pure wankery, but I found the concept rather intriguing. I enjoyed how it toyed with expectations, the way it gradually replaces one kind of symbol with another. Greenaway has cited Frampton as an influence, and there is a straight line from this to Vertical Features Remake. But what sets Greenaway's film apart is the humor. Getting through an hour of Lemma is a tough slog. Yes I was intrigued, but after 15 minutes the tedium kicked in, and kicked in big time.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
53
6th
#946
Rated 12 Feb 2015
6
83rd
no comment.
Rated 20 Sep 2016
90
80th
Viewed September 10, 2016. It's more or less impossible to overstate how hypnotic this is. The game, if you could call it that, is established early, and beautifully. The alphabet, as a concept, is intrinsic to all of us, and has completely shaped the way in which we think and create. Watching Frampton rebuild that right before our very eyes is genuinely exciting, as far as I'm concerned. The images change, our perception stays the same.
Rated 20 Jul 2020
70
31st
Provocative, ahead of it's time although not that old. Pattern, structure, patience, all tested in silence. Really brings attention to what the mind is accustomed to, and what happens when a genius removes that from cinema.
Rated 12 Sep 2020
96
96th
Zorns Lemma estreava há 50 anos no Festival de New York. Embora eu seja uma negação em matemática, minha experiência estudando Lacan faz com que eu tenha alguma ideia do que esteja rolando aqui a ponto de vê-lo como obra-prima. A Hollis Frampton Odissey Bluray Rip
Rated 12 Jul 2023
55
14th
I feel like I just got secretly programmed to commit an assassination in the future with a code word like in the Manchurian Candidate. I'm not exactly sure what this was on about, and I often absolutely despise movies like this, but I ended up finding this somewhat compelling for some reason. The beginning and end could have gone as far as I was concerned, but the alphabet stuff was doing interesting things with my brain. Not something I'd recommend, but intriguing.

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