Original bound gathering of four programs for film screenings held by The Group for Film Study, 1953-1954

New York: The Group for Film Study, 1954. Vintage bound gathering of four programs published in conjunction with four film screenings held by The Group for Film Study (GFS) between December 27, 1953, and February 21, 1954.

Films represented in the programs include "On the Edge" (1949, Curtis Harrington), "Le Bijou" (1950, Francis Lee), "Etoile de mer" (1928, Man Ray), "Night on Bald Mountain" (1934, Alexander Alexeieff), "Psyche" (1947, Gregory Markopoulos), "The Late Matthew Pascal" (1925, Marcel L'Herbier), "Roots of Happiness" (1954, Henwar Rodakiewicz), "Swain" (1954, Gregory J. Markopoulos), "Cops" (1922, Buster Keaton), "Caravan" (1953, Jordan Belson), and "Salvation Hunters" (1924, Josef von Sternberg). Of particular note in the programs is a lecture and discussion with von Sternberg himself following the screening of "Salvation Hunters."

Founded by Gideon Bachmann in 1953, the GFS was an early New York-based film organization with a particular focus on experimental cinema and film history. Legendary Lithuanian-American filmmaker and critic Jonas Mekas, with whom Bachmann had attended film courses from Hans Richter at New York City College in 1952, was also an active member of the group, and is credited in three of the four programs on offer here.

While they remained friends, Mekas and Bachmann drifted apart in 1955, deciding to focus on different aspects of cinema. Mekas, now considered a foundational figure in avant-garde film, would go on to publish "Film Culture" magazine and co-found the Filmmakers' Cooperative. Bachmann, whose primary interest lay in European cinema and its outsiders, would found "Cinemages" magazine, and its sister radio program, "Film Forum," in 1955.

The program from February 21, 1954, articulates the ethos of the GFS: "The Group for Film Study is a nonprofit membership organization devoted to the study of the film as an art and as a medium of communication. [Its] programs are designed to further the consciousness of the public to the existence of a cinema of quality, and by creating an intelligent and discriminating film audience, increase the demand for good motion pictures. [...] GFS publishes detailed program notes for each film outlining its history and intrinsic value. Film artists of caliber are invited to present their views on various aspects of the cinema. All programs are chosen through careful selection and in consultation with outstanding film authorities."

Approximately 6 x 9 inches. Very Good plus in side-stapled gray wrappers, with brief wear at the wrapper corners and top edges.