PINNLAND EMPIRE: THE SCHOOL OF CHANTAL AKERMAN PART 10: RICHARD LINKLATER

Sunday, September 1, 2019

THE SCHOOL OF CHANTAL AKERMAN PART 10: RICHARD LINKLATER

While Richard Linklater's career continues to broaden & grow over the years, his (self-confessed) origins & influences are rooted in avant garde filmmakers like Jonas Mekas and various French New Wave auteurs. This is all documented on the Criterion DVD commentary track for his first(?) feature film; It's Impossible To Learn To Plow By Reading Books. On the audio track, Linklater enthusiastically name-drops Chantal Akerman on more than one occasion as a direct influence on his early work. Long unedited takes, lingering shots, identical settings & backdrops, etc...

If you're familiar with the work of both filmmakers (especially Linklater's early features) then you know it isn't too far-fetched to draw a comparison between the two. However, I decided to make some video comparisons in an effort to truly highlight the influence.

Enjoy...