In the 1990s, James Benning’s films were characterized primarily by an ongoing investigation of the relationship between the image and the (spoken or written) word. This 2-disc set features the two key works representing the peak of this “text-image film” period. In Deseret Benning (by way of the New York Times) retells the history of America’s Mormon State Utah through spectacular black & white and color images. Art and landscape join as one in Benning’s following film Four Corners, which serves as both a tribute to the famous region in the USA where four states converge and a portrait of four very different artists. 

DVD 1:Deseret; USA 1995A film by James Benning; Original format: 16mm, color, 78 min, English. German subtitles optional

James Benning: V’96 Publikumsgespräch / Viennale Q&A; Austria 1996Production Company: ZONE Media, Vienna; Original format: BetaSP PAL, color, 15 min, English. German subtitles optional

DVD 2:Four Corners; USA 1997A film by James Benning; Original format: 16mm, color, 76 min, English. German subtitles optional 

All Regions, 4:3 PAL; 20 page bilingual booklet (English, German) with a new structuralist essay by Neil Young. Edition Filmmuseum 87