BAMcinématek Announces Les Blank Retrospective

On the heels of the three-film outdoor screening they recently put on in Brooklyn Bridge Park for this year’s BAMCinemafest, the BAMcinématek has just announced a 17-film retrospective of the films of legendary documentarian and ethnographer Les Blank.

The series runs from September 2^nd to September 10^th, and all the films will be presented in newly restored DCPs from Janus Films, which means that a Blank box-set from the Collection might be coming down the pipe very soon.

Among many of the filmmaker’s works, the series features the likes of Always for Pleasure, The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins, Burden of Dreams, Dry Wood, Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers, God Respects Us When We Work But Loves Us When We Dance, The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists, Spend It All, A Well Spent Life, and Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe—all of which are also available on Criterion’s Hulu Plus channel. But who am I kidding, if you’re anywhere near Brooklyn you should get yourself to BAM to see these truly unique works coupled together on the big screen.

Also showing is Werner Herzog’s epic Fitzcarraldo, whose doomed production is chronicled in Blank’s aforementioned Burden of Dreams.

Below is the full schedule:

Tue, Sep 2:

5:30, 7:30, 9:30pm: Dry Wood + Spend It All

Wed, Sep 3:

5:30, 7:30, 9:30pm: Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella + Hot Pepper

Fri, Sep 5:

2, 6, 9:50pm: Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of Cajun and Creole Cooking + Always for Pleasure

4, 8pm: Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe + In Heaven There is No Beer?

Sat, Sep 6:

2, 4:15, 9:45pm: Burden of Dreams

6:30pm: Fitzcarraldo

Sun, Sep 7:

2, 6:30pm: God Respects Us When We Work, But Loves Us When We Dance + Gap-Toothed Women + Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers

4:30, 9pm: The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins + A Well Spent Life

Wed, Sep 10:

5:30, 7:30, 9:30pm: Sprout Wings and Fly + The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists

Check the BAMcinématek website here for tickets and further info.