Now Available: Phil Solomon’s Yes, I Said Yes, I Will, Yes

Posted October 26th, 2023 in Announcements, Events and Screenings, New Acquisitions, New Films, News / Events

Now available from Canyon Cinema: Phil Solomon’s exquisite 1999 miniature, Yes, I Said Yes, I Will, Yes.

The film screens on November 9, 2023 at Anthology Film Archives in Program 3 of the upcoming series “Lost and Found, You Still Remain There”: A Phil Solomon Retrospective, curated by Mark McElhatten. The three-program retrospective is presented by the Phil Solomon Project and includes newly released works and a previously unreleased film. Eve Heller will be there in person to introduce the programs.

For more information: http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/56782

Yes, I Said Yes, I Will, Yes (Phil Solomon, 1999, 3 minutes, color, sound, 16mm)

“An Epithalamium. Tales of Brave Ulysses in a minute waltz. An ascent, gingerly danced down the aisle and up a stair to the honeymoon suite and the grand outlook. The bicycle rider of Remains to Be Seen (Brian Wilson, Albert Hoffman or Solomon himself) glides to a full stop and hits his kick stand to settle down, handlebars entwined. “I’m putting all my eggs in one basket” Eggs are fragile, emulsion blisters, baskets fray. Bride descending a staircase in lower case, in a blink. It was meant to be and meant with a full heart, but All things must pass.

Along with divertissements and private films, Phil made several occasional films intended for special occasions, later to be seen by invited friends and strangers occasionally. Gestures of sentiment and humor. This a miniature originally intended for a major special event, his wedding to Melinda Barlow.

As with Twilight Psalm IV : The Valley of the Shadow, Solomon turns to James Joyce for inspiration. The title references Molly Bloom’s recollection of consent to Leopold Bloom’s marriage proposal at the conclusion of Ulysses (1922):

“I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.”

Special thanks to Mark Toscano at the Academy Film Archive.