Films of Alice Anne Parker (Severson)

I Change I Am the Same Alice Anne Parker and Shelby Kennedy 1969 1 min.
A short, hilarious film of a woman and a man in various stages of undress - in their own and each other's clothing.

You in your clothes. Me in my clothes. You in my clothes. Me in your underpants. You in nothing. Me in your clothes. You in my underwear. Me in nothing. You in your underpants. Me in my underwear. You in nothing. Me in nothing. You in your clothes. Me in my clothes.

Riverbody 1970 7 minutes
A continuous dissolve of 87 male and female nudes.

"The film's fascination lies with the suspense of that magic moment, halfway between two persons, when the dissolve technique produces composite figures, oftentimes hermaphroditic, that inspires awe for the mystery of the human form." - B. Ruby Rich, Chicago Art Institute


Near the Big Chakra 1970 17 minutes Silent
An unhurried view of 37 human female vaginas - ranging in age from three months to 56 years.

"Neither clinical nor leering, its strange neutrality makes it possible for the viewer to be simultaneously fascinated, repulsed, awestruck at the diversity of women's genitals, and finally, at their universality." - Ms. magazine

"The impression made by this film, its impact - has been enormous. ... This film is a new approach to our femininity." - Agnes Varda, Image and Sound

Introduction to Humanities 1972 5 minutes
My first year Humanities class at the San Francisco Art Institute steps before the camera and introduces itself one by one. This film is an appropriate complement to NEAR THE BIG CHAKRA and should be shown immediately after.

Animals Running 1974 23 minutes
A continuous stream of animals from bison to splinters of fishes.

"[A] serenely beautiful ... study of animal life in continual movement - bees swarming, birds in flight, deer running. Photographed in high-contrast black and white, ANIMALS RUNNING is like a series of engravings come to life and its sense of delicacy is heightened by what sounds like rippling xylophone sounds." - Kevin Thomas, The Los Angeles Times

The Struggle of the Meat 1974 4 minutes
When I was editing my last film, ANIMALS RUNNING, a collection of images grouped themselves together but refused to be included in the film. I spliced them together and put them aside. At the same time I was experimenting with sound loops, inspired by John Lilly's work with dolphin language. Briefly, he discovered that when exposed to a repeating loop in a relaxed atmosphere, a subject would begin to hear sounds or words other than those recorded. I made some loops and found that the phrase "the struggle of the meat" was a particularly evocative one.

THE STRUGGLE OF THE MEAT is a collection of accumulating images in sync with this phrase.

Produced with the assistance of the Royal Belgian Film Museum and Agfa-Gevaert.

19 Bygone Sweethearts David Boatwright and Alice Anne Parker 1973
An impressionist investigation of past relationships and true love.