Film
River of Fundament
A film by Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler
Produced by Matthew Barney and Laurenz Foundation
Visionary artist Matthew Barney makes his BAM debut with the
world premiere screening of River of Fundament, a radical
reinvention of Norman Mailer’s novel Ancient Evenings. In
collaboration with composer Jonathan Bepler, Barney combines
traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of
performance, sculpture, and opera, reconstructing Mailer’s
hypersexual story of Egyptian gods and the seven stages of
reincarnation, alongside the rise and fall of the American car
industry.
The film’s central scene is an abstraction of Mailer’s wake, set
in a replica of the late author’s apartment in Brooklyn Heights and
featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paul Giamatti, Elaine Stritch, Ellen
Burstyn, Joan La Barbara, and jazz percussionist Milford
Graves. Alluring and intense, this epic, multidimensional
experience is a sprawling allegory of death and rebirth within the
contemporary American landscape.
Written and directed by Matthew Barney
Music composed and directed by Jonathan Bepler
River of Fundament is presented worldwide on behalf of the artist by Manchester International Festival.
The Steinberg Screen at the BAM
Harvey Theater is made possible by
The Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust
Turkey, Provolone, and Pickled Vegetable on a Pretzel Roll,
Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts, Fresh Baked Cookie, Bottle of Water
Dinner boxes can be ordered until 4pm the day before your
screening and picked up at the concessions bar at the BAM Harvey
Theater before the show or during intermissions.
This visionary New York-based artist is best known for The Cremaster Cycle.
This multi-instrumentalist and composer has collaborated with choreographers and artists.