People may not think of their ordinary home videos as fine art, but after viewing the most recent exhibition in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art's Media Gallery, anything seems possible.
The exhibition is Guy Ben-Ner's "Moby Dick," a 12-minute silent film staged in a strange setting: the artist's kitchen. Starring only himself and his six-year-old daughter, the film summarizes Melville's classic novel and accentuates many of its basic motifs while simultaneously introducing themes of fatherhood, masculinity, and sexual tension between the father and daughter.
As "Moby Dick" is transposed into the environment of the home, much of the action of the original novel is cast in a new light. For example, the choice between remaining on land and setting sail becomes a conflict in the life of an artist and a father: How should a father balance his professional life with his family life?
In the film, Ben-Ner plays the roles of Ishmael and the larger-than-life captain Ahab, among others. His daughter becomes significant to the film, too: she fills many small and diverse roles from the bartender at the Spouter Inn to Ben-Ner's detached legs when his body is chopped in half.
There are pros and cons to having a two-person cast, and some of each are evident in the film. It is amusing to see the girl imitate bartenders and sailors, but the many roles that Ben-Ner fills are sometimes hard to distinguish.
The camera work is a nod to early classical cinema. The camera tilts to and fro to simulate the rocking of the boat, and frequent Charlie Chaplin-esque slapstick stunts give the film much of its humor: While on the boat, Ben-Ner falls down a ladder, gets hit with his refrigerator door twice, and gets knocked out by a bag of sand attached to a string.
The most comical scene of the film takes place on the boat as Ishmael (Ben-Ner) and a sailor (his daughter) eat dinner. The rocking of the boat tilts the table between them, causing their single plate of food to slide from one person to the other as they take turns eating.
There are several aspects of "Moby Dick" that differentiate it from other creative home videos with a father and his daughter. There is a great deal more thought behind Ben-Ner's film than the average home video. Hidden behind the film's unassuming exterior are complex themes and problems, as well as a good deal of erotic tension that is presumably absent from most family videos.
In addition, Ben-Ner is able to use the home video format to his advantage—the film is charming in its simplicity and creative use of everyday objects. For example, Ben-Ner uses the stop-motion animation of two papier-mâché triangles on his kitchen floor to simulate lurking shark fins. In a montage to show the day-by-day passage of time, the two characters are shown emerging from their cabins (kitchen cabinets) several times in succession.
Overall, Ben-Ner has certainly succeeded in adding new and interesting dimensions to Melville's classic. The film is thought provoking and fun to watch—definitely a worthwhile use of 12 minutes.