Review of Wavelength (1967) by Will M — 07 Aug 2007

Wavelength is an example of experimental "structural film." Unlike avant-garde films, structural films do not focus on complexity, rather, they capitalize on shapes and peripheral contents.

In the first scene, we see two people enter a room, chat, and listen to music. The way the scene is shot seems like a recording of a security camera mounted on one corner of the ceiling. The visuals is gritty and the sound is full of interruptive noises. Throughout the film's length, Snow utilizes distortions, feedbacks, loops, and other disjunct techniques to imbue a paranormal observational property of the security camera. Tone shifts, ring modulations, and the visual anomalies contribute to the self-acknowledging title (are these distortions the results of the camera's ability to capture multilayer of realities through shifting wavelengths?). There are almost no actions, only three sequences can be referred: the beginning where two figures enter the room and listen to "Strawberry Fields Forever", the mid section where a man enters the room and dies mysteriously on the floor, and the near end where a woman uses the phone in the room to report about the man's death in a calming voice. In my opinion, Snow's intention is to resonate our brains--the obscurity and non-progressive length force us to be more inquisitive and analytical.