中央谷地

IbeganElValleyCentroinNovemberof1998;IwasdrivingthroughtheGreatCentralValleylookingforplacestofilm.Iwasn’tgoingtostartshootingforatleastsixmonths;Iwantedtojustlookandlisten–togettoknowtheValleywellbeforeIwouldmakeimages.ButalmostimmediatelyIcameacrossanoilwellfirewithflameshighintothesky.IreturnedhomeformyBolexandNagra.Determinedthatlandscapeisafunctionoftime,Iletafullrollof16mmfilm(100feet)runthroughthecamera.AtthatmomentIknewIwouldmakeaportraitofTheGreatCentralValleyusing35twoandahalfminuteshots.<br/>　　Asitsnamesuggests,theGreatCentralValley–ElValleyCentroinSpanish–runslongandwidedownthemiddleofCalifornia,encompassingmuchofthatvaststate’scultivatedfarmland.Benning’sfilmexploresthisvastarea,hiscamerapausingfortheallottedtwoandahalfminutesbeforehecutstoanotherlocation,anothervistapresentedforourabsorption.Thereareno‘actors’assuch,no‘characters’,no‘dialogue’asweknowit,no‘narration’asweknowit,hardlyanysounds,hardlyany‘real’action.<br/>　　Buttheaudiencesoonrealisesthateachoftheseapparent‘absences’is,inBenning’shands,aplus.Heforcesustoconcentrateoureyesandearsonwhatheshowsus,andtheattentiveviewerwillfindtheireffortsmorethanamplyrewarded.Aswellasslowlycompilingaremarkableportraitofaremarkableplace,Benningthrillinglyredefinesthebasicsyntaxoffilm-makingandfilm-watching.Theeffectisstaggering–asoneofCasparDavidFriedrich’scontemporariescommentedwhenseeinghispainting‘MonkbytheSea’forthefirsttime:“itisasifone’seyelidshadbeencutoff.”<br/>　　Thefilmbeginswithashotofalake,apparentlydrainingawayintowhatlookslikeahugeplughole.It’sanidealstartingpoint–we’rebeingdrawnintoBenning’sworldassurelyasthewaterisbeingdrawnintothathole,andwe’reawarethatoureyeisspecificallybeingdirectedtoacertainpointonthescreen.Butthetwoandahalfminutesforwhichthisshotisprojectedgivesusampletimetoexploretheperipheries,andthisisalsopartofBenning’sgranddesign.Thisisequallytrueoftheremaining34shotsinthesequence–heshowsusplaceswhere‘nothing’isapparentlyhappening,butwhichherevealsasstagesonwhichadramaunfolds:the‘subject’oftheshotmaybeaseriesoftinyorangeblobsinthedistance(asinthesequenceshowingapenitentiary),butthey’reenough.Wecanworkouttherestforourselves.<br/>　　Benningworksattheinterfaceofmathematicsandgeography:theexactpositionofthecameraisabsolutelycrucial–he’sfacedwithaninfinitenumberofpossibilities,andtheessenceofElValleyCentroliesinhisprocessofselection.Timingisequallyimportant–there’snoenvironmentintheworldwherethiskindoffilmcan’tbemade,providedtherighttwoandahalfminutesarechosen.Benning’sjudgementisexceptional,andhe’salsoaidedbysomeprovidentialturnsoffate,trainsandcarscomingintoouroutofshotatjusttherighttime.<br/>　　Themostspectacularmomentofserendipitycomesduringashotofalargeshipmakingitsprogressalongariver–theriverisinvisible,allwecanseeisfields.Then,comingtheotherway,asmallerboatappearsandpassesinfrontoftheship.Foramomentwe’redisoriented–howcanthewaterrunbothwaysatonce?Thenwerealiseit’smoreamatterofhowthecraftarebeingpropelled.Butwhilethisactivityistakingplaceonthewater,acarappears–theroadisasinvisibleasthechannels–andzipsalongandoutofsight.It’sadelightfulmomentofaccidentalchoreography(justlikealatershotoftumbleweedsskiddingacrossadustyscrubland,almostalive,likethecorpsinaMartianballet.)<br/>　　Benninghimselfcallstheship/boat/carscene‘suchacrowd-pleaser,’ahere’sanunexpectedstrainofhumourinthefilm–mostovertlyinthesequenceshowingachampiongoat-tier,repeatedlycatching,tyingthenlettinggoanincreasinglybefuddled-lookinggoatwithherbacksquarelytocamera.Oncehe’sestablishedcertain‘rules’,Benningisabletohavefunwithhischoiceofimages–onmorethanoneoccasionhehascharactersgoingabouttheirworkinthefields,slowlyadvancingtowardsthecamera,closerandcloseruntiltheyseemsuretocollide.Atthelastminute,however,theyturnback,neverevenacknowledgingBenning’spresence.Thisisjustaswell–afterjustafewminutesinsidetheBenningworld-view,theviewer’seyeseffectivelybecomeBenning’scamera:andifanyofthefiguresinthelandscapedidlookupandcatchusstaring,itwouldbeimpossiblenottoflinchandlookguiltilyaway.<br/>　　Buttheworkers-in-the-fieldshotsconnecttoBenning’sserioustheme:heshowstheValleyasaplaceoftoil,ofman’sincursionintothenaturalenvironmentand,mostofall,ofownership.Afterthefinaltwo-and-a-half-minute‘action’shotthere’safinalsectionofequallengthtellinguswhereeachsequencewasfilmedand,inmostcases,whichfarmingconglomerateownstheland.ButBenning’scareful,patientapproachinvestssomuchineachscrapoflandscapethathe,too,becomesakindof‘owner’–asdowe,watchinginthecinemaastheindelibleimagesburnintoourminds.<br/>　　AsChinatownfamouslyshowsus,waterandpowergohandinhandinCalifornia:oneofthemostfascinatingofElValleyCentro’sshotsshowsthewelcoming‘gate’abovetheroadenteringthecityofModesto,aneonslogan-boardreading‘Waterwealthcontentmenthealth.’Thephrasetakesonasavageironyinthiskindofexhaustivegeographical-political-socialcontext:thefilmstartsandendswithwater,waterflowsthroughsomanyoftheframes,itsmoneyedmanipulatorssequesteredinofficesfarawayfromBenning’spryinglens.ModestoalsohappenstobeGeorgeLucas’shometown,theplacehesethismasterpieceAmericanGraffiti–perhapsinhomage,Benning’sModestoshotalsoincludescarsatnight,theretroglowofneon,theexcitedvoicesofteenagersastheydriveinandoutoftheframe.Youhavetostraintohearthem,ofcourse–butthisisafilminwhichthebuzzingofaflybecomesamajormovieevent.Thisisafilmwhoseeverysingleshotdeservesafull-lengthessayofitsown.