Hallelujah the Hills

Hallelujah the Hills, made in 1963, is an American independent avant-garde comedy film spearheaded by the inspired direction of Adolfas Mekas. Starring creative personalities like Peter Beard, Sheila Finn, and Martin Greenbaum, the film forged a path in avant-garde cinema challenging traditional narrative structures in its storytelling.

The film boasts of an impishly strange tone, sparkled with humour and filled with an infectious absurdist delight that seems carefree yet pointedly and provocatively critical of mainstream cinema norms at the same time. Mekas draws from a palette of audacious wit, weaves an element of fun throughout, making you wonder at the creativity and eccentricity of his filmmaking regime.

In the story, we follow two men, Jack (Peter Beard) and Leo (Martin Greenbaum), who are intent on winning the heart of the same woman, Vera (Sheila Finn). However, this is far from a conventional love triangle. Both men are depicted as bumbling, almost clown-like figures. They are relentlessly committed to woo Vera throughout various absurd situations bespattered with moments of surprise and comedy. The journey intertwines the joy of innocent love with the folly of blind pursuit, presenting an idiosyncratic blend of romance and slapstick.

Vera, the woman they pursue, presents an enigma. She's not your typical damsel in distress nor the femme fatale, yet she holds their fascination and seems to be the cause of their adventures and misadventures. Her characterization brings an added layer of complexity to the story.

The film tells its convoluted narrative through flashbacks, dreams, and imagined sequences, making it a ride through a carousel of emotions and visual delights. The sense of time and continuity with such a narrative style is genuinely unpredictable, casting aside the audience's common understanding of linear storytelling.

Adding to its peculiarity, the film dialogues are mostly improvised. This allows actors to bring their own unique style on screen, which creates a naturally surreal and hilarious atmosphere. Their spontaneous whimsicality combined with Mekas' audacious narrative is what makes 'Hallelujah the Hills' a celebrated piece in avant-garde cinema.

While the plot may seem thin, the real zeal of this film lies in its abstract surrealism, eschewing traditional narrative forms for something chaotically beautiful. The film is brimming with bizarre non-sequiturs and jarring image juxtapositions that defies a grounded reality. As if torn from the pages of a Dadaist sketchbook, or directly inspired by the absurdity of Samuel Beckett's plays, 'Hallelujah the Hills' is a whirlwind of absurd comedy that turns cinematic norms on their head.

The film’s grainy black and white cinematography imbues it with a raw, rough-around-the-edges aesthetic, which augments its unpolished tone. The choice seems fitting for a movie that thrives on the unusual and presents the world through a topsy-turvy looking glass. In this sense, 'Hallelujah the Hills' remains an audio-visual experience as much as a narrative one.

Further complementing its offbeat appeal, the film's original score by Meyer Kupferman, adds another layer of quirkiness. The music is appropriately anarchic, reflecting the carefree and unrestricted nature of the film. It harmonizes perfectly with the film's pace and narrative style, adding another level of unconventional charm that hits all the right notes in this strangely comic symphony.

The film, in its entirety, is an exercise in experimental and absurd comedy. Adolfas Mekas, with his bold vision, creates an absurd and chaotic universe that is difficult to define yet impossible to overlook. It's a pioneer masterpiece in the landscape of avant-garde cinema that harks to the essence of pure, unrestricted cinematic expression.

'Hallelujah the Hills' delights in its peculiarity. It is an unorthodox gem that has aged like a fine wine, its audacious wit and charm undiluted by time. It invites audiences into a world where the usual rules of cinema do not apply, and Mekas' confident command over the medium assures us that we are in safe albeit unpredictably zany hands.

In conclusion, "Hallelujah the Hills" is a daring exploration of the artistic possibilities of cinema that both confounds and captivates, leaving a lasting impression on lovers of unconventional and experimental films.