Film Secession

James Gray

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James Gray

Introduction (James Gray)
James Gray's Method
American Dreams

Introduction (James Gray)
James Gray's Method
American Dreams

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James Gray

Introduction (James Gray)

James Gray Introduction

One of the most authentic voices in contemporary cinema, James Gray extends the legacies of both European art cinema and the American independent cinema of the 1970s. His intimate epics reaffirm the cinematic power of myth, music, and gesture, as the three-part portrait film in this room makes clear. Room 2 explores Gray's working method and includes a portrait film of his long-time editor John Axelrad. Room 3 delves deeper into themes and motifs discussed in the portrait film, moving from The Operatic Imagination to Intimacy and Distance to Odyssean Journeys and finally to Prodigal Sons. Photograph by Angelo Chammah (June 2021).

James Gray Portrait Film

Three Chapters

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James Gray's Method

John Axelrad Portrait Film

John Axelrad is one of James Gray's long-term collaborators, having edited We Own the Night (2007), Two Lovers (2008), The Immigrant (2013), The Lost City of Z (2017), and Ad Astra (2019). Here he discusses his work with Gray, his training, the role of an editor in the production process, and some of the fundamental differences between film and video editing.