Twenty-four short films selected from the avant garde movement of the 1920's and 1930's.

For over a hundred years, the idea of the "avant-garde" has been perhaps the most important and influential force in modern culture, ruling the critical assessment of the significance of an artist or a work of art. If they have been judged to be "avant-garde," then they are worthy of consideration. But very little attempt has been made to explore why the idea of the "avant-garde" carries so much authority, or how it came to do so. What is more, the term remains a difficult one to define, and is often used in a variety of ways. In this Very Short Introduction, art historian David Cottington illuminates the concept of the avant-garde, exploring its wider context through the development of western modernity, capitalist culture, and the global impact of both. Cottington looks at the relation between "the avant-garde"--That is, the social entity (the "club")--and "avant-garde" qualities in a work of art (or design, or architecture, or any other cultural product), and he sheds light on the meaning of "avant-gardism." Perhaps most interesting, he considers whether--now that contemporary art seems to have broken all taboos and is at the center of a billion-dollar art market--is there still an "avant-garde" at all. And if so, what is the point of it and who are the artists concerned?

"Presents 26 films by artists who helped to redefine cinema ... Samples an array of film types and styles, from abstract animation to documentary and balances acknowledged classics with rediscoveries. The films are drawn from the preservation work of five of America's foremost avant-garde archives: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Anthology Film Archives, The Museum of Modern Art, The New York Public Library, and The Pacific Film Archive. None of the titles has been available before on good-quality video in the United States" -- Publisher's website.

Desperate to pass one of her classes, Carol approaches her professor John behind the closed doors of his university office. Words are exchanged. A touch. A glance. And what began as a simple meeting between teacher and student, suddenly spirals wildly out-of-control. But when Carol files harassment charges against him, the wheels are set in motion for a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse with shocking, devastating results.

Desire and a series of deadly double-crosses erupt between a voyeuristic cop and a violent woman gangster.