Mark Rappaport: Pioneer of the Video Essay

The year is 2024 and the British Film Institute has published lists of the best video essays of the year for almost a decade. They are created for credit at universities and screened at university lectured and high school lessons. Studios working to develop this audiovisual form have already been set up. But back in 1992, when Mark Rappaport put together his first visual essay, he only had poor-quality video at his disposal. Still, his Rock Hudson’s Home Movies surpasses many similar productions when it comes to imagination and ideas. It’s not just a display of cinematographic knowledge, but a compelling, political work of art, created just a few years after Rock Hudson’s death of AIDS and at a time when the epidemic had taken on truly alarming proportions. Rappaport continues to create video essays that amaze with the author’s sensitivity to detail and unusual choice of subjects. Our Stars looks at different films that brought together legendary acting duos, while Two for the Opera Box is a precise analysis of Hollywood sets and equipment, which appear glamorous but in reality are used over and over again.

Patrycja Mucha

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