No 18 Mahagonny (1980)

Harry Smiths final film an epic fourscreen projection Smith worked on this cinematic transformation of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brechts opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny 1929 for over ten years and considered it his magnum opus The film was shot from 1970 to 1972 and edited for the next eight years The program of the film is meticulous with a complex structure and order The Weill opera is transformed into a numerological and symbolic system Images in the film are divided into categories portraits animation symbols and nature to form the palindrome PASANASAP The film contains invaluable cameos of important avantgarde figures such as Allen Ginsberg Patti Smith and Jonas Mekas intercut with installation pieces from Robert Mapplethorpes studio New York City landmarks of the era and Smiths visionary animation