Phil Solomon: the experimental filmmaker who made movies on ‘Grand Theft Auto’
In the ever-shifting realms of experimental cinema, there are naturally scores upon scores of relatively unknown filmmakers, especially compared to Hollywood’s bright lights. Countless such movie directors employed a wide variety of innovative techniques to tell their stories, but few were as impactful and ingenious as Phil Solomon.
With a career spanning over three decades, Solomon was a true auteur of the medium of film and created a vibrant and groundbreaking body of work that pushed cinema into new frontiers. Defined by a uniquely haunting beauty and peculiar imagery, Solomon used a range of techniques, including collage and layering, to create strange and immersive worlds for his audiences.
Perhaps the most unique facet of all of Solomon’s works, though, was the fact that he made some of his films using the Rockstar video game series Grand Theft Auto. Take 2007’s Rehearsals for Retirement, for example, a beautifully eerie and evocative space of quiet in which he transforms the bustling metropolis of Liberty City into an artistic reflection on grief, loss and nostalgia in response to the death of his friend Mark LaPore. Solomon had similarly made 1999’s The Twilight Psalms following the death of his brother.
Sound also plays a key role in Solomon’s films, not just visuals, and he worked with composers like John Adams to create ethereal soundscapes to elevate his melancholic works. As far as his inspirations go, it’s hard to look beyond the role that the iconic Stan Brakhage had on Solomon, and many of his early works were made in direct imitation of the influential American experimental pioneer.
Solomon and Brakhage eventually developed a friendship, having taught film at the University of Colorado together, and the pair collaborated on three projects together. In fact, Brakhage named Solomon’s Remains to Be Seen as one of the ten greatest movies of all time in a feature with Sight & Sound magazine.
Known for his collaborations with several other artists, Solomon exhibited a willingness to push the medium’s boundaries and listen to others’ ideas. That made him the perfect teacher, and his work at Colorado inspired countless young filmmakers to pick up the camera for the first time.
Beginning with The Passage of the Bride and ending with 2013’s Psalm IV: ‘Valley of the Shadow’, Solomon delivered several wonderfully experimental movies. These included his three with Brakhage (Elementary Phrases, Concrescence and Seasons…) and several Grand Theft Auto-based works (Crossroad, Last Days in a Lonely Place and Still Raining, Still Dreaming).
A commitment to artistic expression defined Solomon’s career, and he lived his filmmaking life with a lack of fear for pushing the accepted norms of the medium of cinema. A willingness to take risks to symbolise the darker sides of the human experience resulted in a number of pioneering efforts that simultaneously captivate and haunt their audiences.
Solomon died in Boulder, Colorado, in 2019 at the age of 65, but his legacy in the world of experimental film will live on for aeons to come. Check out his 2007 work Rehearsals for Retirement below to experience his genuine artistry.
