Compared to his enormous structuralist masterpiece "Zorns Lemma" (1970), the simple structure of Hollis Frampton's "Maxwell's Demon" is very basic. For four minutes, the viewer is treated to watching a man exercising in a very blank and background-less room, interrupted constantly by colors and waves of (colored) static to weird noises. Other than these sounds, the film is entirely silent like many of Frampton's earliest works and goes through this repetitive cycle for the entire run-time. Not repetitive as in boring, just as in the entire film's sequence is very much so in visual aspect.
For some reason, the summary on IMDb states that the exercises the man performs are demonstrations of James Clerk Maxwell's theory of gas molecules. This makes little or no sense to me, since the exercises are very athletic at times (for instance the push-ups) and none of it really seems to be referencing science in particular. The title does imply it, so I'm probably mistaken to some level but on the outside there certainly isn't any indication of this.
Other reviewers have stated that this short was very hypnotic to them, one in particular saying the experience fascinated him and that he felt as though he was "leaving his body". I don't doubt his account at all, but I have to say that whatever affected the other reviewers in this short certainly didn't affect me. Don't get this wrong, I am an experimental film fan, and have found interest even in what some would consider Frampton's worst and most boring work, such as "States" (1967). (That one is only made up of three images for seventeen minutes, so this says a lot). "Maxwell's Demon" remains an interesting short film, but not exceptionally brilliant to me in particular because it did not strike me so boldly as it has to previous viewers. If you are a fan of experimental cinema you may find more in this than I have, or you may feel the same way--in either case, it is an interesting work regardless.
For some reason, the summary on IMDb states that the exercises the man performs are demonstrations of James Clerk Maxwell's theory of gas molecules. This makes little or no sense to me, since the exercises are very athletic at times (for instance the push-ups) and none of it really seems to be referencing science in particular. The title does imply it, so I'm probably mistaken to some level but on the outside there certainly isn't any indication of this.
Other reviewers have stated that this short was very hypnotic to them, one in particular saying the experience fascinated him and that he felt as though he was "leaving his body". I don't doubt his account at all, but I have to say that whatever affected the other reviewers in this short certainly didn't affect me. Don't get this wrong, I am an experimental film fan, and have found interest even in what some would consider Frampton's worst and most boring work, such as "States" (1967). (That one is only made up of three images for seventeen minutes, so this says a lot). "Maxwell's Demon" remains an interesting short film, but not exceptionally brilliant to me in particular because it did not strike me so boldly as it has to previous viewers. If you are a fan of experimental cinema you may find more in this than I have, or you may feel the same way--in either case, it is an interesting work regardless.