Huh Huh 1976 – 78

In this film, Dietmar Brehm presents a collection of old film experiments he made himself. Brehm often adapts older material (by himself or others) into new forms, making the basis unrecognisable, but here he presents the authentic material (even though the original Super8 material was again shot on 16 mm, but that is barely an intervention for a film maker Brehm). It looks as if in this case Brehm is the curator or archivist of his own work. In this sense, this film is a kind of retrospective, a programme that provides an entertaining and edifying insight into the early Brehm (and also into the subculture of the 1970s). The years mentioned in the title refer to the period of gestation of the short films in the film. The significance of Huh Huh may remain a puzzle. According to Brehm himself, in the late 1970s he wanted to imitate Dreyer, Godard and Warhol. This desire led to six Super8 sound film comedies that however fell apart because of careless handling. Huh Huh comprises fragments from five of these six films. They are without sound. During filming, it’s likely that much Lou Reed and David Bowie were used (you can see it in the characters), but the unusual archivist did not want to risk a battle for the rights. (GjZ)