The Grunions are Running
1973 | 00:05:41 | United States | English | B&W | Mono | 4:3 | Video
Collection: Early Video Art, Single Titles
Tags: Performance, Video History


Using imagery from a Japanese "creature feature" and a chewing gum commercial, Benglis's camera focuses on different parts of the screen to emphasize different messages. With dialogue and sound replaced by the sound of frogs croaking outside Benglis's studio, the absurdly comic visuals of the movie and commercial oddly begin to echo each other, raising questions about the nature of the absurdity beamed into our homes and uncritically accepted as entertainment.
This title was in the original Castelli-Sonnabend video art collection.