Ronald Chase
Ronald Chase (born December 29, 1934) is an American artist, photographer, educator, independent film maker and opera designer. In 1963, Chase began making short experimental films with Fragments, written by Mary Lee Settle and filmed in the Hudson Valley. In 1964, he began experimenting with using film projections in theatre and dance performances. These experiments produced the films The Covenant, Chameleon and Clown, as well as Parade, a short documentary of the first Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade in San Francisco. Chase produced and directed two features in the 1970s. Bruges-La-Morte premiered at the 1978 Rotterdam Film Festival and was awarded the Critics Prize at the International Film Festival Ghent in 1980. LULU, adapted from the play by Frank Wedekind, screened at a number of festivals and was chosen as one of the three best films of 1978 by Pariscope, but could not be released because of a copyright conflict with the estate of Alban Berg. In 1993, Chase created the San Francisco Art & Film Program for Teenagers, a non-profit devoted to making the arts accessible to young people. SF Art & Film has been cited as one of the most comprehensive art education programs in the United States.
Ever Since the World Ended (2001)
Twelve years ago, a plague swept through, wiping out most of the population; in San Francisco, only 186 people remain. Two of them use jury-rigged batteries to power a camera and make a documentary. We see a variety of approaches to survival, from the artist and ... (more)
Twelve years ago, a plague swept through, wiping out most of the population; in San Francisco, only 186 people remain. Two of them use jury-rigged batteries to power a camera and make a documentary. We see a variety of approaches to survival, from the artist and ... (more)
Chameleon (1970)
A young man (Jean Yves Pitoun) keeps awakening from a nightmare in which he kills a young child (Kim Beeson). (more)
A young man (Jean Yves Pitoun) keeps awakening from a nightmare in which he kills a young child (Kim Beeson). (more)
Bruges-La-Morte (1978)
The story of Paul who one day meets a young dancer who is the double of the dead wife he worships. Their meeting triggers a nightmare that takes him on a midnight journey through dark canals, memories, to a theater performance in a graveyard where he learns darker ... (more)
The story of Paul who one day meets a young dancer who is the double of the dead wife he worships. Their meeting triggers a nightmare that takes him on a midnight journey through dark canals, memories, to a theater performance in a graveyard where he learns darker ... (more)
Lulu (1978)
This highly stylized, critically acclaimed film from the 70's mixes silent film cards, a soundscape, color, opera music and atmosphere to explore the Freudian truths about men's fear of women that Wedekind powerfully exposed. A kinetic melodrama of the rise of a ... (more)
This highly stylized, critically acclaimed film from the 70's mixes silent film cards, a soundscape, color, opera music and atmosphere to explore the Freudian truths about men's fear of women that Wedekind powerfully exposed. A kinetic melodrama of the rise of a ... (more)
Clown (1970)
A woman remembers the moments with her lover and believes she's made herself ridiculous. She's become a clown. (more)
A woman remembers the moments with her lover and believes she's made herself ridiculous. She's become a clown. (more)
Fragments (1970)
A woman remembers the love affairs with an artist and a fisherman that led her husband to suicide. (more)
A woman remembers the love affairs with an artist and a fisherman that led her husband to suicide. (more)
Parade (1972)
A short film on the first Gay Pride March in San Francisco in 1971 the year after the Stonewall Riots. This film was lost for 50 years before it was found and restored by SF Art & Film. (more)
A short film on the first Gay Pride March in San Francisco in 1971 the year after the Stonewall Riots. This film was lost for 50 years before it was found and restored by SF Art & Film. (more)
Fantasia on The Childhood of Busoni (1981)
A fantasy on the childhood of a highly gifted pianist/composer who visited Italy & Germany on a concert tour when he was 10. The film serves as a homage to mothers who tirelessly support their talented childrens endeavors. (more)
A fantasy on the childhood of a highly gifted pianist/composer who visited Italy & Germany on a concert tour when he was 10. The film serves as a homage to mothers who tirelessly support their talented childrens endeavors. (more)
A Village Romeo (1971)
Doomed lovers visit a country fair, spend a long afternoon in the forest before they drown themselves in the river. FIlm thought lost for 30 years, as been restored with new sound. (more)
Doomed lovers visit a country fair, spend a long afternoon in the forest before they drown themselves in the river. FIlm thought lost for 30 years, as been restored with new sound. (more)
Beatrice Cenci (1971)
A true story, fillmed in Rome with both actors & non actors. in the 1500's Roman life was often a nightmare - Count Cenci tortured his family, raped his daughter, murdered his sons, created general havoc. Beatrice got her revenge, before she lost her head. A hectic ... (more)
A true story, fillmed in Rome with both actors & non actors. in the 1500's Roman life was often a nightmare - Count Cenci tortured his family, raped his daughter, murdered his sons, created general havoc. Beatrice got her revenge, before she lost her head. A hectic ... (more)
Cathedral (1971)
It is one of the earliest of the gay films after Stonewall, and one that refused to see touch, affection, and sensuality only in pornographic terms. The films final scenes use footage filmed in the St. Chapel, Paris, and connect the sensual with the spiritual. The ... (more)
It is one of the earliest of the gay films after Stonewall, and one that refused to see touch, affection, and sensuality only in pornographic terms. The films final scenes use footage filmed in the St. Chapel, Paris, and connect the sensual with the spiritual. The ... (more)
Sally Simpson (1970)
Sally Simpson played to a song rendered by Bette Midler (one of the cast) behind the proscenium curtain. Filmed in San Francisco in collaborated with a friend, Wilfred Satty, who had gained a reputation for illustrations of rock posters. Satty was one of San ... (more)
Sally Simpson played to a song rendered by Bette Midler (one of the cast) behind the proscenium curtain. Filmed in San Francisco in collaborated with a friend, Wilfred Satty, who had gained a reputation for illustrations of rock posters. Satty was one of San ... (more)
The Covenant (1965)
Dance film of work by choreographer Elizabeth Harris with original score by Pauline Oliveros. The score is for prepared piano and was performed live during the filming. Harris was a frequent collaborator with Oliveros at the Tape Music Center in San Francisco. (more)
Dance film of work by choreographer Elizabeth Harris with original score by Pauline Oliveros. The score is for prepared piano and was performed live during the filming. Harris was a frequent collaborator with Oliveros at the Tape Music Center in San Francisco. (more)
Jezebel (2006)
A group film by students of the San Francisco Film Workshop, under the direction of Ronald Chase. A boy tries to comfort a woman who has just been dumped, but balks when he learns about the circumstances of the relationship. Crew: Laura Byrne Vadim Oss Derek ... (more)
A group film by students of the San Francisco Film Workshop, under the direction of Ronald Chase. A boy tries to comfort a woman who has just been dumped, but balks when he learns about the circumstances of the relationship. Crew: Laura Byrne Vadim Oss Derek ... (more)