Sonbert began making films in 1966, as a student at New York University’s film school. His earliest films, in which he captured the spirit of his generation, were inspired first by the university milieu and then by the denizens of the Warhol art world.
Where Did Our Love Go? 1966. USA. Directed by Warren Sonbert. 15 min. 16mm.
Sonbert recalled, “Warhol Factory days…serendipity visits, Janis and Caselli and Bellevue glances…Malanga at work…glances at Le Mépris and North by Northwest…. Girl rock groups and a disco opening…a romp through the Modern.”
Hall of Mirrors. 1966. USA. Directed by Warren Sonbert. 7 min. 16mm.
An outgrowth of Sonbert’s film classes at NYU, he re-edits outtakes from a Hollywood film (starring Fredric March and Florence Eldridge), adding found footage with scenes of Warhol superstar René Ricard in reflective moments, and Gerard Malanga in public view at an art gallery. The film has a sophisticated circular structure, beginning and ending with the protagonists’ movements enmeshed within multiple reflecting mirrors.
The Tenth Legion. 1967. USA. Directed by Warren Sonbert. 30 min. 16mm.
The Tenth Legion exemplifies Sonbert’s use of a constantly moving hand-held camera as it trails the college-age protagonists in choreographed fashion, and chiaroscuro lighting effects in interior scenes. His attention to capturing the minutiae of daily existence is a precursor to his mature montage films in which he melded diverse human gestures into a unified global vision.