Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Diaries, Notes, and Sketches (1969, 2hr 48min) Streaming for Family Members on Eternal.tv & Apps.
Also known as "Walden" - An extraordinary six-reel diary film of Mekas's life in 1960s New York.
Walden is a name for paradise, and a name for home. In the improvisational rhythms of Mekas's camera, both states exist at once. Shot in fleeting, energetic moments, the editing transforms home-movie footage into something sublime. The sped-up rhythms and double exposures colour each scene with vibrant energy, fragmented and reassembled into a collection of short, radiant moments. Highlights include an early appearance by The Velvet Underground, family albums, and many gatherings with friends. Numerous figures from the American avant-garde also appear throughout the film.
John Cale recorded background music for the film, excerpted here. Mekas doubled the speed of Cale's recording and used it for a 15-minute segment. While editing, he also played vinyl records, radio broadcasts, and television audio in various combinations, taking every opportunity to capture unexpected sounds for the soundtrack.
The film was selected for the first International Underground Film Festival in London. Jackie Kennedy hosted a Mother's Day screening, which led to a project—later abandoned—in which Mekas would have documented her life through home movies and family photographs.
Presented with The Film-Makers' Cooperative.
Diaries, Notes, and Sketches (1969, 2hr 48min) Streaming for Family Members on Eternal.tv & Apps.
Also known as "Walden" - An extraordinary six-reel diary film of Mekas's life in 1960s New York.
Walden is a name for paradise, and a name for home. In the improvisational rhythms of Mekas's camera, both states exist at once. Shot in fleeting, energetic moments, the editing transforms home-movie footage into something sublime. The sped-up rhythms and double exposures colour each scene with vibrant energy, fragmented and reassembled into a collection of short, radiant moments. Highlights include an early appearance by The Velvet Underground, family albums, and many gatherings with friends. Numerous figures from the American avant-garde also appear throughout the film.
John Cale recorded background music for the film, excerpted here. Mekas doubled the speed of Cale's recording and used it for a 15-minute segment. While editing, he also played vinyl records, radio broadcasts, and television audio in various combinations, taking every opportunity to capture unexpected sounds for the soundtrack.
The film was selected for the first International Underground Film Festival in London. Jackie Kennedy hosted a Mother's Day screening, which led to a project—later abandoned—in which Mekas would have documented her life through home movies and family photographs.
Presented with The Film-Makers' Cooperative.
