My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure
My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure is a film cycle by Robert Beavers, developed between 1968 and 2002. Rather than a single compiled film, it consists of individual works that Beavers continually re-edited and re-contextualized, shaping them into a larger cycle presented under this title. The phrase itself may sound like a poetic riddle, yet its meaning becomes clear in the experience of seeing and hearing the films. While sometimes treated as one work in retrospectives and museum programs, My Hand Outstretched… is best understood as a collection of interconnected films, not a singular release.
Franchise Evolution & Timeline Analysis
The My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure has evolved significantly over a span of 34 years, growing from a singular narrative into a complex cinematic universe. With 18 interconnected entries, tracking the consistency of the franchise reveals fascinating trends in audience sentiment.
The "Series" Benchmark: 3.6/10
The franchise maintains a steady average rating of 3.6. While most series experience "Sequel Fatigue," My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure has managed to keep its narrative quality relatively stable, with Work Done standing out as the peak cinematic achievement.
Continuity vs. Commercial Appeal
Our data indicates that while the "Release Order" is preferred for first-time viewers, the "Chronological Order" provides a much deeper understanding of the world-building within the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure. The timeline highlights a clear three-act structure across all chapters.
Timeline & Watch Order
We recommend watching the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure franchise in the following order to fully experience the narrative expansion.
Winged Dialogue
An early exploration of intimacy and perception, the film portrays the body’s beauty and sexuality as animated by the soul. Through dissolving and vanishing ima...
Plan of Brussels
Filmed in a Brussels hotel room, Beavers alternates between his work desk and lying nude on the bed, while rapid cuts and superimpositions conjure a rush of str...
The Count of Days
The film is seen as though upon and through the structure of its spiritual partitions. One might say that there are three elements or levels to the images: narr...
Palinode
In Palinode a disk-shaped matte continually shifting in and out of focus alternately blocks part of the image or contains it. Its respiratory rhythm matches ope...
Diminished Frame
“There is a balance between a sense of the past seen in the views of West Berlin, filmed in black & white, and a sense of the present in which I filmed myse...
Still Light
Filmed on Hydra, the work studies a young man’s face across shifting light and landscape, framed through customized masks and filters. The constant visage, set ...
The Painting
Beavers intercuts scenes of traffic in Bern with details from the 15th-century altarpiece The Martyrdom of St. Hippolytus. In its revised form, the film gains a...
From the Notebook of...
Shot in Florence, the film draws on Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks and Paul Valéry’s essay on da Vinci’s creative process to explore parallels between Renaissanc...
Work Done
Shot in Florence and the Alps, the film contemplates traditional European labor—ice vaults, bookbinding, cooking—while largely omitting human protagonists. Thro...
Ruskin
Beavers traces John Ruskin’s legacy from London to the Alps and especially Venice, where the camera lingers on stone and water in dialogue with Ruskin’s writing...
Amor
Shot in Rome and Salzburg’s natural theatre, the film uses cutting and sewing as metaphors for love, separation, and the craft of montage. Cloth being trimmed, ...
Efpsychi
“The details of the young actor’s face – his eyes, eyebrows, earlobe, chin, etc. – are set opposite the old buildings in the market quarter of Athens, where eve...
Wingseed
A meditation on landscape and desire, the film juxtaposes arid terrain, wild grasses, and herds of goats with the naked figure of a torso in shifting light. She...
The Stoas
Named for the colonnades of the ancient Lyceum, the film juxtaposes industrial arcades in golden morning light with lush images of streams and wooded glens. Emp...
Sotiros
Distilled in 1996 from an earlier 50-minute trilogy, this 26-minute film was shot in Greece and Austria and structured around two recurring intertitles, “He sai...
The Ground
Interweaving stonework and filmmaking, Beavers evokes memory through hammer strokes and chisel sounds that shape both image and rhythm. In this dialogue of repe...
The Hedge Theater
Filmed in Rome in the 1980s, the work draws on Borromini’s Baroque architecture and Il Sassetta’s St. Martin and the Beggar. Beavers contrasts winter’s subdued ...
Early Monthly Segments
Filmed when Beavers was 18–19, this self-portrait depicts him and Gregory J. Markopoulos in their Swiss apartment. A diary of domestic life, it transforms every...
Common Questions about My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure
How many movies are in the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure?
There are currently 18 movies in the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure, starting from Winged Dialogue to the latest release, The Ground.
What is the best order to watch the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure?
The best way to watch the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure is usually in release order: starting with Winged Dialogue and ending with The Ground. Check our timeline for the full chronological breakdown.
Which is the highest-rated movie in the My Hand Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure?
According to movieMx ratings, the fans have a strong preference for Work Done in this franchise.