Stan Brakhage
Biography
Stan Brakhage is one of the most influential filmmakers in American avant-garde cinema, noted for his unflinching social commentaries and technical innovations. Over his nearly 40-year career, he has made over 200 films of varying length. He made his first film, Interim (1952) at age 18 after dropping out of college. Brakhage films seek to change the way we see. They encourage viewers to eschew traditional narrative structure in favor of pure visual perception that is not reliant on naming what is seen; rather his goal is to create a more visceral visual experience, for he believes that a "stream-of visual-consciousness could be nothing less than the pathway of the soul." To this end, his films are shot in highly sensual colors and utilize minimal soundtracks.
His work can be divided into distinct periods. His first short films explored the properties and possibilities of light. In many of his experimental ventures, Brakhage has forgone traditional cinematography in favor of working directly with the film stock itself. He has occasionally painted, inked, scratched and dyed images onto it; he has also tried pasting organic objects on the film. His most famous example is the 1963 short Mothlight in which he glued moth wings onto the stock. Some of his early films were based on his most intimate experiences that included making love to his new bride--depicted on negative film--in Wedlock House: An Intercourse (1959), and an attempt to bring his dead dog back to life with a camera in Sirius Remembered (1959). During the 1960s, Brakhage's iconoclastic views were celebrated for their poetry, but during the '70s, his focus changed to social issues and he alienated many supporters with such disturbing film series as the "Pittsburgh documents" in which he presented many gruesome views of inner city life with films such as Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes (1971) which was shot in a morgue. He also continued with autobiographical material with the "Sincerity/Duplicity series. During the 1980s, Brakhage's focus again changed--this time he became intrigued with creating truly "abstract" films such as Arabics (1982) which consists of brilliant bursts of colored light which he claims, represent "envisioned music." In addition to filmmaking, Brakhage also wrote books about films and filmmaking and also served as a teacher.
Known For
Acting
2003
asHimself
2003
asSelf (archive footage)
2003
asSelf
2002
asHimself
1981
asSelf
2006
asSelf
1959
asSelf
1959
asSelf (uncredited)
1964
as
1987
asSelf
1956
as
1998
asSelf
1985
asSelf
2022
as
1956
as1998
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asHimself
2006
as
2001
as
1996
asNoon Sr.
1993
as
1991
asSelf
1956
as
1954
as
1988
as
2000
asSelf
1964
as
1974
asNarrator (voice)
1988
as
1959
as
1997
asSelf
1963
as
1963
as
1962
as
1964
as1995
as
1965
asMan
2011
asHimself
2009
asHimself
1979
asHimself (voice)
1969
asHimself
1986
asHimself
1989
asNarrator
1984
as
2000
asHimself
2002
asHimself
1972
asHimself
1994
asSelf
2006
asSelf (archive footage)
1999
asHimself
2003
as
1997
as
1997
as
1993
asHimself
2013
asSelf
2002
as1996
asself
1965
as
2008
as
2004
asVoice
asHimself
Production
1965
asCrew
1961
as
2011
as1954
as
1960
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1955
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1961
as
1964
as
1952
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as1974
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1955
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1954
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1953
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1978
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1962
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1967
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as
2009
as
1976
as
1959
asDirecting
as
as
as1955
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as
1991
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1990
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1963
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1972
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1967
as1988
as
1993
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1968
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1972
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1991
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1987
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1987
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1992
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1986
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1996
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1994
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1999
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1993
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2001
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1988
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1981
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2001
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1955
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1974
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1972
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2000
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1993
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1994
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2003
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1965
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1970
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1978
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1959
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1958
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1991
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1993
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1994
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1975
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1975
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1975
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1975
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1972
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1993
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1993
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1957
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1968
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1966
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1964
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1964
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1964
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1964
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1994
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1994
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1980
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2002
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1979
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1973
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1970
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1977
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1989
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1976
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1995
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1970
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1974
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1990
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1989
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1990
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1981
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1956
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1956
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1981
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1997
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1997
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1998
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1971
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1971
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1972
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1971
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1968
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1965
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1973
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1969
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1970
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1957
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1971
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1974
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1979
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2002
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2000
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1969
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1966
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1967
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1966
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1968
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1969
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1985
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1987
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1972
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1972
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1993
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1993
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1961
as1955
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1961
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1963
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2000
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2000
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2000
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1971
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1971
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1984
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2001
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2002
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1972
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2000
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2002
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2002
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1994
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1997
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2001
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2002
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1996
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1999
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1996
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1999
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1999
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1999
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2001
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2001
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1976
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1979
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1999
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2012
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1967
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1998
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1981
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1981
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1981
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1981
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1982
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1981
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1982
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1967
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1990
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2001
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1994
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1994
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1996
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1996
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1996
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1996
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1996
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1996
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2010
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2003
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1986
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1975
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1995
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2001
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1999
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1978
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1999
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1988
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1990
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1978
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1976
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1987
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1989
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1978
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1999
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1988
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1990
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1967
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1996
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1974
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1986
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1997
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2001
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2001
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1980
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1972
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1977
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1976
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1978
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1981
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1991
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1974
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1975
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1978
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1981
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1986
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1997
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1980
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1995
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1998
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1976
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1996
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1998
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1974
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1996
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1999
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1978
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1979
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1981
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1996
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1979
as1996
as
1978
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1978
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1996
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1976
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1995
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1996
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1974
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1986
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1988
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1990
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1995
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1977
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1976
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1970
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1995
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1999
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1998
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2000
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1970
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1983
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1975
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1975
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1984
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2001
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1965
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