Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) (1984)

This tape is the first of Hill’s works for which he deliberately wrote a screenplay. The title defines the piece’s starting point: Alice in Wonderland asks her omniscient father why things get in a muddle. They then talk on a metalinguistic level. A glimpse through the looking glass reveals an inversion of the customary order of things. The father ingests the smoke from his pipe, Alice does not so much blink her eyelids momentarily open as stare wide-eyed, and the playing cards fall out of the air in an orderly manner into the girl’s hand. (Gary Hill: Selected Works and catalogue raisonné, edited by Holger Broeker)

Director: Gary Hill
Runtime: 34 min
Release Date:

Cast

Screenplay

Country: United States of America
Language: English
Original Language: en

Keywords

philosophy, language, short film

More Films by Director: Gary Hill

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) about?
This tape is the first of Hill’s works for which he deliberately wrote a screenplay. The title defines the piece’s starting point: Alice in Wonderland asks her omniscient father why things get in a muddle. They then talk on a metalinguistic level. A glimpse through the looking glass reveals an inversion of the customary order of things. The father ingests the smoke from his pipe, Alice does not so much blink her eyelids momentarily open as stare wide-eyed, and the playing cards fall out of the air in an orderly manner into the girl’s hand. (Gary Hill: Selected Works and catalogue raisonné, edited by Holger Broeker)
Who directed Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia)?
Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) was directed by Gary Hill.
Who stars in Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia)?
Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) stars Kathy Bourbonais, Charles Stein.
How long is Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia)?
Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) has a runtime of 34m (34 minutes).
Where was Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) produced?
Why Do Things Get in a Muddle? (Come On Petunia) was produced in United States of America.