Markopoulos's ability to improvise with his surroundings and to develop techniques of rapid cutting and subjective treatments of narrative time remain among the greatest contributions he made to cinema. Reminiscent of Maya Deren's work, Swain is an early psychodrama trance film that uses single-frame clusters of images as a recapitulation device to restate poignant themes. The multilayered Twice a Man, inspired by the myth of Hippolytus and Phaedra, demonstrates Markopoulos's masterful handling of sound design: he structured the soundtrack as a monologue of truncated syllables spoken by Phaedra juxtaposed with music, sound effects, and silence.

Swain 1950. With Markopoulos, Mary Zelles. 24 mins, Color, 16mm

Flowers of Asphalt 1951. With John Markopoulos, Maria Markopoulos. 7 mins, Silent, B&W, 16mm

Eldora 1953, 8 mins, Silent, Color, 16mm

Twice a Man 1963. With Paul Kilb, Olympia Dukakis. 48 mins, Color, 16mm

Total running time: 87 mins