Anthology of Surreal Cinema (Vol. 1)
This DVD features four short “surrealist” films from the 1920s:
Entr'acte - Directed by René Clair - 1924
La Coquille et le Clergyman – Directed by Germain Dulac -1928
Anémic Cinéma - Directed by Marcel Duchamp – 1926
Ballet Mécanique - Directed by Fernand Léger - 1923
Reviewed by Catherine MacLennan
Entr'acte features a number of artistic notables: Erik Satie, Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray and Jean Brolin in a series of scenes that have a surrealist, or experimental flavor. The film has no storyline, just images - from Paris rooftops, to balloon faces, to Erik Satie jumping up and down beside a cannon, to Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray playing chess, to a shooting, and a funeral procession. The funeral is the longest part, and, of course, those in attendance do not act normal - they hop and run in slow motion after the coffin.
February 2006 - The Lamp
La Coquille et le Clergyman is the longest film in the DVD at 28 minutes, and probably the most bizarre, featuring a priest who crawls the streets of Paris and lusts after a general’s girlfriend. Sitting in a confessional, in the priest’s seat, the general listens to the woman. The priest spies on the scene from behind a pillar and jumps out to attack the general, which lasts rather long and includes the general’s head cracking and splitting in two. The scenes are not as quickly edited in this film as they are in the rest of the shorts; the film and lingers on strange images and scenes.
Anémic Cinéma consists of hypnotic swirls, and puns in French that swirl in circles.
Ballet Mécanique is the most visually appealing of the films. Leger uses imagery similar to those found in his paintings – geometric shapes and machines, in a rapid-fire ballet-montage. The opening (and ending) feature a cutout figure very reminiscent of his paintings, with its bold lines and flat shapes.
Problems with this DVD: Poor condition of Entr'acte, and no any "extras" - context and commentary would have greatly improved this package.
February 2006 - The Lamp