Advertisement
Return to Reason: Short Films by Man Ray with recorded soundtrack by SQÜRLA high-water mark of early European avant-garde cinema, these four films that Man Ray directed between 1923 and 1929 — LE RETOUR À LA RAISON, EMAK-BAKIA, L’ÉTOILE DE MER, and LES MYSTÈRES DU CHÂTEAU DU DÉ — form a seminal nexus of surrealist narrative, dark eroticism and playful abstraction. In these shorts, Man Ray began experimenting with the limitless possibilities of montage, as well as the direct application onto celluloid of objects such as salt and pepper, pins and thumbtacks. Juxtaposing undulating geometric patterns, a twirling fairground ride and a female nude, among other striking images, Man Ray finds subconscious correspondences among seemingly incongruous materials and figures. For the centennial of LE RETOUR À LA RAISON, the Jim Jarmusch-Carter Logan band SQÜRL recorded a brand new drone-rock score for this program of four films by Man Ray. The combo’s cosmic sounds beautifully complement Man Ray’s visuals, conjuring notes of the ineffable, the haunting and the sublime.
The restoration process was led by WOMANRAY and Cinenovo sourcing original prints from various parts of the world, in partnership with La Cinémathèque française, the Centre Pompidou, the Library of Congress, the French CNC and Cineteca di Bologna.
LE RETOUR À LA RAISON [RETURN TO REASON]
For LE RETOUR À LA RAISON, Man Ray extended his visual experimentations from photography to moving images, playfully applying salt and pepper, pins and thumbtacks directly onto celluloid. The final segment introduces the legendary Kiki de Montparnasse, his frequent model, her nude form overlaid by bands of light and shadow. DIR/PROD Man Ray. France, 1923, b&w, 3 min. NOT RATED
EMAK-BAKIA [LEAVE ME ALONE]
Subtitled as a cinépoéme, or a cinematic poem, EMAK-BAKIA restages many of Man Ray’s still-photography techniques, such as double exposure, soft focus and his signature "rayographs." The title means "leave me alone" in the Basque language, though it can also be translated as "give peace." DIR/SCR/PROD Man Ray. France, 1923, b&w, 19 min. NOT RATED
L'ÉTOILE DE MER [THE STARFISH]
Featuring intertitles penned by surrealist poet Robert Desnos, L’ÉTOILE DE MER explores an affair between a man (André de la Rivière) and a woman (Kiki de Montparnasse) — shots of whom are often distorted through glass or a gelatin filter — via a poetic montage of surreal images, including a starfish in a jar. DIR/PROD Man Ray; SCR Robert Desnos. France, 1928, b&w, 18 min. NOT RATED
LES MYSTÈRES DU CHÂTEAU DU DÉ [THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHÂTEAU OF DICE]
In LES MYSTÈRES DU CHÂTEAU DU DÉ, a pair of masked men allow chance to dictate their decisions. After driving out to a fabulous château in the hills, they frolic among its well-appointed interior and grounds — which sport sculptures by Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró — and encounter other faceless travelers whose fates are also ruled by rolls of the dice. DIR/SCR Man Ray; PROD Le Vicomte de Noailles. France, 1929, b&w, 28 min. NOT RATED
Approx. runtime: 70 min
Part of the Silent Cinema Showcase For the full lineup visit: 🎹 https://tinyurl.com/SilentCinemaShowcaseAFI24
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3916, United States,Silver Spring, Maryland
Tickets
