FILM STUDY: FERNAND LEGER'S BALLET MÉCANIQUE
I'm super, extra, very busy right now but I don't like it when I skip a post so here's a short film, Ballet Mécanique by Fernand Leger made in 1924. The music sounds exactly how I feel right now.
Ballet Mécanique is an early Dadaist (or what some call post-Cubist) film that was written and co-directed by artist Fernand Léger and filmmaker Dudley Murphy. Man Ray (my fav) also gave cinematic input (whatever that means), and he even included one of his recurring subjects, a now iconic 1920s female face. The film premiered in Vienna as a silent film, but a score was made by American composer George Antheil shortly thereafter.
This is one of the earliest examples of experimental film, and was made in part as a mockery of Charlie Chaplin. (Because good artists have always hated the main stream, duh).
I'm really into the use of mirrors and kaleidoscopic effects. This technique set a standard for early experimental film and can be seen as a main motif through the 1950s.
It's 16 minutes of stimulation without dialogue, but you can make it even though it's 2016, I promise.
Enjoy.
Courtney Cady, © Bagtazo 2016