A Simple Complex, Basic Facts Observed in Ballet Mécanique
Lecture by Bruce Posner & FilmsBallet mécanique
Fernand Léger, Dudley Murphy, 1924
Cinematography: Dudley Murphy, Man Ray, Ezra Pound; Music: George Antheil, arranged and adapted to film by Paul D. Lehrman (1999/2001); Cast: Kiki de Montparnasse, Katherine Murphy, Dudley Murphy. DCP (from 35mm), color and b/w, 13 min. English/French intertitles
Ballet mécanique Medley X3
US 2019
Compiled by Bruce Posner based on seven different versions of the film and four versions of the music from different sources. DCP (from 35mm), color and b/w, 15 min
Ballet mécanique Colors 8
US 2022
Compiled by Bruce Posner based on the geometric shapes and editing patterns common to two early major versions of the film (a copy from the estate of Frederick Kiesler and a copy from the Dutch avant-garde movement Filmliga). DCP (from 35mm), color and b/w, 3 min
Experienced together or apart, the abstract film Ballet mécanique (1923–1935) by French painter Fernand Léger and American filmmaker Dudley Murphy and the sonic music Ballet mécanique (1924–1953) by American composer George Antheil represent indisputable milestones in the advancement of twentieth century modern art. Since the film premiered, silent and without musical accompaniment, at Vienna's Internationale Ausstellung neuer Theatertechnik in 1924, both avant-garde experiments have enthralled audiences as separate entities, each offering a concentrated, relentless attack upon what constitutes the audio-visual experience. Interpretations of their extremely complex visual and aural sub-structures have been further complicated by the existence of five different extant editions of the film and four-definitive versions of the music. Recently thanks to computer technology, the two have been performed together as the authors had initially intended. Film curator Bruce Posner will discuss the entwined histories and intricacies of these hyperkinetic masterworks using rare archival materials. (B.P.)
Curated by Bruce Posner
Total duration of films and lecture (in English): approx. 90 min
Courtesy of "Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film 1894–1941," a collaborative preservation project of Anthology Film Archives, DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, and Filmmakers Showcase with sixty of the world's leading film archives and sponsored by Cineric, Inc., New York.
Screening dates:
