Entr'acte (1924)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

René Clair

Writers:

Francis Picabia (screenplay)
René Clair (adaptation)

Release Date:

4 December 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Short

Plot:

An absolute dada movie. Somebody gets killed, his coffin gets out of control and after a chase it stops. The person gets out of it and let everybody who followed the coffin dissapear.

Plot Keywords:

Coffin | Dada | Ballet | Slow Motion | Surrealism

Cast

Jean Börlin	...	Le chasseur au chapeau tyrolien / Le prestidigitateur
Inge Frïss	...	La ballerine (as Mlle Frïss)
Francis Picabia	...	Un homme qui charge le canon
Marcel Duchamp	...	Un joueur d'échecs
Man Ray	...	Un joueur d'échecs (as Man-Ray)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Darius Milhaud

Runtime:

22 min

Country:

France

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Roof, 15 - Théâtre des Champs Elysées, avenue Montaigne, Paris 8, Paris, France

Company:

Les Ballets Suedois

Trivia:

The ballet Relâche was performed for the first time at the Théâtre des Champs Elyseés in 1924. It is based on a book and with settings by Francis Picabia, a ballet in two acts commissioned and staged by the Ballets Suédois of Rolf de Maré, choreography by Jean Borlin. This film was shown between the two acts, with music by Erik Satie.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: (#3.3)" (1990)

Artsy.

Originally played as an intermission with no sound, this film is now a must for any fan/historian of fine art. Featuring cameos by Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and other notables, Clair and Picabia's dada collage of different narratives, experimental use of the camera, and surrealist and absurdist images is the best example of experimental or dadaist films from the period. As unusual as it is to watch a film with no sound, the images created by the artists provide an extremely unique experience for the viewer. Fun for anyone, and especially interesting for those acquainted with the artists or the art movements themselves.