The Three-Sided Mirror (1927)
"La glace à trois faces" (original title)

Psychological narrative avantgarde film about a wealthy young businessman who consecutively falls in love with a classy English woman (Pearl), a Russian sculptress (Athalia), and a naive ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean Epstein

Writers:

Jean Epstein (adaptation), Paul Morand (novel)

Stars:

Jeanne Helbling, Suzy Pierson, Olga Day

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeanne Helbling	...	Lucie
Suzy Pierson	...	Athalia
Olga Day	...	Pearl
Raymond Guérin-Catelain	...	Le Soupirant (as Raymond Guerin)
Jean Garat	...	(as Paul Garat)
René Ferté	...	L'Homme (as Rene Ferte)

Storyline

Psychological narrative avantgarde film about a wealthy young businessman who consecutively falls in love with a classy English woman (Pearl), a Russian sculptress (Athalia), and a naive working-class girl (Lucie). Overpowered by weakness, the coward sidesteps the obligations that love affairs impose: rather than living up to his dates he takes his sports-car from an ultra-modern garage and speeds to the fashionable beaches of Deauville. On his way, he is fatally hit by a descending swallow. The film is divided into three segments each of which consists of events the woman experienced. These sequences are embedded in scenes in which each of the three women is telling and casting her mind back to her own love affair. Thus, present, future and past merge and cannot be distinguished clearly. The intertwinement of several layers of time experience, recollection, telling and showing have been regarded as a source of inspiration of Alain Resnais and this film prefigures his "L'Année ...

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Plot Keywords:

love affair | sports car | based on short story | flashback | nonlinear timeline | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Also Known As:

The Three-Sided Mirror

Filming Locations:

L'Isle-Adam, Val-d'Oise, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Jean Epstein

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

An Exercise In Film Style

"La Glace À Trois Faces" ( The Three-Sided Mirror ) (1927) demonstrates the experimental aspect of Herr Jean Epstein's silent period. It is full of bold and innovative editing and unusual film narrative. Epstein was certainly not the only director to tell a story from the viewpoints of different characters but he makes the concept visually exciting. In this film there are three different women: a sophisticated lady, Frau Pearl (Frau Olga Day), a dilettante sculptress, Frau Athalia Roubinowitch (Frau Suzy Pierson) and a commoner girl, Frau Lucie (Frau Jeanne Helbling). They each tell of their love affair with the same man (Herr Rene Ferte).

The film is divided into three episodes, each very stylized. The object of the affections of these three ladies is a young businessman who is indifferent to the despair his heartlessness causes each of his lovers. He ends each affair abruptly and with simple excuses, rushing off in his racing car.

Visually powerful, "La Glace Á Trois Faces" carefully depicts each setting and the editing is frenzied and brilliant in the outdoor sequences (especially when the man flees from his lovers). There are suggestive and subtle consecutive close-ups which depict the troubled relationship of the three women and their nonchalant lover. There's also a bit of classicism in this very original film.

"La Glace À Trois Faces" is an exercise in film style, a unique work that certainly will leave no one indifferent and will especially delight audiences that appreciate original film experimentation.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must ride at full gallop from his boring responsibilities.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com