The Mysteries of the Chateau de De (1929)
"Les mystères du château de Dé" (original title)

Mannequin hands hold a pair of dice. A castle is perched on a hilltop. Below it, a posh, modern villa. Meanwhile, far from Paris, two men with masked faces play dice in a bar. They decide ... See full summary »

Director:

Man Ray

Writer:

Man Ray

Stars:

Georges Auric, Le Comte de Beaumont, Le Vicomte de Noailles

Cast

Credited cast:
Georges Auric	...	Himself
Le Comte de Beaumont	...	Himself
Le Vicomte de Noailles	...	Himself
Marie-Laure de Noailles	...	Herself

Storyline

Mannequin hands hold a pair of dice. A castle is perched on a hilltop. Below it, a posh, modern villa. Meanwhile, far from Paris, two men with masked faces play dice in a bar. They decide to drive to Paris. Country roads, hills, fences. The posh "chateau" appears again: meticulous garden, fancy interior, odd sculptures. And at home? "No one, NO ONE." For the next two days, masked figures play dice, frolic by the pool, perform exercises with a ball. Two new figures arrive. Masked. They search and find the dice. They dance. Mannequin hands hold a pair of dice.

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Plot Keywords:

dice | swimming | surrealism | swimming pool | mask | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

6 June 1929 (France)

Also Known As:

The Mysteries of the Chateau de De

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

27 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Early dadaist film -- don't watch it if you want it to make sense

What happens if one gives a dadaist a camera, a modernist château, the cooperation of the patrons and château-owners, and friends? A pastiche of shaky travel images, poetic intertitles, absurd images of people with no faces (stockings or masks), inexplicable action, recurring episodes of dice-rolling, swimming in the handsome pool, exercise, and interiors. Footage cobbled together. Some good puns (piscinema) and such, but mostly tedious, full of dark, inexpert photography, obscure poetic tags, and gratuitous absurdity—much like a the work of a pretentious art-school person with his or her first camera and some film stock to shoot. Still, it's probably one of the first of such things, and thus has a place in film history.