Ménilmontant (1926)

Director:

Dimitri Kirsanoff

Writer:

Dimitri Kirsanoff

Stars:

Nadia Sibirskaïa, Yolande Beaulieu, Guy Belmont

Cast

Credited cast:
Nadia Sibirskaïa	...	Younger Sister
Yolande Beaulieu	...	Older Sister
Guy Belmont	...	Young Man
Jean Pasquier
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maurice Ronsard

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

expressionism | surrealism | avant garde | experimental

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Genres:

Short

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Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

1926 (France)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

38 min 38 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pauline Kael said this was her favorite film of all time.

User Reviews

A Striking, Disturbing Masterpiece.

There is an old German proverb that says that size doesn't matter ( well, size does count for this count having in mind the perimeter of his Teutonic heiresses… ) and the saying rings true with "Ménilmontant" a medium-length silent film directed by Herr Dimitri Kirsanoff, and a striking, disturbing masterpiece.

Herr Kirsanoff's direction is astonishing in every aspect of the film, particularly in its technique. It's a mixture of drama, avant-garde, experimental film and hyper realism. The story depicted in the film ( the terrible life of two orphan sisters ) doesn't allow any concession to the audience; to watch "Ménilmontant" today still invokes amazement, distress and an infinite sadness.

From the very start of the film ( superb, striking and masterful editing by Herr Kirsanoff himself ) the director shows power and imagination and a strong control of film narrative ( there is no need of intertitles ). Kiransoff's use of imagery is thrilling and brilliant. Images emphasize a ruined happy childhood and the duality and dangers of a big city ( flashbacks, imaginative camera angles, dreamy and poetic shots ) not to mention the sorrowful life of the two orphans, an existence of loneliness, abandonment and despair that broke the heart of a heartless German aristocrat, especially the superb scene in which the younger sister ( touching Dame Nadia Sibirskaia ) ,alone and hungry on a bench park with her baby, accepts some bread from an old man, a moving and lyrical scene, that summarizes the spirit and achievement of this oeuvre.

"Ménilmontant" is a work of art, a striking experimental style in the service of a tragic and sad story, brilliantly and disturbingly balanced.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must become a little livelier.

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