Decasia (2002)

A meditation on the human quest to transcend physicality, constructed from decaying archival footage and set to an original symphonic score.

Director:

Bill Morrison

Writer:

Bill Morrison

Stars:

William S. Hart

Cast

Credited cast:
William S. Hart	...	(archive footage)

Storyline

Black and white stock footage, much of it scratched or blistered, illustrates a Michael Gordon symphony. A whirling dervish, couples laughing, a soldier trying to take advantage of a flower vendor, a camel caravan moving across the horizon, a single plane and then others, paratroopers in the sky, a mining disaster, a pugilist, nuns and children at a school - some images last a few seconds, others for a minute or more. The scratches, blisters, and bygone look of the footage suggest time's passage. Only the dervish, who begins and ends the film, is intact.

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Plot Keywords:

whirling dervish | symphony | nun | school | couple | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Release Date:

3 October 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

Aposynthesia

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nearly all the clips incorporated into this film are from footage that has been damaged due to poor storage, neglect, or ravaged by time and the elements. Nothing was done to accelerate the decomposition process.

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Connections

Features Truthful Tulliver (1917)

User Reviews

Hypnotic

Hour long film made up entirely of fragments from decaying nitrate film. A hypnotic film the film becomes an trip through the minds eye as the unconnected pieces end up joined by the minds ability to impose order. What is the film about? Thats for you to discover as decay infuses the images with eerie, surreal and amusing power. The music is minimalist in the Philip Glass style which adds to the trippiness. At first odd and disconcerting the film slowly sucks you in and remains riveting viewing until almost the very end (images of planes and parachutes go on way past the point of boredom). An amazing film that will send your mind off on an odd trip to piece together what its all about. (One piece I read on the film stated the filmmaker likes to talk to audiences to see what they think its about since other than the idea of decay and rebirth he has no set meaning) Worth a look - especially in a dark room with no distractions