Symphonie diaganale

Original title: Symphonie diagonale

19241924
7min

A tilted figure, consisting largely of right angles at the beginning, grows by accretion, with the addition of short straight lines and curves which sprout from the existing design. The figu... Read allA tilted figure, consisting largely of right angles at the beginning, grows by accretion, with the addition of short straight lines and curves which sprout from the existing design. The figure vanishes and the process begins again with a new pattern, each cycle lasting one or two... Read allA tilted figure, consisting largely of right angles at the beginning, grows by accretion, with the addition of short straight lines and curves which sprout from the existing design. The figure vanishes and the process begins again with a new pattern, each cycle lasting one or two seconds. The complete figures are drawn in a vaguely Art Deco style and could be said to ... Read all

6.0/10

1.3K

Director
- Viking Eggeling

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

6.4

Return to Reason

5.7

Rhythmus 21

7.2

Ghosts Before Breakfast

6.7

6.1

7.4

6.2

7.0

6.5

7.1

7.1

7.0

The Seashell and the Clergyman

A tilted figure, consisting largely of right angles at the beginning, grows by accretion, with the addition of short straight lines and curves which sprout from the existing design. The figure vanishes and the process begins again with a new pattern, each cycle lasting one or two seconds. The complete figures are drawn in a vaguely Art Deco style and could be said to resemble any number of things, an ear, a harp, panpipes, a grand piano with trombones, and so on, only highly stylized. The tone is playful and hypnotic. —David Carless

art avant garde experimental film surrealism dada 1 more

Genres
Parents guide

Connections
Featured in Bewegte Bilder. Deutsche Trickfilme der Zwanziger Jahre (1975)

Top review

10/10

Splendid

It is curious, how much our minds are wired to try to make sense out of the images we see: are the moving, dancing, art deco figures in this film combs? Caricatures of wings? A logo? And the oddly hypnotic, abstract images which appear at one minute? what of them? Are the images and figures presented mean to compliment each other, or stand independently? Or meant to simulate movement?

Viking Eggeling's Symphonie diagonale is interesting, nonstop art deco images, good to just sit and watch the repetitive patterns shapes, like a blinking neon sign, and zone out to, and well drawn also.

The print I saw had either been well restored, or just held up immaculately, because the film had contrast between its deep blacks and pure whites, as opposed to medium range greys that a lot of old silent films have.

helpful•0