7.9/10
1,205
17 user 2 critic

Pas de deux (1968)

G | | Animation, Short, Musical | October 1968 (USA)
Pas de deux Poster
Two ballet dancers perform a dance enhanced with surreal multi and after-image effect visuals.

Director:

Norman McLaren

Stars:

Margaret Mercier, Vincent Warren
Reviews

On Disc

at Amazon

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

Add Image
See all 2 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Neighbours (1952)
Animation | Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A surreal story of two neighbours' destructive feud over a flower.

Director: Norman McLaren
Stars: Grant Munro, Jean Paul Ladouceur
Next »
A Chairy Tale (1957)
Animation | Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

An ordinary-looking chair refuses to be sat upon.

Directors: Claude Jutra, Norman McLaren
Stars: Claude Jutra
Next »
Begone Dull Care (1949)
Animation | Short | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Abstract images drawn directly onto the film are accompanied by three pieces of jazz performed by the Oscar Peterson trio.

Directors: Evelyn Lambart, Norman McLaren

Next »
Blinkity Blank (1955)
Animation | Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The surreal story of a bird and its cage with both their conflict and union.

Director: Norman McLaren

Next »
Mindscape (1976)
Animation | Short | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

An artist creates a painting of the landscape he sees, then finds he can literally climb into the picture to see the fantastic world inside.

Director: Jacques Drouin

Next »
When the Day Breaks (1999)
Animation | Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A chance encounter, a juicy yellow lemon and an unfortunate twist of fate will reveal that the symbiotic relationship between people is inextricable.

Directors: Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby

Next »
Dots (1940)
Short | Animation
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

An experimental film of dots animated by being drawn directly on filmstock.

Director: Norman McLaren

Next »
Balance (1989)
Animation | Short | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A group of fishermen on a precariously balanced platform fight over a trunk.

Directors: Christoph Lauenstein, Wolfgang Lauenstein

Next »
Synchromy (1971)
Short | Animation
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

The film's soundtrack is an original musical composition produced with synthetic sound - through photographing unusual geometric shapes and running them through an optical sound head. The ... See full summary »

Director: Norman McLaren
Stars: Aoles Sport
Next »
Ruka (1965)
Animation | Short | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A happy little potter is approached by a huge hand which wants him to sculpt its statue. The potter refuses, wanting nothing more than to be left alone with his only friend, a potted plant.... See full summary »

Director: Jirí Trnka

Next »
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

Directors: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid
Stars: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid
Next »
C'est l'aviron (1944)
Short | Animation
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

An illustration of a traditional French Canadian song in the form of progressing cutouts and still pictures.

Director: Norman McLaren
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Margaret Mercier Margaret Mercier ... Dancer
Vincent Warren Vincent Warren ... Dancer
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Two ballet dancers perform a dance enhanced with surreal multi and after-image effect visuals.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

ballet | dance | avant garde | surrealism | number in title | See All (5) »

Genres:

Animation | Short | Musical

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

None

Release Date:

October 1968 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Duo See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Created using an optical printer to reprint images from one frame onto another. See more »

Connections

Featured in The Eye Hears, the Ear Sees (1970) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Started A Trend
12 March 2008 | by Theo Robertson – See all my reviews

I heard that Norman McLaren , the Scots born Canadian animator was a leading pioneer in his field and is famous the world over . Somewhat typically even a Scottish film buff like myself had little awareness of him until I chanced upon this musical short

PAS DA DEUX is a monochrome short featuring a pair of ballet dancers . Exactly , I was thinking the same " Oh a black and white film featuring a couple of dancers . Can things get anymore tedious . Wake me up when it's finished " but there's something rather hypnotic about the way the music and the choreography merge together . I'm also reliably informed that this was the very first time that " after image " had been achieved on film , something that became very popular years later in everything from DOCTOR WHO to MTV pop videos .

It seems somewhat bitterly unfair - though again typical - that everyone in the world is aware of BRAVEHEART , a Hollywood movie filmed in Ireland , starring an American brought up in Australia , but not even Scots are aware of their compatriot who made such an innovative and much copied visual technique
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 17 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Trending TV Series With Prime Video

Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed