H₂O is a documentary short film released in 1929, and it showcases the mesmerizing beauty of water through a succession of images. This avant-garde movie is considered a prime example of pure cinema, as it lacks a traditional plot or theme. The film has been recognized for its artistic and cinematic achievement and was added to the National Film Registry in recognition of its historical significance. H₂O offers a unique visual experience that captures the integral nature of water in the 1920s, making it a captivating piece of 20th-century cinema.
Avant-garde short focused on the pure elements of film like form, visual composition, and rhythm.
A high-speed view of Paris via train-track; Zooming down the Seine by boat. Chomette's first film, Games of Reflections and Speed, traverses tunnels and elevated railways to produce a disarming rhythm.
The film’s visual structure is principally composed of variations on the arabesque: arcs of light, water spouts, spider webs, burgeoning trees, flowers and foliage, a woman’s smile, arms stretching, an arm giving rhythm to a rocking chair. It uses natural elements (light, mirrors, water, and wind) and photographic techniques (multiple exposures and lenses) to distort the various elements, or to intensify their design.
Allures is a 1961 avant-garde short animated film that showcases a succession of images depicting shapes and colors in constant motion. It is considered a pioneering work of pure cinema, without a distinct plot or theme, and is regarded as integral cinema. The film is a masterpiece of avant-garde filmmaking.
Dulac’s three 1929 “abstract” films, Disque 957, Αrabesques, and Themes and Variations, were the results of a long period of reflection by the filmmaker, who sought to create a “pure” or “integral” cinema that would capture the essence of the new medium and owe nothing to the other arts. Each of these three studies was designed to be played silent. The first one, Disque 957, is conceived of as a “visual impression […] in listening to Frédéric Chopin’s Preludes n. 5 and 6”. Its title and its opening shot of lightplay on a spinning record not only announce the film’s dominant cyclical motif, but also evoke one of the filmmaker’s major sources of inspiration in Loie Fuller’s serpentine dances. —Avant-Garde Film Festival
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