from around the 40's that was absolutely incredible and
had the most amazing cinematography but could not
remember the title. I did remember it was from the work of
both a wife/husband duo who wrote, directed, and performed
in the film. I particularly enjoyed it for the suspense and the
cinematography which reminded me that of Alfred Hitchcock's
play on shadow/lighting in his films, which I'm a huge fan of.
After a number of times googling this last week, I finally
stumbled across it once more. Was so cool to find out that
preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library
of Congress as being culturally, historically, and aesthetically
significant. The film also was apart of a Retrospective Exhibit
at the Museum of Modern Art in 2010.
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Written, produced, directed, starring, & editing: Maya Deren
Directed, starring, & cinematography: Alexander Hammid
Music: Teiji Ito
16mm Bolex camera. 13:30 minutes.
B&W. No dialogue. Music added in 1952.
Film cost to make: $275
"I make my pictures for what Hollywood spends on lipstick."
Deren created 12 films in all. Two of which were unfinished.
One of which she collaborated with Marcel Duchamp.
Deren was a key figure in the creation of New American
Cinema. In 1986, the American Film Institute created the
Maya Deren award to honor independent film makers.
Inspiring lady.
