When I was 16, some older students took me to see Un chien andalou. Back then I wanted everything to make sense, which is why I didn't really "get" the film. I thought the eye-cutting scene and the dead donkeys were pointless demonstrations of cruelty, done for shock value.I wanted to check out the film again today because of something else, a book I got earlier this year ;
Pierre Batcheff and Stardom in the 1920s French Cinema.You can find it for an affordable price second hand, online (I paid about 10 bucks for my copy).
It's an intense look at the life of Batcheff, who died of an apparent suicide aged 25. He fascinates me because sometimes he reflects an echo of Jack Pickford, but only in momentary flashes.
Career-wise, he first landed all the pretty-boy roles but gradually attempted to get into surreal and more "real" productions. It's a shame his journey was cut so short.
Anyway, here's the film :
Luis Buñuel (29)
Simone Mareuil (26)
Pierre Batcheff (22)
Fano Messan
a slight Pickfordian similarity, no ?
No comments:
Post a Comment
speak now !