COMMENT

“I would like to imprint in some pure corner of your memory the name of Jean Epstein, and not only as one of the greatest architects of images, but also, and particularly, as a great thinker and a misunderstood philosopher.” –Abel Gance

This fall brings the second half of our comprehensive retrospective of the work of the pioneering filmmaker Jean Epstein. A key figure in early French cinema, both as a director and a film theoretician, Epstein is known today primarily for THE THREE-SIDED MIRROR (1927) and his adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (1928) (both of which are included in Anthology’s Essential Cinema.

But Epstein was extremely productive throughout the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, making more than two-dozen short- and feature-films, which together comprise an astoundingly inventive, eclectic, and vibrant body of work. Most of these films have gone unscreened in NYC for decades, and we are overjoyed to be presenting them now, many in newly restored prints courtesy of the Cinémathèque Française.

This second half of the retrospective features Epstein’s sound films, a varied collection of works comprising the astounding films he made on the islands of Brittany(including MOR’ VRAN, CHANSON D’ARMOR, and L’OR DES MERS), a variety of short films commissioned by entities such as the National Federation of Construction and the United Nations, several rarely-screened narrative features, and theexquisite LE TEMPESTAIRE, which marked Epstein’s return to Brittany.

Epstein was both filmmaker and film theorist: there is never a moment in his film practice when Epstein is not also writing about his conception of cinema. Several ofthese writings are featured in a new anthology of work by and about Epstein, JEAN EPSTEIN: CRITICAL ESSAYS AND NEW TRANSLATIONS (edited by Sarah Keller and Jason Paul, Amsterdam University Press, 2012), which will be available at Anthology.

“I would like to imprint in some pure corner of your memory the name of Jean Epstein, and not only as one of the greatest architects of images, but also, and particularly, as a great thinker and a misunderstood philosopher.” –Abel Gance

Unless otherwise noted, all films are in French with projected English subtitles.

Program schedule:

PROGRAM 1:

THE SEA OF RAVENS / MOR’VRAN (1929-30, 26 minutes, 35mm)

“[O]ne of the most beautiful documentaries of the French cinema, a veritable poem on Brittany and the sea, which preceded by four years Robert Flaherty’s MAN OF ARAN, some of whose most beautiful passages it inspired. In the film we feel at every moment…all Epstein’s knowledge, all his poetry of the transfiguration of things, and we can understand his having written, “The actor that has given me the most pleasure is the island of Ouessant with all the people on it and all the water.” –Henri Langlois, CAHIERS DU CINÉMA

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SONG OF ARMORICA / CHANSON D’ARMOR

1934, 43 minutes, 35mm. In Breton with projected English subtitles.

This is the story of star-crossed lovers – a carefree, musical young man and the beautiful daughter of a wealthy gentleman – who struggle to be together. Aside from its fondness for a restless, panning camera and some inventive wipes, the film is most remarkable for its lively depiction of the customs, costumes, superstitions, dances, and folk songs of the Breton people.

With:

THE SONG OF THE POPLARS / LA CHANSON DES PEUPLIERS (1931, 7 minutes, 35mm)

Total running time: ca. 80 minutes.

–Friday, September 21 at 7:30 and Sunday, September 30 at 4:45.

PROGRAM 2:

THE MAN WITH THE ‘HISPANO’ CAR / L’HOMME À L’HISPANO

1933, 90 minutes, 35mm.

An ode to transportation, as well as to every possible kind of cinematic movement, Epstein’s film features the intrigue of a love triangle and the theme of a desire for world travel. It carries the plot over a great deal of terrain in the process. Even with its hammy acting and over-deliberate dialogue, the film features moments of both visual and audio bravado typical of Epstein’s penchant for derailing narrative lines with cinematic excesses.

–Saturday, September 22 at 6:00.

PROGRAM 3:

MARIUS AND OLIVE IN PARIS / MARIUS ET OLIVE À PARIS

1935, 68 minutes, 35mm.

One of Epstein’s only comedy films, which he later disowned because of disputes with producers. Marius and Olive are friends who travel to Paris so that Marius, a writer, may accept an award from the Academy. Scantily clad women, peepholes, mix-ups among couples, and other bits of broad comedy accompany them on the way to the capital of culture, and the hijinks ensue on cue. A rare opportunity to see Epstein taking on very atypical material.

Preceded by:

LA PRESSE MODERNE : UNE VISITE À OUEST ÉCLAIR (1934, 16 minutes, 35mm)

–Saturday, September 22 at 8:00.

PROGRAM 4:

CŒUR DE GUEUX

1936, 73 minutes, 35mm.

Made simultaneously in French and Italian versions, this melodramatic film tells the story of Jean, a young man with a wealthy, respectable family, and Claude, a perfume girl with whom he falls in love. After a misunderstanding, Claude runs away with a circus caravan to the countryside and the rest of the film tries to bring them back together. A beautifully shot film, bathed in every kind of luminescence – radiant, dappled, soft, evening, fire, and Christmas light.

–Sunday, September 23 at 5:00.

PROGRAM 5:

L’OR DES MERS

1932-33, 72 minutes, 35mm.

Based on Breton myths and legends, L’OR DES MERS tells the story of Soizic and her father, an old, alcoholic sailor who draws attention to himself when he discovers what appears to be treasure from a shipwreck that has been washedashore. A beautiful and elemental film, in which the sky and sea are as much the protagonists as the human characters, L’OR DES MERS features an entirely non-professional cast. According to Epstein, “Any acting would have destroyed the very spirit of the film. … I believe that directors should use more and more ‘natural actors’, taken from all countries, all classes of society, and all professions: and move towards using natural sets, scripts taken from life, and genuine atmospheres that can be captured on screen.”

Preceded by:

THE CRADLES / LES BERCEAUX (1932, 6 minutes, 35mm)

–Sunday, September 23 at 7:00 and Saturday, September 29 at 8:30.

PROGRAM 6:

James June Schneider

JEAN EPSTEIN, YOUNG OCEANS OF CINEMA

2011, 68 minutes, video.

This portrait of Epstein focuses on his work in the region of Brittany (including FINIS TERRAE), and particularly its islands, which once fed his profound aspirations for cinema. With rare film excerpts, photos, and articles, as well as interviews with Jean Rouch and Epstein’s sister Marie, the film reveals the theories of this fiercely independent director often cited as “the first philosopher of cinema.” An ideal introduction to Epstein and his work, it is also a beautiful, perceptive portrait of Brittany and a haunting meditation on the passage of time.

–Sunday, September 23 at 9:00.

PROGRAM 7:

THE BUILDERS / LES BÂTISSEURS

1938, 50 minutes, 35mm.

“Produced in 1938 by the Ciné-Liberté group (an offshoot of CGT, the General Confederation of Labor). It prepares the ground for a social policy in construction, for instance by questioning Le Corbusier. In the opening of the film, two workers perched on the scaffolding of a cathedral re-invent the history of religious architecture from the point of view of the workers, the builders, and the people.” –Nicole Brenez

THE STORM / LE TEMPESTAIRE (1947, 23 minutes, 35mm)

The last of Epstein’s Breton films, LE TEMPESTAIRE is steeped in mysticism and regional folklore. With the majestic sea and howling wind dominating the film in both image and sound, Epstein captures the feverish state of mind of a woman whosenses that something is destined to befall her boyfriend, a fisherman, when he sets sail.

THE LIGHT THAT NEVER FAILS or THE FIRES OF THE SEA / LES FEUX DE LA MER (1948, 20minutes, 16mm)

This film was commissioned by the United Nations.

Total runningtime: ca. 100 minutes.

–Friday, September 28 at 7:30 and Sunday, September 30 at 2:15.

PROGRAM 8:

THE WOMAN FROM THE END OF THE WORLD / LA FEMME DU BOUT DU MONDE

1938, 67 minutes, 35mm.

Released during the Occupation without a credit to Epstein, this film was shot mainly on the remote island of Ouessant, and features as its central character a radiant woman living and working at a small inn. A group of determined speculators arrives, and each man maps his own desires onto her unaccommodating person.With strong contrasts between the cozy but damp interiors and the rugged island environment, Epstein maps a subtle story of frustrated longing and the limited opportunities his characters possess to engage in either social or geographical movement.

Preceded by:

BRITTANY / LA BRETAGNE (1936, 23 minutes, 35mm)

–Saturday, September 29 at 6:00.