Man and Machine
| Nov ’09 |
| 4 |
| 7:00 pm |
March of the Machines (1929), an abstract mechanical symphony with a score originally written by Futurist artist Luigi Russolo, will be shown with poetic industrial documentary The Belly of the City (1932) and Melies protege Andre Deed’s The Mechanical Man (1921), a rare fantasy-horror epic in which a colossal robot runs wild.
With live accompaniment by acclaimed composer/pianist PETE DRUNGLE!
WED NOV 11 SCREENING ONLY: a special live performance to March of the Machines by LUCIANO CHESSA–inspired by Luigi Russolo’s original notes for his score of the film–on an intonarumori, or Futurist noise-intoner!
FILM DETAILS
March of the Machines (La marche des machines)
Dir. Eugene Deslaw, France, 1929
B&W, silent, 9 min
An abstract mechanical symphony with a score originally written by Futurist artist Luigi Russolo and now lost, this film will be shown with a special live soundtrack by composer and Russolo expert Luciano Chessa (Nov. 11 screening only). Taking Deslaw’s notes about the process of syncing music to images developed by Russolo for this film into consideration, Chessa’s original score will be performed with his reconstructions of the incredible intonaromuri, or Futurist noise-intoners.
The Belly of the City (Il ventre della citta)
Dir. Francesco Di Cocco, Italy, 1932
B&W, sound, 13 min
A poetic, experimental industrial documentary.
The Mechanical Man (L’uomo meccanico)
Dir. Andre Deed, Italy, 1921
B&W, silent, 46 min (incomplete)
A colossal robot runs wild in an unstoppable crime spree in this rare fantasy-horror epic by Andre Deed, protégé of George Melies, that culminates in a wild showdown between the evil robot and another mechanical marvel.
Total running time: 68 min
Presented by Performa. Curated by Lana Wilson. Part of “The Polyexpressive Symphony: Futurism on Film.”
Nov. 4 and 11 at 7pm
Tickets: $9 / $7 Students, Seniors, and Children / $6 Performa and AFA Members, available at the door.
About “The Polyexpressive Symphony: Futurism on Film”
Although very little remains of early Italian avant-garde cinema, this film program will showcase several groundbreaking films from the 1910s, 20s, and 30s indebted to the Futurist movement, which declared that film was “the expressive medium most adapted to the complex sensibility of a Futurist artist.” Artists to be featured include Marcel Fabre (Italy), Henri Chomette (France), Willy Otto Zielke (Germany), Eugene Deslaw (Ukraine), and Corrado D’Errico (Italy). The program will also present poetic Italian shorts documenting the rise of the mechanical age, rare early science-fiction films, and the US premiere of the only surviving full-length Futurist film, “Thais” (1916), a melodramatic love story made by Anton Giulio Bragaglia. Most of the screenings will feature live piano accompaniment by acclaimed composer/pianist Pete Drungle, and a special screening of “March of the Machines” (1929) as part of the Man and Machine program on Nov. 11 will feature a live performance inspired by its original score, by Futurist composer Luigi Russolo, on a reconstructed intonarumori, or Futurist noise machine.
Other Programs in “The Polyexpressive Symphony: Futurism on Film”
Nov 3 & 9 at 7 PM: The Futurist Canon (with live accompaniment by composer/pianist Pete Drungle, an introduction by Columbia University art historian and film scholar Noam Elcott Nov 3, and introduction by scholar of Italian avant-garde movements John Picchione Nov 9)
Nov 3 & 9 at 9 PM: Futurist-Related Performance on Film (with live accompaniment by composer/pianist Pete Drungle)
Nov 4 & 11 at 8:30 PM: Trains, Trains, Trains (with an introduction by SVA Theater Director Gene Stavis Nov 4)
