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Entr'acte

Director: René Clair
Year: 1924
Run-time: 20 min
Source: Youtube

The director René Clair of the short experimental film Entr'acte would have a long and varied career, although I'm not sure whether he will show up again on the list.  To me, this one is interesting because of the other personalities involved.  Erik Satie, famous as a young man for his Gymnopedies, not only composed the eclectic music, but has a cameo.  The film premiered between the acts (thus the name) of one of his ballets, one year before he died.  Marcel Duchamp also participated, and it's fascinating to think of these two men being part of the same endeavour.

Certainly the film reflects a Dadaist spirit, and remind us that the movement had plenty of humor to it which can sometimes fail to come across in the art gallery.  In a strange way, I was reminded the most of Monty Python while watching some of the more absurd scenes.  Despite the costumes and primitive editing, this more than anything before it on the list feels the most modern.



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