PARADISE NOW! Essential French Avant-Garde Cinema, 1890-2008
Friday 14 March - Friday 2 May 2008
Tate Modern, London
Don't miss 7 weekends of the best French avant-garde cinema, including an unprecedented selection of pioneering experimental film from the last hundred years, including classics, as well as marvellous surprises, from psychedelia to erotica, via music videos and radical political filmmaking. This season of over ninety films will change your perception of cinema and the world. The theme of each screening is inspired by manifestos written by celebrated DADA provocateurs Marcel Duchamp and Tristan Tzara, and is guaranteed to make you look at the French avant-garde in a new light.
Curated by Nicole Brenez, Michael Temple, Michael Witt, with Pierre d'Amerval and Laurent Mannoni in association with Tate Modern and La Cinémathèque Française
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/paradisenowessentialfrenchavantgardecinema18902008.htm
*****
Programme 1: FIGURATIVE
Friday 14 March 2008, 19.00
'distorting mirrors... multiplying the movements to infinity'
Kicking off the season is an evening of films about bodies, magic, movement, and how cinema transforms the material world. A short film by George Méliès - the renowned turn-of-the-century 'cinemagician' and pioneer of special effects - is joined by work from Etienne-Jules Marey, famed for the very earliest experiments in representing the human form on film, and recent work by video performance artists Klonaris and Thomadaki.
Films by Etienne-Jules Marey and Georges Demenÿ (1892-1900)
Goldfish Bowl (Bocal aux poissons rouges) Louis Lumière, 1896, 35 mm
Living Soap Bubbles (Les bulles de savons vivantes), Georges Méliès, 1906, 35 mm
Series 7 (Bursting Soap Bubbles) (Série 7 (Éclatements de bulles de savon)),Lucien Bull, 1907, 35 mm
Cellular Solidification (Solidification cellulaire), Henri Bernard and C Dauzère, 1912, 35 mm
Ex (Ex), Jacques Monory, 1968, 16 mm
Chromaticity I (Chromaticité I), Patrice Kirchhofer, 1977, 16 mm
Gradiva, Raymonde Carasco, 1977, 16 mm
Waves at Collioure (Vagues à Collioure), Jean-Michel Bouhours, 1991, 16 mm
Pulsar, Maria Klonaris and Katerina Thomadaki, 2001, video
Programme duration 91 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14181.htm
*****
Programme 2: CRITICAL
Saturday 15 March 2008, 19.00
'a few drops of clarity failure in the mirror suffice'
A programme dedicated to the critical powers of cinema, its radical interrogation of the nature of sounds and images, and of the ethical function of cinema's place in the world. Including work by Maurice Lemaître, eminent member of the provocative Lettrism movement, René Vautier, leading light of militant filmmaking, and Michel Desrois, member of the utopian Medvedkine Group.
Around Abel Gance's La Roue (Autour de La Roue) Blaise Cendrars, 1923, 11', 35mm
Letter to my friend Pol Cèbe (Lettre à mon ami Pol Cèbe) Michel Desrois, 1970, 17', 16mm
Imaginary films (Films imaginaires) Maurice Lemaître, 1985, 28', 16mm
Destruction of the archives (Destruction des archives) René Vautier, 10', 16mm
Lighting, Othello Vilgard, 2002, 7', 16mm
The Screening, Ariane Michel, 2007, 24', video
Programme duration 88 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14182.htm
*****
Programme 3: MUSICAL
Sunday 16 March 2008, 15.00
'have a piano tuned on the stage - EEEEEEEEEEEE'
From the 1930s to the present day, this selection of films explores the infinite possibilities of the relationships between music and image. Including an FJ Ossang film featuring industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle, and vanguard director Philippe Grandrieux's collaboration with Marilyn Manson.
Cradles, (Les Berceaux), Jean Epstein, 1931, 5', 16mm
Cradles, (Les Berceaux), Dimitri Kirsanoff, 1931, 7', 35mm
Feria, Marcel Hanoun, 1961, 19', 35mm
Entrées de secours, Jérôme de Missolz, 1982, 18', 16mm (music by The Clash, PIL, Iggy Pop, The Cramps, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Devo)
Kant, Éric Duyckaerts, , 2000, 6', video
Silencio, FJ Ossang, 2006, 20', 35mm (music by Throbbing Gristle)
Putting Holes in Happiness, Philippe Grandrieux, France, 2007, 4', video (music by Marilyn Manson)
Programme duration 71 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14183.htm
*****
Programme 4: PURE
Friday 21 March 2008, 19.00
'make something that the eyes cannot stand'
A programme of films devoted to legendary philosopher Gilles Deleuze's concept of the 'pure optical and sound image'. Including Alberto Cavalcanti's Nothing but the Hours, a monumental film taking the pulse of metropolitan Paris in the 1920s - one of the very first 'City Symphonies' - and Augustin Gimel's luminous celebrations of abstract form.
Nothing but the Hours (Rien que les heures) Alberto Cavalcanti, 1926, 40', 35 mm
Rotation, Wiliness,Paddle Wheel Unit (Roulement, rouerie, aubage) Rose Lowder, 1978, 15', 16 mm
The Beach, (La Plage) Patrick Bokanowski, 1991, 14', 35 mm
Tribology, (Tribologie) Yves Berthier et Jean-François Dalle,1996, 5', 16 mm
1305, Augustin Gimel, 2001, 2', video
Radar, Augustin Gimel, 2001, 2', video
Betelgeuse, (Bételgeuse), Hugo Verlinde, 2004, 4'28, video
Programme duration 83 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14184.htm
*****
Programme 5: POLITICAL
Saturday 22 March 2008, 19.00
'in all the fires of autumn, vibrations and trees fuel sweat'
A night of revolutionary political films, demonstrating the formal rigour of truly radical cinema. Classic militant films by artist László Moholy-Nagy and René Vautier are followed by Jean Genet's extraordinary appearance in a film for Civil Rights activist Angela Davis, and the notorious S.C.U.M. Manifesto - originally written by Valerie Solanas, the woman who shot Andy Warhol.
The Old Port at Marseilles (Marseille Vieux-Port) László Moholy-Nagy, 1929, 9', 35 mm
Africa 50, (Afrique 50) de René Vautier, 50, 1951, 20', 16mm
Genet talks about Angela Davies, (Jean Genet parle d'Angela Davis) Carole Roussopoulos,1970, 8', video
The Other Scene, (L'Autre Scène) Dominique Avron, Claudine Eizykman, Guy Fihman, Jean-François Lyotard, 1974, 6', 16mm
S. C. U. M. Manifesto, Carole Roussopoulos et Delphine Seyrig, 1976, 28', video
Embargo, Mounir Fatmi, 1997, 7'30, video
Let's Dance, (Dansons) Zoulikha Bouabdellah, 2003, 5', video
Programme duration 84 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14185.htm
*****
Programme 6: PSYCHEDELIC
Friday 28 March 2008, 19.00
'wire me the density of love'
A programme of mind-altering films that will astonish and inspire in equal measure. From the earliest experiments in animation by Émile Cohl, via the infamous erotic surrealism of Pierre Molinier, to Man Ray's radical DADA experiments and the psychedelic work of Pierre Clémenti, these films will leave your senses reeling.
The Fairy Glasses,(Les lunettes féeriques) Émile Cohl, 1909, 5', 35mm
Return to Reason, (Le Retour à la raison) Man Ray, 1923, 2', 35 mm
Legs (Jambes (aka Mes Jambes)), Pierre Molinier, France, 1964, 10', 16 mm
Censorship Visa Number X, (Visa de censure n°X), Pierre Clémenti, 1967, 43', 16 mm
Focusing, (Mise au point) de Ode Bitton, 1972, 13', 35mm (with Gabriel Pomerand)
Programme duration 72 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14186.htm
*****
Programme 7: X
Saturday 29 March 2008, 19.00
'penetration in feverish season'
With titles such as Ogres, Fuck, and Clandestine Porn Film, this programme is not for the prudish. Pushing back the boundaries of acceptability, these films include Man Ray's early erotic experiments, Lionel Soukaz's 70s post-queer-punk masterpiece, and Augustin Gimel's radical remix of pornographic iconography.
Clandestine Porn Film, (Film porno clandestin), Anonymous, circa 1930, 3', 16 mm
Love Sickness, (Maladie d'amour), Barbara Glowczewska, 1977, 6', 16mm
X (Ixe), Lionel Soukaz, 1980, 45', 35mm
Fuck, Yves-Marie Mahé, 1999, 16mm
Ogres, Jean-Paul Nogues, 2001, 7', video
Rythmixxx, Raphaël Gray, 2002, 7', video
Fig. 4, Augustin Gimel, 2004, 5', video
Love and Death, (De L'amort) Johanna Vaude, 2006, 6', video
Man Ray, Two Women (Deux femmes), Man Ray, circa 1930, 4', 16mm
Go Get F*****d Up the Arse (Va te faire enculer), Yves-Marie Mahé, 1999, 4'30, 16mm
Programme duration 78 minutes (NB: This programme contains adult content.)
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14187.htm
*****
Programme 8: TEXT
Sunday 30 March 2008, 15.00
'scratching in the throat of little flame letters'
An afternoon of films exploring the relationships between text, sound and image. Renowned artist Christian Boltanski's early film examines the loneliness of a working-class mother, referring both to Anne Frank's diary, and to the human condition under capitalism. Jean-Luc Godard offers a characteristically intricate and thought-provoking reflection on time and cinema's relation to history.
Attempt to Reconstitute the 46 Days that Preceded the Death of Françoise Guiniuo, (Essai de reconstitution des 46 jours qui précédèrent la mort de Françoise Guiniou),Christian Boltanski, 1971, 19', 16mm
Alley of Signs, (Allée des signes) de Gisèle, Luc Meichler, Rapp-Meichler, 1976, 21', 16mm
Rosa Rot, de Giséle Rapp-Miechler, 1994/2001, 8', video
I Also Understand the Language of Birds, (Je comprends moi aussi le langage des oiseaux), Sabine Massenet, 1999-2000, 8', video
Calamity Jane, Stefani de Loppinot, 2002, 10'
I Die, (Ich Sterbe), Maryléne Negro, 2007, 12', video
In the Blackness of Time, (Dans le noir du temps) Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Miéville, 2002, 11'
Programme duration 81 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14188.htm
*****
Programme 9: BURLESQUE
Friday 11 April 2008, 19.00
'gift of colour and of farce'
The thought-provoking humour of burlesque has always been a major factor in cinematic invention. Presenting films from the birth of cinema to the 21st century, this night includes work by the pioneering Lumière brothers, Fluxus icon Ben, Marcel Duchamp's hypnotic masterpiece, Anémic Cinema, and Abel Gance's fantastical, farcical ode to the magic and power of cinema starring Max Linder, Help!
Demolition of a Wall, (Démolition d'un mur), Louis Lumière,1896, 2', 35mm
Writing Backwards, (Écriture à l'envers), Louis Lumière, 1896, 1', 35mm
The Happy Skeleton, (Le squelette joyeux), Louis Lumière, 1897, 1', 35mm
Help ! (Au secours!), Abel Gance et Max Linder, 1923, 40', 35mm
Anemic Cinema, Marcel Duchamp, 1927, 7', 35 mm
Cinematon number 288 : Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, (Cinématon n° 288 : Jean-Pierre Bouyxou),Gérard Courant, France, 1983, 3'55, Super 8
Ben, Street Actions, (Actions de rue de Ben), Ben, 1960-1972, 25', video
Bingo Show, Christelle Lheureux, , 2003, 8', video
Programme duration 88 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14189.htm
****
Programme 10: PHILIPPE GARREL
Saturday 12 April 2008, 19.00
'the great lamp digests virgin mary'
Garrel's dreamy, minimalist masterpiece, The Crystal Cradle, stars his then partner Nico as the unforgettably beautiful muse of creativity. The film also features Anita Pallenberg, painter Frédéric Pardo, and Pierre Clémenti, icon of the Sixties avant-garde, all accompanied by a haunting soundtrack by Ash Ra Tempel.
The Crystal Cradle, (Le berceau de cristal) Philippe Garrel, 1976, 80', 35mm
Programme duration 80 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14190.htm
****
Programme 11: PHILIPPE GRANDRIEUX
Sunday 13 April 2008, 15.00
'I live the intervals of death underground'
Philippe Grandrieux is the director of numerous documentary-essays, and two features constituting the most advanced point of contemporary cinematic research. This screening includes two shorts, plus New Life, which explores all the ways in which we fail to understand the world: sleep, dream, fantasy, trance, delirium, and the general confusion of bodies and perceptions.
A Lake (Un Lac) (excerpt, work in progress), 2008
Late Autumn, (L'Arrière-saison), 2007, 10', video
New Life, (La vie nouvelle), 2002, 102', 35 mm
Programme duration 120'
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14191.htm
****
Programme 12: MARYLÈNE NEGRO
Friday 18 April 2008, 19.00
'I bent toward you like a bridge stretched out'
Marylène Negro's work seeks to re-open the question of optical experience. At stake here is the manner in which things appear (light, a landscape, a face, movement), captured with a radical, delicate elegance.
Marylène Negro, The Bridge, (Le Pont), 2001
Marylène Negro, Restoration, (Ravalement), 2001
Marylène Negro, Raid, 2006
Marylène Negro, A Night, (Une nuit), 2006
Marylène Negro, Pa, 2007
Marylène Negro, Message, 2007
Marylène Negro, Elding, 2006
Programme duration 62 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14192.htm
*****
Programme 13: ANGE LECCIA AND DOMINIQUE GONZALEZ FOERSTER
Saturday 19 April 2008, 19.00
'and the best cinema is the mirror of the diaphragm'
Ange Leccia and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, major figures on the international contemporary art scene, both address cinema in their work. Gonzalez-Foerster produces films, installations and performances that stage the unfolding of psychological and emotional dramas. Leccia deploys video projections in architectural interventions and arrangements, to relay stories of personal and public dramas.
Stridura, Ange Leccia, 1980, 13', 16mm
Beaches, (Plages), Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, 2001, 15', 35mm
True Romance, Ange Leccia, 2004, 5', video
Atomic Park, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster,2004, 9', 35mm
Perfect Day, Ange Leccia, 2007, 67', video
Programme duration 110 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14193.htm
*****
Programme 14: JEAN-MARIE STRAUB AND DANIÈLE HUILLET
Friday 25 April 2008, 19.00
'in the looks transfixing the abyss points'
The rigorous, stimulating films of Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet have provoked strong reactions since their debut in 1965. Valuing the soundtrack as much as the visual image, they favour direct sound. Most of their films are based on pre-existing works of art. This screening includes two recent films: a short political pamphlet, and an adaptation of the poet Joachim Gasquet's account of discussions about painting with Paul Cézanne.
Europa 2005 - 27 October, (Europa 2005 - 27 Octobre), Jean-Marie Straub et Danièle Huillet, 2005, 12', video
A Visit to the Louvre, (Une visite au Louvre), Jean-Marie Straub et Danièle Huillet,2004, 64', 35mm
Programme duration 76 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14194.htm
*****
Programme 15: May 68
Friday 2 May 2008, 19.00
'many car headlights (real) turned towards the audience'
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the revolutionary protest events of May 1968 in France, this programme reflects filmmakers' desire to document political events alternatively, taking take direct revolutionary action through cinema and inventing new film forms along the way. Part of the season All Power to the Imagination! 1968 and Its Legacies. For full details visit www.1968.org.uk
Cine-tracts 1-16, Chris Marker and Jean-Luc Godard, 1968, 35', 16mm
Film-Tract number 1968, (Film-Tract n°1968), Gérard Fromanger (with Jean-Luc Godard), 1968, 3', 16mm
The Red, (Le Rouge), Gérard Fromanger, 1969, 3', 16mm
Sochaux 11 June 1968, (Sochaux, 11 juin 68") du Groupe Medvedkine de Sochaux, 11 juin 68, 1970, 20', 16mm
Fast, (Vite), Daniel Pommereulle, 1969, 30', 35mm
Programme duration 91 minutes
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/14195.htm
*****
The epigraphs are from Marcel Duchamp, Notes, arranged and translated by Paul Matisse (Paris: Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, 1980); and Tristan Tzara, 'Cinema calendar of the abstract heart', translated by May Ann Caws, in Tristan Tzara, Cinéma calendrier du coeur abstrait (Ann Arbor: Book Arts, 1997)
All screenings take place in the Starr Auditorium, Tate Modern
Tickets: £5 (£4 concessions), booking recommended. Treat yourself to a season ticket £50 (£40 concessions)
For tickets call 020 7887 8888 or book online: https://tickets.tate.org.uk/selectshow.asp
*****
Dr Michael Witt
Reader in Film Studies
School of Arts
Roehampton University
London SW15 5PU, UK
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