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| Avant Garde - Experimental Cinema of the 1920s & 1930s | 
 enlarge | Actor: Avant-garde-experimental Cinema Of The 1920s & 193
Studio: Kino Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.02
You Save: $10.93 (36%)
New (30) Used (7) from $19.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 17084
Format: Dvd-video, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Original Language), German (Original Language), Swedish (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 360
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.9
MPN: 4022
UPC: 738329040222
EAN: 0738329040222
ASIN: B0009PW450
Release Date: August 2, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 A good collection, if you're into short art films September 2, 2005
595 out of 598 found this review helpful
This features a number of directors better known as painters (Fernand Leger, Marcel Duchamp) or photographers (Man Ray). For the curious, there is a short Orson Welles film from 1934, fully seven years before Citizen Kane. "The Life and Death of 9413, A Hollywood Extra" is on the Library of Congress's National Film Registry of significant American films, as is "HO". Menilmontant, at 37 minutes the longest film in this collection, is considered a masterpiece by some.
Worth exploring, if you like this sort of stuff. You know who you are.
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It drives me nuts that Amazon doesn't include the bare-bones information about the films in this sort of collection, so I will:
Le Retour a la raison (The Return to Reason)
Directed by Man Ray
France 1923
2 Min.
Emak-Bakia (Leave Me Alone)
Directed by Man Ray
France 1926
16 Min.
L'Etoile de mer (The Starfish)
Directed by Man Ray
France 1928
15 Min.
Les Mysteres du Chateau du De (The Mysteries of the Chateau of Dice)
Directed by Man Ray
France 1929
20 Min.
Menilmontant
Directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff
France 1926
37 Min.
Brumes d'Automne (Autumn Mists)
Directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff
France 1928
12 Min.
The Life and Death of 9413, A Hollywood Extra
Directed by Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapich
US 1928
13 Min.
Lot in Sodom
Directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber
US 1933
27 Min.
Rhythmus 21 (Film Is Rhythm)
Directed by Hans Richter
Germany 1921
3 Min.
Vormittagsspuk (Ghosts Before Breakfast)
Directed by Hans Richter
Germany 1928
9 Min.
Anemic Cinema
Directed by Marcel Duchamp
France 1926
6 Min.
Ballet Mecanique
Directed by Fernand Leger
France 1924
11 Min.
Symphonie Diagonale (Diagonal Symphony)
Directed by Viking Eggeling
Germany 1924
7 Min.
Le Vampire
Directed by Jean Painleve
France 1939-45
9 Min.
The Hearts of Age
Directed by Orson Welles and William Vance
US 1934
8 Min.
Ueberfall (Assault)
Directed by Ernoe Metzner
Germany 1928
22 Min.
La Glace a trois faces (The Three-Sided Mirror)
Directed by Jean Epstein
France 1927
33 Min.
Le Tempestaire (The Tempest)
Directed by Jean Epstein
France 1947
22 Min.
Romance Sentimentale (Sentimental Romance)
Directed by Sergei Eisenstein and Grigori V. Alexandrov
France 1930
16 Min.
Autumn Fire
Directed by Herman G. Weinberg
US 1931
15 Min.
Manhatta
Directed by Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler
US 1921
10 Min.
La Coquille et le Clergyman (The Seashell and the Clergyman)
Directed by Germaine Dulac
France 1926
31 Min.
Regen (Rain)
Directed by Joris Ivens
Netherlands 1929
14 Min.
HO
Directed by Ralph Steiner
US 1929
12 Min.
Even -- As You And I
Directed by Roger Barlow, Harry Hay and LeRoy Robbins
US 1937
12 Min.
And now for something completely different... August 8, 2005
85 out of 89 found this review helpful
As the title suggests, this is a collection of 24 short films of the artistic and experimental genre, ranging from about 10 to 35 minutes in length, and each one quite different from the other. Some of them have a story that you can follow, while others are meant to be visual expressions of moods and feelings, but all of them are of a high standard and quality, and there is bound to be something to suit most tastes in this eclectic collection. My first impression was that these short films - most of them silent - have a powerful effect on the senses, not in the least due to the exceptionally good musical accompaniment by the best composers in the business. Overall, watching these films had a calming and almost hypnotic effect on me, which no doubt was often intended. Some of the highlights for me were the longer, more complex films such as "The Life and Death of 9413 - a Hollywood Extra", "Lot in Sodom" (which has been previously released by Image Entertainment with Oscar Wilde's "Salome") and "La Glace a Trois Faces" (The three-sided mirror) which contain a definite message as well as being poignantly expressive visually. Then there are themes and subjects focussing on nature, weather, architecture, and a few experiments with tricks and animation. In other words; never a dull moment - unless you are looking for the usual story film with customary action and editing, in which case this collection might not be your cup of tea. But for anyone interested in artistic expression in films, the history and development of film, or just for something entirely different, this is an excellent set. There are good notes on each film on the discs themselves so that you can easily read them first before viewing each film (which will help to understand and appreciate the film and its message) or whichever way you like. In any case, this is surely an important contribution to film history, and thanks to Kino Video for providing such a fascinating ride through the bizarre and compelling art movements of the 20s and 30s.
 Kino's scores suck November 4, 2005
55 out of 64 found this review helpful
The musical accompaniment for most of these seminal avant-garde films is very bad. A previous reviewer mentioned that it was done by "the best in the business." Well, I am of the opinion that, unfortunately, there are not enough interesting minds in that business (silent film scoring), or at least not enough employed by Kino Video, to make for a competent collection.
There is electric guitar (Creed-style riffing!!!). There is arbitrary "Frenchy" sounding music. And yes, there is even some dreaded Casio keyboard "vox" effect.
Who could possibly think that keyboard "vox" was a good idea? Not me.
These films, like all those Kino releases, are rare and under-appreciated, and worth owning on DVD because this is the only way you'll get them. I only wish Kino appreciated them enough to pair the films with either a) historically accurate or b) competent scores.
 Cinema without experiment is not worth watching December 25, 2005
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
First, I recommend the majority of these films wholeheartedly. While the present-day soundtracks may in some cases be inappropriate, I find this is often the case with releases of silent films, & we are of course free to mute it & enjoy the visual elements on their own. The picture quality is good, & in purchasing a collection of silent films that's really the best one would hope for.
With regards to the review of Jmark2001, I think it's worth pointing out how important these films - & the avant-garde in general - really are in these times. Overlooking the inherent limitations of technology during that era, & the superficial stylistic idiosyncrasies that mark the films as a product of their time, the films of the Dadaists, Surrealists, & Constructivists have a great deal to offer anyone less than satisfied with the status quo. Far from the high art pretentiousness Jmark2001 accuses them of, these filmmakers were essentially concerned with rebellion, with creating a valid alternative to the decadent, insular consciousness of the middle class. This manifested itself in experiments with the physical material of film (thus the "erratic cuts" & "non-linear" style), as well as in the subject matter (including the - Dear God! - "anti-clerical" approach). While certain techniques have been overused since then by uninspired academic followers, here they are largely employed intelligently & - particularly in the films of Eisenstein, Man Ray, & Duchamp - with the utmost care toward their effects on the overall film. Few of these have been deemed "classics," but few have been easily available for viewing until fairly recently, so I certainly don't see that as any judge of quality.
Jmark2001 also displays the most basic misunderstanding of Dadaism & its revolt on bourgeois values. The "sea of random and nihilistic violence, disconnection, and rudeness (!)" Jmark2001 cites as characterising modern public life is in fact the direct result of craving the trappings of "bourgious living" [sic]. Jmark seems to equate Dada (& presumably any experimental, avant-garde art) with terrorism, & suggests that passive consumption of daily horrors in the comforts of a coffee shop is just as effective as Dada's shocks to consciousness. Well, do I really need to state that the 9/11 terrorists weren't Dadaists? There is nothing avant-garde about the methods or beliefs of the terrorists; & by the same token, anyone who is satisfied with the "security, comfort, reassurance, civility, and stability" our modern society has provided us with, post-9/11, is simply kidding himself.
We require more than ever a vision of life which neither insulates us from the world nor forces us to comply with an imposed set of ideals; which encourages active participation rather than passive consumption; & which gives the viewer's intelligence the benefit of the doubt by working in turn towards radical innovation. Without experiment, cinema is not worth watching.
& for the record, if, like Jmark2001, all you could derive from Un Chien Andalou was that it was "memorable," I would strongly recommend watching it again, WITH EYES WIDE OPEN.
Something to discuss over coffee... July 11, 2006
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
If no adjective appropriately suit this vivid collection of avant-garde films from the 20s and 30s, one reviewer came close in his chosen nomenclature: this one-of-a-kind-combilation, indeed, is "indespensable"!
For anyone interested in or in some way connected to film and film studies this box set is a true gem as well as an overwhelming visceral experience. One dare even call it "edenic".
Packed with cinematic treats - ranging from early classics as Joris Ivens' "Regen", through film historical curiosities as Marcel Duchamps' "Cinema Anemic" and Richter's "Rhytmus 21" to absolute rarities such as Kirsanoff's "Menilmontant" - this impressive collection of short experimental films guides you through all main avant-garde genres of the 1920s and 1930s. From impressionist masterpieces ("Menilmontant", "La glace a trois faces" [Epstein]), through dadaist art-films (Duchamps), French and German cinema pur/Absolut Film ("Symphonie Diagonale" [Eggeling], "Rhytmus 21" [Richter]), futuristic statements ("Ballet mecanique" [Leger]), dazzling city symphonies ("Regen") to such seminal early sound experiments as "Romance Sentimentale" (Eisenstein & Alexandrov) and "Le tempestaire" (Epstein).
While some films may, indeed, only be labled "curiosities" others are sheer strokes of genius - my personal favorites being Kirsanoff's rare impressionistic gem "Menilmontant" (with its impressive - in every sense of the word - use of constant P.O.V.-shots, concealing the first person) and Jean Epsteins masterpiece "Le tempestaire" whose use of suspense-generating musique concrete (or "Slow-Motion Sound", as it were) and vividly, picturesque imagery make for a unique cinematic experience. - As visceral as it is beautiful to behold.
If only for its lack of a few early classics (notably, Rene Clair's "Entr'act" [1924] and Luis Bunuel's "Un chien andalou" [1929] and "L'Age d'or" [1930]) this combilation of early experimental films may not be labeled "perfect".
However, I am still to experience any other collection of its kind. For anyone studying film (whether by themselves or in University,) this box set may, indeed, only be ascribed the adjective "indespensible", as done also by a previous reviewer.
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