

Movie spotlight
Entr'acte
Stop-motion photography blends with extreme slow-motion in Clair's first and most 'dada' film, composed of a series of zany, interconnected scenes. We witness a rooftop chess match between Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, a hearse pulled by a camel (and chased by its pallbearers) and a dizzying roller coaster finale. A film of contradictions and agreements.
Insights
Plot Summary
This avant-garde short film serves as an intermission piece for the ballet "Relâche." It features surreal and absurd imagery, including shots of a plaster cast of Cupid's head being sawed in half, mourners at a funeral firing a cannon, and a chase scene involving a hearse. The film plays with conventional narrative structures and expectations, offering a disorienting yet often humorous visual experience.
Critical Reception
Entr'acte is widely regarded as a seminal work of Dadaist and Surrealist cinema. It was praised for its radical experimentation and its playful subversion of cinematic norms. Critics at the time were often bewildered but intrigued by its audacious approach to filmmaking, and it has since become a celebrated piece of avant-garde art.
What Reviewers Say
A groundbreaking example of avant-garde filmmaking that pushed the boundaries of cinematic expression.
Praised for its surreal humor and innovative visual techniques.
A key piece in the history of Dada and Surrealist art movements.
Google audience: As a silent, experimental film from 1924, specific Google user reviews are not available. However, its historical significance and artistic merit are widely acknowledged within film studies and art criticism circles.
Fun Fact
The film was originally intended to be shown during the intermission of the ballet "Relâche" (meaning "Cancelled") by the Ballets Suédois, hence the title "Entr'acte" (meaning "Intermission").
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