Maya Deren Program I
Monday, May 17, 2010, 4:00 p.m.
Theater 2 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2), T2
Includes the following films:
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Meshes of the Afternoon
1943. USA. Directed by Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid. This first film in Deren’s legacy was unique for its time in that it investigated the interior life of a woman, identity, and performance in front of a camera, using the technology of cinematography and editing to create new film realities. Soundtrack by Teiji Ito added in 1959. 14 min.
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At Land
1942. USA. Directed by Maya Deren. When a woman, played by Deren, is washed ashore, she begins an ”inverted Odyssey” on land in this film that references both Ulysses and Alice in Wonderland. Deren’s art-world contemporaries John Cage, Alexander Hammid, and others appear in the film. 14 min.
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Ritual in Transfigured Time
1946. USA. Directed by Maya Deren. With Rita Christiani, Frank Westbrook, Anaïs Nin, Deren. A young woman is introduced to society in a party scene choreographed to reflect her acceptance into society as an extended choreographic movement. Silent. 15 min.
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A Study in Choreography for Camera
1945. USA. Directed by Maya Deren, with choreographer and dancer Talley Beatty. In this work, Beatty moves from one position to another like one does in dreams, naturalistically, but without being aware of all the transitions. Deren synchronizes the tempos of his spiral movements with the tempos of the turning camera. Silent. 4 min.
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The Very Eye of Night
1952–59. USA. Directed by Maya Deren, with choreographer Antony Tudor. Music by Teiji Ito. Deren’s last completed film is based on the constellations of the night sky and the mystery of the universe. “The sleepwalker travels in three directions at once: down into the abyss, up into the heavens, and inwards to the self.” 14 min.
Related Publication
Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art
Edited by Cornelia Butler and Alexandra Schwartz
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In the Film exhibition Maya Deren’s Legacy: Women and Experimental Film
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