Maya Deren Film Notes

b) Ritual in transfigured time

-Exploration of social rituals

-Young woman is introduced into society

-The protagonists of her works, including MD herself, move seamlessly through shifting encounters/spaces

-Circulates through guests at party – becomes part of group in silent social dance

-Joins a man in a park

-Wanders away in a trance

-Gesture of death and rebirth

c) Meshes of the Afternoon – b/w and silent

-Flower on ground

-Hand shadow

-Shadow of woman – no face yet, just hands

-Feet

-Key falls

-Knife falls out of bread

-Phone off hook

-Detail

-Walking

-CU eye shut – lashes

-Back and forth to shot outside through the circle window

-Black cloaked woman walking

-Shadow chases her/flower

-See MD’s facial expression finally

-Slow motion on stairs running up

-Cool stairs shot up and down angles

-Face reflection on knife – eerie

-Slow continuous movements of hers, screams

-Woman sleeping in chair

-Key comes out of mouth

-Black cloak – mirror face = a death symbol

-Use of editing

-Cuts move her in time

-Key, knife, key

-Multiple MD’s in shot

-Suspense – black hand – key, knife

-Kills herself – glasses

-She becomes a man

-Now they are in place

-Man = death, same actions

-Flower reappears on the pillow

-He picks up mirror

-Flower – knife

-Broken mirror washed up at sea

-Waves

-Back in the house – mirror sliced her on chair

c) At land

· Woman washes up with waves

· Sky, birds look up eye

· Shot down on her eyes

· “defiance of normal space/time”

· editing style

· multiple shifts of geological location in single sequence

· like in meshes of the afternoon, to express activity of the subconscious mind

· used it to explore the hidden dynamic of the external world

· chess party – back to beach where odyssey began

Su Friedrich’s work like Deren’s theme: “Can we hold a knife without stabbing ourselves? Can we hold a knife without thinking of stabbing ourselves?”

(MoMa 2010)