Danse Macabre is a 1922 American short film directed by Dudley Murphy and conceived by ballet dancer Adolph Bolm,[2] who also stars in the film. Set to Danse macabre, a symphonic poem for orchestra by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, the film depicts Youth (Bolm) and Love (Ruth Page) attempting to evade the grasp of Death (Olin Howland) in Spain during the Black Plague. The film is one of a series of twelve "visual symphonies" set to classical music by Murphy,[3][4][5] and was advertised as the first dance film to be synchronized with a sound score.[5]
| Danse Macabre | |
|---|---|
Excerpt from Danse Macabre (1922) | |
| Directed by | Dudley Murphy |
| Starring | |
Release date |
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Running time |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Danse Macabre was filmed entirely on a studio set,[6] with Francis Bruguière providing the lighting.[2] In addition to the central dance routine, the film features animation by commercial animation house F. A. A. Dahme,[7] as well as superimposition effects.[2]
References
edit- ^ Posner, Bruce, ed. (2001). Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film 1893–1941. Anthology Film Archives. p. 159. ISBN 978-0962818172.
- ^ a b c "Danse Macabre". Lightcone.org. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ "Picture Plays and People". The New York Times. New York, New York. February 26, 1922. p. 3.
- ^ Horak 1995, p. 123.
- ^ a b Garafolda, Lunn (2005). Legacies of Twentieth-Century Dance. Wesleyan University Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0819566744.
- ^ Horak 1995, p. 125.
- ^ Horak 1995, p. 124.
Bibliography
edit- Horak, Jan-Christopher, ed. (1995). Lovers of Cinema: The First American Film Avant-Garde 1919–1945. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0299146801.