| THE
FILMS OF JORIS IVENS - Cinema Without Borders
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PROGRAM
1: AVANT-GARDE
THURSDAY MARCH 21, 1 PM & 7:10 PM
SUNDAY MARCH 24, 5:15 PM |
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DE
BRUG (1928) THE BRIDGE / LE PONT
(11 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
This landmark abstract study of a massive iron
bridge in Rotterdam, with its stark black &
white montages and fluid camera, was described
in the British journal CLOSEUP (1928) as a “pure
visual symphony”.
REGEN (1929) RAIN / LA PLUIE
(12 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
Ivens’ first abstract film is a beautiful
and evocative portrait of his native city of Amsterdam.
Together with THE BRIDGE, these two early films
established Ivens’ international reputation
as a visual poet of the cinema.
PHILIPS RADIO (1931) PHILIPS RADIO / SYMPHONIE
INDUSTRIELLE
(36 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
The first Dutch sound film, PHILIPS RADIO was
made as a company film for the Eindhoven factory,
which produced radio sets. Ivens constructed a
striking visual symphony from the structures and
workers inside the factory space, and simultaneously
critiqued the monotony of the workers’ conditions.
This social critique scandalized the Philips management
at the time. Now a classic of film history for
its elegant abstraction and lively editing, PHILLIPS
RADIO also created one of the earliest soundtracks,
combining music and factory sounds into a kind
of industrial symphony.
NIEUWE GRONDEN (1933) NEW EARTH / NOUVELLE
TERRE
(30 min, b/w, sound, 35mm)
For this film, Ivens expanded an already impressive
sequence of WE ARE BUILDING (1930), about the
construction of the Zuiderzee dykes near Amsterdam,
which produced abundant new land for farming.
NEW EARTH is an eloquent portrayal of the catastrophes
subsequently visited upon Dutch workers by the
necessary closing of these dykes. The loss of
the reclaimed land and the grain it produced,
was devastating. Combining dramatic re-enactments,
stock footage, and documentary materials with
a stirring score by German composer Hanns Eisler,
NEW EARTH is a classic of political documentary.
MISÈRE AU BORINAGE (1934) BORINAGE
(34 min, b/w, silent, 35 mm)
Co-directed with Belgian filmmaker Henri Storck,
this film portrays the painful aftermath of the
revolutionary 1932 miners’ strike in the
Borinage region. Moving away from his earlier
poetic style, Ivens structured the film as a social
critique and staged several scenes as dramatic
reenactments of the strike. Described as having
“accusatory aesthetics,” BORINAGE suffered
political censorship for many years, but remains
an impressive example of Ivens’ early socialist
realist style and themes. |
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PROGRAM
2: PROGRESS
THURSDAY MARCH 21, 3:30 PM & 9:35 PM
FRIDAY MARCH 22, 1 PM
SUNDAY MARCH 24, 7:45 PM
THURSDAY MARCH 28, 1 PM |
PESN
O GEROJACH (KOMSOMOL) (1932) KOMSOMOL, OR SONG
OF HEROES / KOMSOMOL, OU LE CHANT DES HÉROS
(50 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Made as a tribute to young socialist workers and
their labor, KOMSOMOL portrays the building of
a blast furnace in early 1930s Magnitogorsk, in
the Ural Mountains. Using a dramatic opening montage,
Ivens focuses on the spirit and idealism of the
young USSR and its Communist youth organisation.
Again combining documentary footage with re-enactments,
and working with composer Hanns Eisler, Ivens
managed to create a lyrical portrait of a key
moment in Russian history.
POWER AND THE LAND (1941) L’ÉLECTRIFICATION
DE LA TERRE
(33 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Commissioned by famous American documentarian
Pare Lorentz during the period of the New Deal,
POWER AND THE LAND was Ivens’ contribution
to that period of rapid growth and modernization.
Heading out to the Midwest, he created an engaging
portrait of an American family in the post-Depression
USA. The film documents the life of this farm
family before and after the coming of electrical
power to the town. With a musical score by composer
Douglas Moore, POWER AND THE LAND became one of
the most famous American social documentaries. |
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PROGRAM
3: WAR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 9 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 5 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2:45 PM
SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 1 PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 5:10 PM |
THE
SPANISH EARTH (1937) TERRE DESPAGNE
(52 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Considered one of the great war films, THE SPANISH
EARTH was produced with funds raised by a group
of American intellectuals, including poet Archibald
McLeash, writer Lillian Hellman, Ernest Hemingway,
and composer Virgil Thomson. Its main theme concerns
the defense of the road to Madrid, and the parallel
efforts of the village farmers to irrigate fields
and produce food for their soldiers. Stunningly
shot, often in dangerous battle areas, THE SPANISH
EARTH is scored by Virgil Thomson and Mark Blitzstein.
On location with Ivens were John Dos Passos, Robert
Capa, and Ernest Hemingway, who contributed the
powerful commentary. Upon its New York City opening
in 1934, THE SPANISH EARTH was declared one of
the ²most significant and timelyôdocuments of
our time.Ó
THE 400 MILLION (1939) LES 400 MILLIONS
(53 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Made by THE SPANISH EARTH team of Ivens, Robert
Capa, and editor Helene van Dongen, this is a
story of a fight for freedom against the Japanese
invasion of Manchuria in 1938. Opening with a
stunning montage of scenes depicting the bombing
of coastal cities, the film then takes us on an
eloquent tour of the history, landscape, and art
of the old China. The last section portrays modernization
underway throughout the country, linking its struggle
to those in the West for democracy. With amazing
footage of Sun Yat Sen, Chang Kai Shek. THE 400
MILLION was described in the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE
as ²brilliantô The Hanns Eisler score affords
a rich musical fabric for attentionÓ |
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PROGRAM
4: INDEPENDENCE & PROPAGANDA
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 5 PM
SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 7:15 PM
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 9 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2:45 PM |
INDONESIA
CALLING (1946) L’INDONÉSIE APPELLE
(22 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Ivens was appointed Film Commissioner of the Dutch
East Indies in 1944 to film the liberation of
Indonesia. Upon realizing the Dutch government
had no intention of liberation, Ivens resigned.
Instead he made this film as a contribution to
Indonesian independence. Shot in clandestine circumstances,
the film became quite infamous, causing Ivens
to lose his Dutch passport for several months.
DAS LIED DER STRÖME (1954) SONG OF THE
RIVERS / LE CHANT DES FLEUVES
(90 min. b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Still one of the biggest documentary productions
ever made, this film celebrates international
workers’ movements along six major rivers:
the Volga, Mississippi, Ganges, Nile, Amazon and
the Yangtze. Shot in many countries by different
film crews, and later edited by Ivens, SONG OF
THE RIVERS begins with a lyrical montage of landscapes
and laborers and proceeds to glorify labor and
modern industrial machinery. With a powerful musical
score by Dmitri Shostakovich, lyrics written by
Berthold Brecht, and songs performed by Ernst
Busch and famous American actor and singer Paul
Robeson, the film is an ode to international solidarity. |
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PROGRAM
5: VISUAL POETRY
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 7:15 PM
SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 3:15 PM
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1 PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 3:10 PM |
LA
SEINE A RENCONTRÉ PARIS (1957) THE SEINE
MEETS PARIS
(32 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Considered one of Ivens’ most beautiful films—LA
SEINE portrays Paris life along the river. Strollers,
workers, kids, fashion models, and loners populate
the quais. Filled with images of everyday life
from dawn to dusk, and sparkling with lights at
night, LA SEINE is a valentine to Ivens’
second home. The commentary, written by poet Jacques
Prévert and spoken by singer Serge Reggiani,
compliments every frame.
...A VALPARAISO (1963)
(37 min, b/w and color, sound, 35 mm)
Invited to teach in Chile in 1962, Ivens made
a city symphony encompassing Valparaiso’s
prestigious history and modern life. He was most
fortunate to have filmmaker Chris Marker write
the commentary. Working with his students, Ivens
sketches daily life on the city’s steep streets,
on the funiculars traversing its hills, and in
dancehalls and bars, to create one of his most
poetic films. Switching suddenly to color, the
last section uses a striking montage of historical
drawings, paintings, and etchings and finishes
with a sequence of kites floating in the clear
blue sky.
POUR LE MISTRAL (1965) THE MISTRAL
(30 min, b/w and color, sound, 35 mm and cinemascope)
Ivens’ earliest attempt to film the wind
resulted in one of his most lyrical films. He
began in black and white, changed midway to color
film and then for the last section switched to
widescreen cinemascope format. Creating a portrait
of the wind sweeping through the spectacular landscape
and villages of southern France, LE MISTRAL becomes
Ivens’ means of discovering life in Provence. |
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PROGRAM
6: VIETNAM
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 9:15 PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1 PM & 9 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 6:45 PM |
LE
17ème PARALLÈLE (1968)
THE 17TH PARALLEL
(113 min, b/w, sound, 35 mm)
Made together with Marceline Loridan, THE 17TH
PARALLEL was shot over two months while they lived
underground with Vietnamese villagers and soldiers
at the line dividing North and South Vietnam.
Sharing the homes, food, and dangers of their
hosts, Ivens and Loridan established an intimate
relationship with the community. Focused on scenes
of daily life amidst the relentless bombing by
American B52’s, the film combines direct
and synchronized sound, juxtaposed with longer
sequences. Rather than a film about the horrors
of war, it is a remarkable portrait of survival
against all the odds. |
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PROGRAM
7: FILMING THE IMPOSSIBLE - JORIS IVENS’
LAST FILM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 6:30 PM
SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 5 PM & 9:30 PM
SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 9:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 7:15 PM
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 5 PM |
UNE
HISTOIRE DE VENT (1988)
A TALE OF THE WIND
(74 min, color, sound, 35 mm)
Ivens’ final film, made with Marceline Loridan,
is perhaps his most famous—one in which he
turns his camera on his own life and changes in
the world around him. Exploring ancient Chinese
thinking and metaphysics, and structured by the
search for the wind, TALE OF THE WIND offers spectacular
montages consisting of dream images and poetic
audiovisual passages. The Chinese dragon, mythical
representation of the wind, becomes a metaphor
also for artistic freedom of imagination. Visually
striking and playful as well as dramatic, the
film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in
1988, where Ivens received the Golden Lion for
his complete oeuvre. |
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BORINAGE,
1933 ©Willy Kessels, Joris Ivens Archives/EFJI
A TALE OF THE WIND, 1988 ©CAPI Films/Nicolas
Philibert
SONG OF THE RIVERS, 1954 ©Joris Ivens Archives/EFJI
THE 17TH PARALLEL, 1968 ©Marceline Loridan,
Joris Ivens Archives/EFJI |
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