BUVARD DE CENDRE
(ASH BLOTTER)
1969
This piece is a reference to a poem written by André Breton “Le Buvard de Cendre”, in his book “Clair de Terre” (Earthlight) which ends by Coeur Lettre de Cachet (Heart Letter of Seal). This first short film was shot with a Paillard Bolex mecanic camera 16 mm with the help of my friends, in the set of the Levallois Perret studio which were at that time beeing demolished to give place to the main peripherical route, and in the fields and roads of Ile de France. The Eifel Tower, enigmatic lighthouse, is the centrat theme of this story full of dancers, saxophone players and gangsters pursuying a lost priest. A burlesque character, tailcoat and bowler hat, inspired by Buster Keaton and the characters of Magritte, is leading. It is an awaken dream which fantasy works with surrealist coloured poetry.
MAKING OFF BUVARD DE CENDRE
1969
A friend of mine, Jean-Michel Ramade, was following us with his camera in the scene shot at the building on 6 Boulevard de Grenelle. It reproduces perfectly the crazy cavalcade of the small burlesque group animated by a post-68′ spirit.
VIOLINSPHERE
1971
Again in an awaken dream, the main character is played by myself. Magritte’ character inspires his way of dressing. The violin case as a luggage is a tribute to my stepfather, Emile Maze (1876-1974), Concerts Colonne second violin and a non-professionnal painter. He plas here an old caring king. It is about an initiatory quest, a hallucinatory journey that ends with a medication in front of a sunset. This character is wanderig from Montmartre to Sainte Agnes village (06500) crosses history from middle ages to the consumers society through second world war.
The central theme is the circle, the balloon in all his forms. One could think of the serie “The Prisonner” but I had not seen it at that time. This balloon that pursuies the main character is the mystery of the destiny that pushes the human beeing to go forward and to cross the images of his life.
LES PINSONS ROSES
(THE PINK CHAFFINCHS)
1971
In the frame of Raray Castle where Jean Cocteau has filmed the scenes of “Beauty and the Beast”, 1946, a small community of characters lost in time: an aristocrat of the Roaring Twenties, a dreaming young lady of the end of the XIX century, an aeroplane builder of the 1910′, a lustful butler an a desperate young marquis, are living moments suspended to their desire in an abandoned castle. This great dream of a surealistic inspiration proposes themes that I shall always cherish: the wonder, the mystery, the inspiring woman, pioneers of aviation before 1914, my preference goes to historical periods that cross each other in the sound of a romantic music. In some aspects, this movie was prophetic as for the destiny of each of the actors.