Entr'acte (1924)

Boring

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Entr-acte (1924) is probably as fun as 1920s cinematic surrealism gets, with its humorous situations, giddy experimentation with filmmaking techniques, and kinetic excitement.It's best to not try to make sense of the bizarre plot, which involves a funeral procession gone hilariously awry. I've read it described as possessing the feel of a Monty Python sketch and that description is spot on as far as I'm concerned. The Erik Satie score also adds much to the proceedings, with its bounciness and repetition. Really, the whole film feels like a zany dream you never want to forget. I saw it two days ago and still it haunts me.Befitting of the term "pure cinema."

This 20-minute black-and-white film from over 90 years ago is a perfect example of what experimentalism is about. It does not make sense, there is no real story and all the character's actions are unrealistic. Now, if I would like this type of film, I certainly would have enjoyed it, but unfortunately this is not my cup of tea. Some moments are entertaining admittedly, but as a whole I was not impressed at all. This French film is certainly among the most known short films from the 1920s that do not include one of the masters of silent film in their cast, such as Keaton, Lloyd, Chaplin etc. It was the first and maybe most famous film by writer and director René Clair, in his 20s here, who had a long career afterward and made movies until the 1960s. Also his first performance here gives Man Ray who is probably a name to most people with a deeper interest in early experimental movies. I am not one of these, therefore I was not wowed and cannot recommend "Entr'acte".

René Clair's "Entr'acte" is one of the pioneering films of the surrealist genre in cinema, which, from what I gather, is the attempt at bending reality and twisting all that we've come to know into something deeply strange but entirely mesmerizing. Heavy on its use of perverse or unique imagery and juxtaposition of images and sequences and frequently rejecting the conventions of linear, dramatic filmmaking, such surrealist filmmakers today, such as Quentin Dupieux and Terry Gilliam, focus on a wide-range or visual styles in addition to wacky, out-there humor that is sometimes funny because it doesn't make a bit of sense (otherwise known as "anti-humor").When it comes to "Entr'acte," however, we have an intriguing piece of film on our hands, one that serves as an early film of the "dadaism" movement in art, where European artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, and theorists began to reject commonly- utilized devices in art of the time in favor of a more radical approach to their mediums. These often included the injection of leftist policies and believes, most specifically anti-war policies that began hitting their stride as World War II neared.Just by watching the first few minutes of "Entr'acte," one can see that it has no desire at all to try and fit in with conventional artistic standards. It serves as a conglomerate of visuals from the dadaist period, many of which not making very much sense, but each provoking a genre-bending fascination amongst the audience. The opening scene itself is something to marvel at, showing two people firing a cannon from the top of a large building, while strangely-calming and infectious music is played in the background.The film persists on, with numerous different visuals that were likely never before seen outside of this particular work. What's remarkable is that despite the film's age, scenes involving characters running in slow motion and then being sped up into running in fast-motion after a vehicle still hold a certain kind of power to them. Overall, there's a mesmerizing quality "Entr'acte" bears that is surprising to note seeing as it perfectly defines a film that was "the first of its kind."Directed by: René Clair.

I just saw Entr'acte another time and I kept asking myself what was the meaning of this picture? I couldn't find any meaning in it: men running in slow motion, a roller-coaster ride, a lot of unclear images with movement, ... so maybe it is about movement? maybe there isn't any meaning at all, with the only meaning that life goes slow fast and normal at the same time, it depends on how you look at things. and how you look at things, is influenced by the feeling that you have on that particular moment. so maybe, if there is any meaning in the film, it's the message that we experience life as we want it to be. if we have fun, it goes fast. if we are bored, it goes slow. if we don't care, it goes on at a normal tempo.