subscribe to this pageNeiman, Catrina. “An Introduction to the Notebook of Maya Deren, 1947.” Art and Anthropology: The Crossroads, 14 (1980): 3-15
The article is based on the notes written by Maya Deren while planning out what she called her “Film-in-Progress.” This abandoned project and the reasons for its failure produces as much insight into the world of Maya Deren as does any of her completed works. Her work was inspired by Katherine Dunham and antropolgists Bateson and Mead. “Film-in-Progress” was to be a montage film, focusing on the combination of Balinese and Hatian rituals with games played by children in the streets if New York.“All the quality of children’s games which fascinated me and induced me to consider it as a theme for the film-in-progress were…[their] universality…, the intense illusion of reality which they had for the players, the immaculate attention to seemingly irrelevant detail, the element of self-subordination and even ordeal…” (Neiman, 6).
The “intense illusion of reality” mentioned by Deren in the games played by the children was also evident in her films. Also, the identification of art with game is made in several of Deren’s movies, usually in the image of chess, as in At Land.
Deren’s notes at this time show her need to “de-personalize” her art, rather than the self-representation found in her previous films. Thus her interest in rituals displaying anonymity and universality. For Deren, the camera led to personal, subjective experience, allowing the attainment of the universal.
Independent. (2000) http://www..com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20001222/ai_n14346771
The article describes two aspects of the auteur theory. The first describes the director as the person who gives a film its artistic identity. It then states that the theory is useful in creating a canon of artistic merit among directors. This further allows a person to identify the consistant style of a director among a variety of films.
The term auteur is thought to be inspired by Andre Bazin, but in actuality it was first seen in a 1948 essay by Alexandre Astruc. It was later coined by Francois Truffaut in an article written in Cahiers du Cinema. He opposed the auteur director to the metteur en scene- a person who aids in bringing people’s ideas to film. Along with other writters of Cahiers, he started a a group which gave praise to such directors as Alfred Hitchcok.
The auteur theory did have some benefits tied to it, such as making Truffaut an auteur. Many other theories have been developed which have replaced the auteur theory as the main topic of discussion when analysing film. It is, however, still discussed by many “high-brow” people today.
MAYA DEREN: At Land. By Mort Marcus. Santa Cruz Reel Time Concert, California.
This speech was delivered at the Santa Cruz Reel Time Concert by Mort Marcus, an actor in Maya Deren’s second film, At Land. In the film, Deren aimed to illustrate the struggle of maintaining a personal identity. This is symbolically shown through Deren’s birth from the sea, to her lifetime on land, and then her final return to the sea at the end of her life.Maya Deren made an illusion of reality in her films. At Land shows an overlapping and a traveling in and out of time, making it appear very much like a dream. An example of this is when Deren is seen at both the beach and dinner party at the same time. Also, the distortion of time is evident as Deren crawls in slow motion across the dinner table, further emphasizing the dream-like feel of the movie.
The speech then goes on to mention the significance of the chess piece in the film. The image of chess can be found in a couple of Deren’s movies, illustrating the identification of art with game. Chess is first introduced in the movie at the dinner party, where two men are playing. A pawn falls from the board, and Deren is unable to catch it. Later, she steals one of the pawns from the chessboard that two women are playing on at the beach. “This chess piece is the object that impels Maya forward in her quest for self-understanding,” says Marcus. The use of the pawn represents the incomprehensible identities that people are given on this alien world.
Soussloff, Catherine M. “Maya Deren Herself.” Maya Deren and the American Avant-Garde. Ed. Bill Nichols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. 105-129.
The section “Maya Deren Herself” in the book Maya Deren and the American Avant-Garde begins with a historiography of Deren in the discourse on film. It describes Deren as both the originator of American avant-garde cinema, as well as one of the women involved in the feminist film canon before its time. Maya Deren displayed characteristics of the auteur- a filmmaker who exercises creative control over his/her works and has a strong personal style. She represented a filmmaker that took part in collective practices, too. The concept that she is the originator of avant-garde cinema in America is distorted because she was not a man. As a woman, she suffered from and fought against gender stratification. Also, the idea of the male gaze does not extend to her work, merely because she was female. During Deren’s time an alternative to this concept was never established, leaving Deren as a nonentity.
The last part of “Maya Deren Herself” speaks of Deren’s use of subjectivity and self-representation in her films, including At Land. Rather than using the common term “artist’s manifesto,” Deren used the term “anagram” when speaking of the subject. According to Deren
“An anagram is a combination of letters in relationship that each and every one is simultaneously an element in more than one linear series. This simultaneity is real, and independent of the fact that it is usually perceived in succession. Each element of an anagram is so related to the whole that no one of them may be changed without affecting its series and so affecting the whole” (Soussloff, 117)
A logic is created in Deren’s films through her presence in them. In At Land, Maya Deren disguises herself in her role in order to forefront subjectivity. Also, the mirrors used in the movie represent distortion. Her reflection in the mirrors calls attention to the subject of the artist by placing her in the visual narrative. Maya means “illusion,” and Deren made an illusion of reality.
Lauren Rabinowitz recognizes the contributions of Maya Deren, Shirley Clarke, and Joyce Wieland to American avant-garde cinema. These three women were filmmakers during periods when women were considered to be of lower standing than men. This in turn influenced the work of these three women, hints of marginalization being represented in their films. In addition, the overlap between these women shows a feminist continuity preceding recent feminist action.
According to Rabinowitz, canonization is the central aspect of avant-garde cinema; however, she does not want to be accused of canonizing the works of these three women filmmakers. Therefore, she not only respects their films, but also the work done by these women outside of filmmaking. In the case of Maya Deren, Rabinowitz recognizes the work Deren did to bring credit to the entire alternative filmmaking field. She mentions that Clarke helped found Filmmakers Inc. and the Filmmakers Distribution Center. Wieland is noted for her participation in Canadian Artists’ Representation. When speaking of the films made by these women, Rabinowitz does not go into in-depth analysis. She instead gives summaries of the movies, with little insight, perhaps ensuring the fact that she is not thought of as canonizing these three filmmakers. However, although Lauren Rabinowitz is cautious of canonizing the works of Maya Deren, others have regarded her as a member of the feminist film canon before its time.
Suleiman, Susan Robin. Subversive Intent: Gender, Politics, and Avant-Garde. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1990.
Susan Suleiman’s book consists of 8 essays, each overlapping one another. The essays discuss such concepts as sexual politics, literary theory, and views of the father and mother. The essays consist of three main points or ideas. The first is that although avant-garde films threaten to overthrow the boundaries of intellectual thought, most times it does not. It stays within the parameters already set. Also, the avant-garde movement is not just intellectually motivated. It is influenced by politics. Finally, women have achieved greater standing within the movement, as compared to the French surrealism in the early twentieth century. This can probably be attributed to feminist critiques.
The essay “The Politics and Poetics of Female Eroticism” discusses the attempt to reappropriate the female body, along with its sexuality. It deals with the idea of getting rid of gender categories. It also states that the sexual movement affects various fronts, including linguistic and political.“Feminist Intertextuality and the Laugh of the Mother” explores parody. Suleiman argues that the mother figure in art and literature stems from the patriarchal power system. Myths, on the other hand, characterize mothers as creating their own stories.
The book concludes with: “What hope is there for postmodernism, and specifically for feminist postmodernism, as an oppositional avant-garde practice? Quite possibly, not much- or not more than for previous avant-gardes. But that does not mean that the attempt is not worth making” (Suleiman, 198-199).
Staples, Donald E. "The Auteur Theory Reexamined." Cinema Journal, 6 (1966-1967): 1-7
The auteur theory can be traced from France to England, and then to the United States. Francois Truffaut is considered the founder of the auteur theory, after his publication of an article in 1954 in the Cahiers du Cinéma. His main complaint was that filmmakers did not employ artistic integrity, but rather focused on the “tradition of quality.” In this case, the film was the product of the writer, and the director just put the pieces together. Truffaut believed that the director should dominate and create the dialogues and scenarios in his own fashion. Later on, “De La Politique des Auteurs” by André Bazin discussed the pros and cons of the auteur theory. He noted that the politique des auteurs was created from a multitude of criticisms and film reviews stating that the director should be seen as an artist rather than as a technician. When the theory finally arrived in the U.S., Andrew Sarris was the first to discuss the auteur approach. He wrote about it in his book The American Cinema, which later came to be known as “the manifesto of the auteur theory.”The auteur theory became popular in the U.S. during the 1950s-60s. It began to lose appeal as new
approaches to film analysis came about, such as the feminist film theory. Maya Deren was considered an
auteur. Thus, her films can be viewed as models of the auteur theory: the theory that a film by a director
reflects the personal vision and preoccupations of that director, as if he/she were the work’s primary author.
Richter, Hans. “The Avant-Garde Film Seen from within.” Hollywood Quarterly, 4.1 (1949): 34-41.
In the article, Hans Richter expresses the idea that avant-garde film gives the artist a certain freedom. The visions, whims, dreams, and playfulness of the artist can all be communicated through avant-garde/experimental film. The artist can achieve freedom with avant-garde films through four main ways. The first is through the orchestration of motion, especially abstract movement. Also, a rhythm can be created between common objects in space in time. This refers to the harmony of space and time created in such films as At Land and A Study in Choreography for the Camera by Maya Deren. Also, movement and images are often distorted or dissected. Finally, surrealism seeks to piece together the original thought of the subconscious. Even the most practical of minds find surrealism appealing.
“The same as the function of all arts- to integrate new experiences emotionally, or to express visions which life has withheld from us, or however the analyst of the social function of art chooses to define it” (Richter, 39-40).
Richter believes that the growth of experimental film is not necessarily a bad thing. In actuality it may do some good in a society based on a complete domestication.
Staiger, Janet. “The Politics of Film Canons.” Cinema Journal, 24.3 (1985): 4-23.
Maya Deren is said to be of a feminist film canon before her time. Canon formation in film, which can be found in a number of projects, is affected by politics. Claire Johnston said,“The idea that art is universal and thus potentially androgynous is basically and idealist notion: art can only be defined as a discourse within a particular conjunction- for the purpose of women’s cinema, the bourgeois, sexist ideology of male dominated capitalism” (Staiger, 16)
If a film is described and classified as universal, then it should speak to everyone in the same manner. Sexual differences should not occur, but instead all people should be treated the same. Johnston’s quote is drawing attention to the fact that in a male-dominated society, “universal” refers to “masculine” characteristics. A canon based on this trait emphasizes the superiority of one gender over the other, in this case male superiority over females.
Feminist critics have been fighting the sexual stereotyping and misogynist characteristics found in films canonized as “universal.” Feminists believe that these films do not speak to them. In order to remedy this, some proposals have been made: revise criteria for canons, criticize already formed canons, or destroy canon formation. A final proposal made by feminists is to build a canon based on the linguistically heterogeneous. This includes avant-garde films or other practices that challenge the patriarchal discourse. Maya Deren’s work fits this final proposal, being that she was an originator of the American avant-garde movement.
Sitney, P. Visionary Film: The American Avant Garde. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.
Sitney’s book discusses the works of various avant-garde filmmakers, including that of Maya Deren. When analyzing the films, Sitney develops a number of new terms. For example, Meshes of the Afternoon is referred to as “psychodramatic” or as “early trance.” Her later work, such as At Land, is considered to be “trancist,” in which the central character passes in out of the scenes and landscapes, invisible to others, heading towards a confrontation with one’s self and past. Deren’s dream and ritual emphasis, which again is apparent in At Land, is the foundation for the Romantic tradition of the American avant-garde.The book mentions that Deren believed that the abstract ideal is achieved through classical structuring. Also, Deren believed in the harmony of space, time, and movement. This can be seen in At Land when Deren travels from the beach to the dinner party, and then back to the beach. At one point during her transitions, she is occupying both locations at the same time, creating the harmony between the spaces.
Sitney also talks about how the window in Meshes of the Afternoon is a metaphor for the screen. The action of Deren looking out the window in the movie is referred to by Sitney as the seeing of one’s self-reflected in the seeing of nature. The screen is actually a two-way mirror, and the self acts as a mediator.