Seuls: Short Work 2’ consists of three iconic surrealist films. This selection is an adaptation of the second Seuls short film programme, organised by Sabzian in 2018 and screened at the KASKcinema in Ghent. With Seuls: Singular moments from Belgian film history, Sabzian brings film programmes to the screen linked to the release of a unique selection of text material on it’s website Sabzian.be.
This film programme offers three films by directors who played a key role in the Belgian surrealist movement. Ernst Moerman was associated with the Paris surrealists, wrote plays and produced one film, Monsieur Fantômas, in which a criminal mastermind, dressed in a dinner jacket, violates mores during his search for the beautiful Elvira. Luc de Heusch was an ethnologist and filmmaker who produced a variety of artist portraits, including Magritte ou La leçon de choses, a film about the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte, in which pictorial and cinematographic images interact and contradict each other, generating an interplay between the works of art and the way they are staged by the filmmaker. Marcel Mariën was not only an adventurous intellectual who spent time in various surrealist circles, but also a devoted admirer, interpreter and sometimes artistic partner of René Magritte. Mariën’s film L’imitation du cinéma provoked controversy when it was released in 1959 due to its suggestive linking of erotic images with a pseudo-religious story about a man who develops a desire to be crucified, including a casual adventure with a prostitute.
An artist’s portrait of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. Using a didactic narrative form, De Heusch initiates a dialogue with the artist’s imagination.
An artist’s portrait of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. Using a didactic narrative form, De Heusch initiates a dialogue with the artist’s imagination.
In this surrealist short film, a young man receives the book The Imitation of Jesus Christ from a priest, which induces a strong desire to be crucified. He embarks on a search for a suitable cross in the city.
In this surrealist short film, a young man receives the book The Imitation of Jesus Christ from a priest, which induces a strong desire to be crucified. He embarks on a search for a suitable cross in the city.
In this surrealist silent short film, the masked Mr Fantômas goes through a series of unsavoury adventures in search of his beloved Elvira. Along the way he commits crimes and violates mores.
In this surrealist silent short film, the masked Mr Fantômas goes through a series of unsavoury adventures in search of his beloved Elvira. Along the way he commits crimes and violates mores.