Film UbuWebJean Mitry (b. 1961)
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Pacific 231 (1949)
A powerful picture that would be an excellent companion for John Frankenheimer's The Train. The 'poetic documentary' presents a giant locomotive, which is coupled to a train and then sent out on a run to the city, chugging like a juggernaut. It's cut to a dramatic score by Arthur Honegger, with extremely dynamic angles (many unusual camera mounts) and editing that for a few seconds reminds us that Mitry was an associate of Abel Gance on Napoleon and other movies. Very much rooted in reality and industrial hardware, the film's steam locomotive soon appears to be a living thing. (by Glenn Erickson)
RESOURCES:
Arthur Honegger's "Pacific 231" (1923) in UbuWeb Sound from Dada For Now
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