BRITAIN IN THE 20S (HISTORY OF AVANT-GARDE) (1920)

Cast

Plot

The collection opens with Len Lye's modernist abstraction ‘Tusalava’, which, heavily influenced by Maori and Aboriginal art, shares an interest in ‘primitive’ cultures that was typical of the Modernist movement of the time. It was almost refused a certificate by the puzzled British Board of Censors who suspected that the dancing abstract shapes might be about sex. Lye's own explanation was that it showed the beginnings of organic life. ‘Crossing the Great Sagrada’, is a lowbrow spoof on travel films. The satirical comedy ‘Bluebottles’ was written by HG Wells - look out for two up-and-coming actors - husband and wife team Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. In ‘COD’ the aesthetic is dominated by odd lighting effects and off kilter camera angles and is both a parody and homage to German Expressionist art movies. ‘Everyday’ is a continual repetition of daily incidents that revolve in an ever-quickening loop. Elements of Expressionism, Dada, De Stijl, Constructivism, and Surrealism are all present, as Hans Richter attempts to apply the theories of abstract art to the relatively new medium of film. In ‘Equation: X + X = 0’ draws on the theories of abstract art - in this case the aesthetic owes a heavy debt to early Constructivism.