French Avantgarde is one of the most influential movements in the history of cinema alongside with Soviet Montage Cinema, Hollywood silent cinema, French impressionism, German expressionism and French poetic realism. French Avantgarde was the movement of modern artists and poets. In it artists tried to combine poetry with narrative and fiction with reality. Menilmontant by Dimitri Kirsanoff also belongs to the French impressionism but yet it is considered to be one of the finest products of French Avantgarde. It's a good example how the transition from ordinary narrative to experimental locutions started to happen. Kirsanoff was a musician and an Estonian immigrant living in Paris so he perfectly fit in this movement of modern artists and poets.
Menilmontant is a drama of two orphanage sisters, both of whom are seduced by a handsome stranger and about the sisters' hopeless vision of future: prostitution or dull work. This simple story resurrects a lyric atmosphere of emotions. The emotions of the sisters are reflected to impressive images of empty streets which represent loneliness and the crowded streets which represent a state of happiness.
Many scenes and sequences of Menilmontant reach different kind of impressions and feelings as cinema's counterpart for poetry. Obviously French Avantgarde has influenced many filmmakers and made them create cinematic poetry. Jean Renoir, Santiago Alvarez, Jean Cocteau, Georges Franju and Luis Bunuel to mention a few. The opening sequence of Menilmontant is a 40 seconds long series of short shots, which can easily be compared with Soviet Montage Cinema (Eisenstein and Vertov). Kirsanoff tried out the dimensions of cinema and narrative and created an absolutely beautiful piece of art, which still today stands out as one of the greatest French Avantgarde films ever made.
Menilmontant is a drama of two orphanage sisters, both of whom are seduced by a handsome stranger and about the sisters' hopeless vision of future: prostitution or dull work. This simple story resurrects a lyric atmosphere of emotions. The emotions of the sisters are reflected to impressive images of empty streets which represent loneliness and the crowded streets which represent a state of happiness.
Many scenes and sequences of Menilmontant reach different kind of impressions and feelings as cinema's counterpart for poetry. Obviously French Avantgarde has influenced many filmmakers and made them create cinematic poetry. Jean Renoir, Santiago Alvarez, Jean Cocteau, Georges Franju and Luis Bunuel to mention a few. The opening sequence of Menilmontant is a 40 seconds long series of short shots, which can easily be compared with Soviet Montage Cinema (Eisenstein and Vertov). Kirsanoff tried out the dimensions of cinema and narrative and created an absolutely beautiful piece of art, which still today stands out as one of the greatest French Avantgarde films ever made.