Making the Invisible Visible: Film and Quote Discussion

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Art/Revolution W1
Meshes of the Afternoon begins with an illusion. A large hand appears to be placing a flower on the road—the first example of excellent shots and camera techniques in the short film. We also see clever use of shadows, especially in the first scenes of the short film. There is also a single use of slow-motion, but the intention is unclear. The film is shot in black and white, which is the contemporary choice in early twentieth-century filmmaking. As the film progresses, there is a constant repetition of events. The woman, who now has the key, enters the house and takes a nap by the window. However, this same woman is seen in a constant repetition of events that led her to the house. She is following a figure with a cloak before she retrieves the key and enters the house. Every time the repetition starts, she picks a rose by the road. However, as the repetitions increase, the key is no longer just a key. It is a substitute for a knife. There is a point in the film where, due to the many repetitions, the same woman, now duplicated three times, is sitting at a table as if deciding between the key and the knife. In the end, she chooses the knife, which she uses to stab the figure with the cloak, destroying the mirror that is its head. However, it is also the same knife that she appears to have used to stab herself at the end of the film. Halfway through the movie, all this seems like a drea...