Synopsis

An old phonograph assembles itself, plays songs on wax drums before self-destructing. Through a succession of loving closeups, there is a sense of both a love of craftsmanship not to mention a nostalgia for a bygone (i.e. pre-War) age.

Walerian Borowczyk

Master craftsman, dadaist prankster and unrepentant sensualist, Walerian Borowczyk (1923 - 2006) and his films have yet to be both fully discovered and appreciated. Having relocated to France during the late 1950s, Borowczyk produced a succession of startling, often comic short films that were as innovative as they were provocative. Not only was Borowczyk a trailblazer for fine artists working in film, but he also brought a keen, painterly eye to framing and editing objects, animals and bodies. Often, Borowczyk would place special emphasis on props, which often play vital roles in his highly visual approach to storytelling. A master at marrying film to both classical and electronic music, Borowczyk’s approach to cinema harked back to both the silent days and even pre-cinema. A parodic, sense of earthy humour masks Borowczyk’s distinctly moral sensibility, eager to satirise the corruption of institutions, whether they be feudal, clerical or bureaucratic. Prepare to be dazzled.