Symphonie diagonale

It is curious, how much our minds are wired to try to make sense out of the images we see: are the moving, dancing, art deco figures in this film combs? Caricatures of wings? A logo? And the oddly hypnotic, abstract images which appear at one minute? what of them? Are the images and figures presented mean to compliment each other, or stand independently? Or meant to simulate movement?

Viking Eggeling's Symphonie diagonale is interesting, nonstop art deco images, good to just sit and watch the repetitive patterns shapes, like a blinking neon sign, and zone out to, and well drawn also.

The print I saw had either been well restored, or just held up immaculately, because the film had contrast between its deep blacks and pure whites, as opposed to medium range greys that a lot of old silent films have.

This is yet another film devoted to endless repetition of evolving shapes (like the recently-viewed OPUS 1 {1921} by Walther Ruttmann, RHYTMUS 21 {1921} by Hans Richter and ANEMIC CINEMA {1926} by Man Ray); bafflingly, it has found a place (albeit a deservedly lowly one) on a poll I have been checking out ranking the all-time top 3000 movies! There is little to say about such 'trivial' efforts, except that one is thankful for their brevity – while assuming that they were conceived in order to push the boundaries of film when the medium was still essentially in its infancy. As was the case with a few of the titles included on Kino's 2-Disc "Avant-Garde" collection, this is available online in several prints boasting a variety of lengths – often supported by newly-composed (and wildly inappropriate) electronic scores; needless to say, I opted to watch a copy of it that featured traditional accompaniment…

With this movie, Eggeling found a new way of artistic expression that was followed later by Hans Richter, Oskar Fishinger, Walter Ruttmann and Norman McLaren.

Eggeling was trying to explore new paths, new manners, and he really did it. This new media, cinema, brought something that painters such as Eggeling himself could never reach with their paintings: time. Including a new dimension in their artwork was something very challenging for them. It was like mobile paintings. And this is exactly what Eggeling built up in this Symphonie Diagonale.

Eggeling uses *only* images (some geometrical animation) to make music! Yes!, that's it! I know it sound rare but he did it! Just try to imagine how, without any sound, just by showing us moving drawings, Eggeling makes us feel rhythm, musical patterns and figures. I would say that, even if the viewer is not a musical expert, he/she will surely discover, at least, the basics of music (rhythm, for instance).

Eggeling's masterpiece is a trip into music, a magical illusion and a sensible picture of music through a different language. Something nobody should miss.

Found this rare experimental animated short by one Viking Eggeling on the Internet Archive site. It's basically a series of lines-either straight or curved-that form then retreat. Appear then disappear. Repeat again and again before disappearing for something new to form. And there seems to be some kind to rhythm to the whole thing as if some kind of music that no one can hear, since this short is completely silent, is orchestrating the entire thing. Maybe Chuck Jones saw this and was inspired to make his Oscar-winning The Dot and the Line. Maybe other abstract animators like Len Lye were inspired with their own versions of what is depicted here. Symphonie diagonale is certainly one of the earliest of the fascinating abstract animated designs ever put on film. Highly worth a look for anyone interested in this sort of thing. Update: 10/16/08-I saw another, possibly longer version, on the Europa Film Treasures site. This version has a score added by Aidje Tafial with a woman's voice electronically coming in occasionally and some bells. With these enhancements, I'm now upping the rating to 9.

1924 certainly was the year for avant-garde cinema what with the release of such classics of the genre as Entr'acte, Ballet mecanique, and this offering from the Swede Viking Eggeling. Presumably intended as a visual representation of a musical symphony, the films consists solely of various geometric shapes taking form only to then be erased and replaced by a successor. It grows tedious very quickly, and makes seven minutes seem like an eternity.