La glace à trois faces

I saw this short on a Kino DVD compilation ("Avant-garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 30s"), which contained glowing reviews claiming it was one of the best experimental films ever made. Unfortunately, the movie didn't really work for me, because I could never feel involved with any of the characters, and the imagery didn't interest me enough to make up for it. Perhaps I just don't know enough about the development of film to appreciate this one's originality? I was much more impressed by some of the other shorts on the same DVD, such as "Ménilmontant" and "La Coquille et Le Clergyman". I do remember a few minor moments in "La Glace" that I liked, but they were brief. Generally, I thought that the story was too underwritten, and the way the actors were made-up and shot only increased the distance I felt from them. The fact that the protagonist seemed like kind of a jerk didn't really help. The ending (which I won't reveal) has been particularly celebrated, but since its power depends on the viewer's feelings about the hero, it didn't mean much to me. (It also seemed dependent on an inexplicable action by a passing bird--someone please explain to me if I misunderstood that part.)

Students of editing might find more to like in this film than I did.