[silence] 1947 film featuring Cage music

[kos@panix.com]

On Sun, 20 May 2007, David Badagnani <davidbadagnani@yahoo.com>

> I apologize if this has already come up, but I've just learned about a 1947 
> "experimental film noir" featuring music by John Cage, entitled "Dreams That
>  Money Can Buy."  I'd never heard of it before today. ...
>  Here is the IMDB entry about it:
>  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039340/fullcredits#cast
>
>  Does anyone know more about this film?  I'd love to hear people's thoughts 
> about the Cage segment ("Discs").

I've seen the film a good number of times, and I was the one who added most of 
the details to that IMDB entry.

I think the "Discs" sequence is among the more disappointing sequences 
of the film.  In part it a "remake" of Marcel Duchamp's earlier 1926 film 
ANEMIC CINEMA, which consisted of an alteration of phrases with spiral designs, 
all of them apparently filmed on a turntable.

In "Discs," the phrases are replaced with what appears to be a filmed version of 
Duchamp's famous picture "Nude Descending a Staircase."  Through lens 
distortion, you see a kind of blurred cubist person descending a staircase. 
This alternates with the rotating spirals several times.  That's it.

I believe Cage was very disappointed with his participation in this film because 
none of his intended synchronization of music to image was carried out.  Hans 
Richter apparently edited things so that Cage's intentions were not followed. 
(I've love to know where is Cage's original score for the film version.)

As someone who is rather partial to avant-garde film, I have always enjoyed 
DREAMS THAT MONEY CAN BUY.  I think most people agree that the the best part of 
the film is the second main sequence, Richter's rendering of Ferdinand Leger's 
mannequin love story entitled "The Girl With the Pre-Fabricated Heart" amusingly 
sung by Libby Holman to a song by Josh White.


Bob Kosovsky, Ph.D. -- Curator, Rare Books and Manuscripts,
Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
   Listowner: OPERA-L ; SMT-TALK ; SMT-ANNOUNCE ; SoundForge-users
--- My opinions do not necessarily represent those of my institutions ---