The New Babylon
Thu Aug 24, 2017
5:00 PM
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
We present The New Babylon with Dmitri Shostakovichs original symphonic score for the silent film. Originally banned for its excess and aestheticism, this energetic avant-garde extravaganza represents a culmination of the experimental Factory of the Eccentric Actor (FEKS), founded by directors Kozintsev and Trauberg. Set in the 1871 Paris Commune and centered around a posh department store modeled after that found in Emile Zolas novel Au bonheur des dames, the film focuses on a shopgirl (Elena Kuzmina) and a heroic young soldier. The inspiration for the photography came from the ImpressionistsMonet, Degas, Renoirand there are some magnificent scenes shot in fog, shadow, and moonlight.