The Fashion in Film Festival closes today at the BFI Southbank with two screenings of La Revue des Revues (1927) directed by Joë Francis and Alex Nalpas (3.30 p.m.) and Secrets of the East (Geheimnisse des Orients/ Shéhérazade, 1928) directed by Alexandre Volkoff (6.20 p.m.).
Both the films will have live piano accompaniment by the wonderful Stephen Horne and both feature extraordinary fashion moments and choreographies, so they are the perfect choices for fashion fans but also dance lovers.
La Revue des Revues – featuring Hélène Hallier, Josephine Baker and Pépa Bonafé – follows the vicissitudes of Gabrielle, a seamstress and wannabe dancer, though the main plot is actually an excuse to show some wild dancers and grand show stopping numbers like the one in the finale embedded here.
The film also includes one of two Josephine Baker Folies-Bergère performances recorded on film at the end of the 20s, the number entitled "La folie du jour", that consisted in a series of Charleston steps, high kicks, splits and sensual hip contortions.
Secrets of the East, starring Italian actress Ida Maranca (better known as Marcella Albani), D. Dmitriev and Brigitte Helm, features sensual costumes by Boris Bilinsky and rich sets by Ivan Lochakoff.
Bilinsky was one of several Russian designers, including Alexandre Benois, who worked in ballet, drama, and film during the interwar years (definitely worth rediscovering him).
He was very much inspired in his creations by Léon Bakst’s work for Les Orientates and Le Dieu Bleu and mixed in this film his Oriental inspirations with hints at Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Expressionism.
The best way to savour this film would be after seeing the Ballets Russes exhibition at the V&A to spot parallelisms and references between the costumes of the famous corps de ballet and Bilinsky's work in Secrets of the East.
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Posted by: uggyun | December 13, 2010 at 07:16 AM