Year: 1908
Directpr: Segundo De Chomon
Country: France
Language: N/A
For many cinephiles silent pictures are very hard to fall in love with. The lack of dialogue, especially in pictures that do not rely on slapstick or exaggerated humor, means we really have to pay attention to everything happening in each frame. Silents made before the mid 1910's are harder to follow, as they are really short and often free from conventional narrative due to lack of innovation at the time. Still I'll review Modern Sculptor (1908).
Modern Sculptor is a five-minute ‘trick’ film that seemingly shows miniature sculptures coming to life.
Modern Sculptor (Sculpteur moderne) is one of Segundo de Chomรณn’s many fine works. A Spaniard who worked in France, he is most often compared to Georges Melies because of his technical mastery behind the camera. The majority of his films, albeit many of them are lost, are quite astounding. This picture is simply his best.
This picture is a sly aside, a smirking, satirical statement about a medium on the cusp of greatness. Just what exactly are these things, these, movies? What are their fashioners up to and how do they work, such that they leave no trace of anything but the final product? It's a deceptive alluring picture that makes us think about how art is made.
Few early silent films have much to say, but it seems that Modern Sculptor is at least a good thinking piece. It's odd and fascinating, quite entertaining despite its brief run-time. Chomon is a notable Early filmmaker that you ought to seek out.
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