Ritual in Transfigured Time | |
---|---|
Directed by | Maya Deren |
Written by | Maya Deren |
Produced by | Maya Deren |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Hella Hammid (as Hella Heyman) |
Edited by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 15 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | no dialogue spoken |
Ritual in Transfigured Time is a 1946 American experimental silent short film directed by Maya Deren.[1] Like Deren's previous work, A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945), she explores the use of dance on film through the lens of commentary of societal norms, metamorphosis, and anthropomorphism. The film is notable for its disjointed storytelling and use of slow motion, freeze framing, and unique blend of stage dance and film.
Deren became known for her affinity for dance in other subsequent films such as Meditation on Violence, Ensemble for Somnambulists, and Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti. Elinor Cleghorn writes: "While she never undertook formal training, she identified as a dancer; but rather than pursuing a career as a performer she made her fascination with dance as cultural expression the focus of her progression as a writer and researcher."[2]