2020 marked the 100th birth anniversary of Marcel Marien (1920-1993) a multifaceted Belgian artist, intriguing figures of Andre Breton's surrealist movement and pupil of Rene Magritte. A special exhibition on Marcel Marien's work was supposed to happen in Brussels to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, but it was cancelled due to pandemic craziness.
Imitation of Cinema, a melancholic black-and-white film with few negative shots, asks the question on the effect of religion (Or dare I say of Christianity), the conflict between Human intellect and blind faith in this sacrilegious satire. A youth is called to follow the right-hand path and carry the cross, it turns into an obsession whereas every character he meets are milking on the cross for personal gain. The juxtaposition of the cross in almost every frame tell much about the nature of exploitation. From an extremely subjective point of view, the film questions the milking of cross (all deliberate). Marcel Marien's film caused backlashes by the catholic central, it was long censored and was released on DVD fifty yrs after its production. While many Christians thought of this a blasphemous piece of work during the release, I think the overall impression I was left with was the moral of anti-fundamentalism. All groups committed atrocities which parallel the tensions in our world. A must for the fans of surreal/arthouse/avant-garde cinema, to mention David Lynch was a fan of Marcel and included few scenes inspired by this shot in "Wild at Heart". I willn't recommend it for devout Catholics who will freak out (at times) and declare the movie anti-Christian propaganda.
Overall, anyone who engages in rebellious cinema and love the works of Jean Genet, Stan Vanderbeek, Sidney Peterson, Jean Cocteau, Conrad Rooks, Ugo Ulive, Reto Andrea Savoldelli, David Gladwell, Otto Muehl, Gunter Brus, Maya Deren, Wim van der Linden, Curtis Harrington and Isidore Isou will be rewarded with a film experience that impresses with its metaphorical storytelling.
Finally, I would love to mention a quote Marcel Marien once said "Have you ever been alive? Curious sensation, isn't it?" He died in 1993; his gravestone reads "Il ny a aucun merite a etre quoi que ce soit" (there is no merit in being anything).
Imitation of Cinema, a melancholic black-and-white film with few negative shots, asks the question on the effect of religion (Or dare I say of Christianity), the conflict between Human intellect and blind faith in this sacrilegious satire. A youth is called to follow the right-hand path and carry the cross, it turns into an obsession whereas every character he meets are milking on the cross for personal gain. The juxtaposition of the cross in almost every frame tell much about the nature of exploitation. From an extremely subjective point of view, the film questions the milking of cross (all deliberate). Marcel Marien's film caused backlashes by the catholic central, it was long censored and was released on DVD fifty yrs after its production. While many Christians thought of this a blasphemous piece of work during the release, I think the overall impression I was left with was the moral of anti-fundamentalism. All groups committed atrocities which parallel the tensions in our world. A must for the fans of surreal/arthouse/avant-garde cinema, to mention David Lynch was a fan of Marcel and included few scenes inspired by this shot in "Wild at Heart". I willn't recommend it for devout Catholics who will freak out (at times) and declare the movie anti-Christian propaganda.
Overall, anyone who engages in rebellious cinema and love the works of Jean Genet, Stan Vanderbeek, Sidney Peterson, Jean Cocteau, Conrad Rooks, Ugo Ulive, Reto Andrea Savoldelli, David Gladwell, Otto Muehl, Gunter Brus, Maya Deren, Wim van der Linden, Curtis Harrington and Isidore Isou will be rewarded with a film experience that impresses with its metaphorical storytelling.
Finally, I would love to mention a quote Marcel Marien once said "Have you ever been alive? Curious sensation, isn't it?" He died in 1993; his gravestone reads "Il ny a aucun merite a etre quoi que ce soit" (there is no merit in being anything).
