Learning that a sale of their titles was taking place on Amazon UK,I decided to take a look at the page dedicated to the "Masters Of Cinema" label. Reading about the title in connection to its proto- Poetic Realism style,I was thrilled to see Jean Epstein's landmark Silent in the sale,which led to me opening my faithful heart.
The plot:
Adopted by a couple called the Hochon's who run a pub,Marie is harshly pushed around to do most of the work. Falling in love for Jean,Marie finds that she has to keep her love for him secret,due to pressure for her to get married to the thuggish Petit Paul.Forced to get closer to Paul,Jean follows them to a fairground. Surprising Paul,Jean gets in a fight which ends with a cop being stabbed.Left on his own after Paul runs off,Jean is given a prison sentence that will test Jean and Maire's faithful hearts.
View on the film:
Brimming with a new classy score from Maxence Cyrin,Masters Of Cinema present a stunning transfer,which keeps Cyrin's score crisp and the almost 90 year old picture quality impressively clean,whilst retaining a graininess that subtly fits the mood Epstein is creating.
Bringing the beauty from Gina Manès face out in depth of field close-ups,co-writer/(along with his sister Marie) director Jean Epstein delicately expresses elegance with a grittiness to fill the down-trodden rooms of Marie. Introducing Marie in the pub,Epstein strikes stylish close-ups with earthy wide-shots unveiling the rot on the pub walls that Marie's life is trapped in. Taking Marie out of the darkness from the pub,Epstein shows an extraordinary confidence in outdoor location shooting,which touches "poetic realism" long before it existed. Spinning round a carousel with Marie,Epstein splashes the film in dazzling waves of ultra- stylisation overlapping images and razor-sharp jump-cuts,which cut open the faithful hearts of Marie and Jean.
The plot:
Adopted by a couple called the Hochon's who run a pub,Marie is harshly pushed around to do most of the work. Falling in love for Jean,Marie finds that she has to keep her love for him secret,due to pressure for her to get married to the thuggish Petit Paul.Forced to get closer to Paul,Jean follows them to a fairground. Surprising Paul,Jean gets in a fight which ends with a cop being stabbed.Left on his own after Paul runs off,Jean is given a prison sentence that will test Jean and Maire's faithful hearts.
View on the film:
Brimming with a new classy score from Maxence Cyrin,Masters Of Cinema present a stunning transfer,which keeps Cyrin's score crisp and the almost 90 year old picture quality impressively clean,whilst retaining a graininess that subtly fits the mood Epstein is creating.
Bringing the beauty from Gina Manès face out in depth of field close-ups,co-writer/(along with his sister Marie) director Jean Epstein delicately expresses elegance with a grittiness to fill the down-trodden rooms of Marie. Introducing Marie in the pub,Epstein strikes stylish close-ups with earthy wide-shots unveiling the rot on the pub walls that Marie's life is trapped in. Taking Marie out of the darkness from the pub,Epstein shows an extraordinary confidence in outdoor location shooting,which touches "poetic realism" long before it existed. Spinning round a carousel with Marie,Epstein splashes the film in dazzling waves of ultra- stylisation overlapping images and razor-sharp jump-cuts,which cut open the faithful hearts of Marie and Jean.