RHYTHM IN LIGHT (1934)
Article 4254 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-22-2013
Directed by Mary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth, and Melville Webber
No cast
Country: USA
What it is: Abstract music illustration film

A series of images are shown to a musical segment of Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite”.

Yes, we’re in the realm of the abstract art film again, and the reason for their inclusion is because the abstract images make the movie a virtual fantasy. This one mostly consists of undefinable images moving in rhythm to the music. It makes for rather pleasant viewing, though it doesn’t quite have the kinetic power or sense of brilliance of the Man Ray movie I saw recently. It looks like the directors made several of these, one of which (ESCAPE) I’ve also reviewed.