Movie Description
Entr'acte is a 1924 French short film directed by Rene Clair, which premiered as an entr'acte for the Ballets Suedois production Relache at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. Relache is based on a book and with settings by Francis Picabia, produced by Rolf de Mare, and with choreography by Jean Borlin. The music for both the ballet and the film was composed by Erik Satie.
For this production, the Dadaists collaborating on the project invented a new mode of production: instantaneisme. The complete film takes about 20 minutes using such techniques as watching people run in slow motion, watching things happen in reverse, looking at a ballet dancer from underneath, watching an egg over a fountain of water get shot and instantly become a bird and watching people disappear. The cast included cameo appearances by Francis Picabia, Erik Satie, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Borlin (director of the Ballets Suedois), Georges Auric, and Clair himself. The conductor of the orchestra at the premiere was Roger Desormiere.