Image
An aerial view of a whirling dervishes with a group of individuals wearing various regalia in the middle.

The Fall

Directed by Tarsem Singh
Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 7:30PM
Theater

Set it a 1915 Los Angeles hospital, The Fall is a visually stunning fantasy film about a bedridden stunt man who entertains a curious little girl by telling her a fantastical story of exotic heroes and far off places that reflect his psyche. The reality of the hospital and the imaginary epic narrative become increasingly interdependent as the film progresses, until the demarcations of reality and fiction can no longer be discerned. The film takes place during the period of Hollywood’s formation, and reflects on the fantastical and illusory nature of cinema.

Shadow Play is a series of films that tread nimbly between reality and illusion, acknowledging the artificial nature of cinema. Referencing the tradition of shadow puppetry, the origins of cinema in phantasmagoria, and Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” each film draws on the metaphors of light as reality and shadow as artifice. In Plato’s The Republic, the allegory of the cave illustrates the difference between truth and illusion. Many writers have noted that Allegory of the Cave (written c. 360 BCE), bears great resemblance to the contemporary movie theater.

Main Image: Film still from The Fall ().

Dates + Tickets

Film/Video
The Fall
Directed by Tarsem Singh
Thursday 8
7:30 PM
November 2012
As part of
Event Type
Discipline
Visual Art

Season

Curator