Les chants de Maldoror
5.9
A “reading film” of delirious image and text, Les chants de Maldoror takes its title and inspiration from Comte de Lautréamont’s 1869 proto-Surrealist poetic novel which, for instance, describes beauty as the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table. In the novel’s six cantos, a young misanthrope indulges in depraved and destructive acts. Unexpected encounters abound, with turtles and birds joining Terayama’s regular cast of snails and dogs to wander over books and bare torsos. Feverish video processing posterizes, inverts and overlays images that are further colored by sound—pushing the limits of his literary adaptation. Terayama wrote that the only tombstone he wanted was his words, but, as Les chants de Maldoror demonstrates, words need not be confined to carved monuments or bound hardcopies.
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
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Cast
7 people
Shūji Terayama Director · Comte de Lautréamont Author Tatsuo Suzuki Cinematographer
First release January 1, 1977 · Produced in Japan · Original title マルドロオルの歌
Production
Jinriki Hikoki Sha
Production
Japan
Produced in
Languages
Original title
マルドロオルの歌
Original language
Japanese
Spoken on screen
No dialogue
Release dates
Japan · January 1, 1977
No release date listed for United States.
Hong Kong SAR China
November 5, 2006 · limited
Netherlands
February 2, 1978 · Premiere · Source: MUBI (IFFR)
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Some details come from TheTVDB.