THE MYSTERIES OF THE CASTLE OF THE DICE (1929) Man Ray & Jacques-André Boiffard | Short | Free Movie

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Les Mystères du Château du Dé (French for The Mysteries of the Castle of the Dice) is a 1929 film directed by Man Ray. It depicts a pair of travellers setting off from Paris and travelling to the Villa Noailles in Hyères. At 27 minutes the film was the longest that Man Ray directed.

Synopsis:

The film opens from a night scene to two masked individuals at a cafe. They decide their actions on the role of dice.

A throw of dice will never abolish chance.

(based on a line from a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé)

The hands are that of mannequins, their faces devoid of detail. Before the throw, their destination appears on a hillside in the form of both modern and ancient castles.

Are we going?
We're not going
We're going!

And their journey begins. Departing from their cafe, they travel through the French countryside arriving at the town of Hyères and their destination to find the modern castle empty. Elements of the interior explore various spatial relationships and textures. The film shows sculptures by Jacques Lipchitz and Henri Laurens, as well as the Cubist garden at Villa Noailles.

After a while, we are introduced to four intruders who are in turn resigning their fate to that of the dice. Upon their throw, they depart for the indoor swimming pool at the villa and entertain the viewer with various diving and gymnastic movements, including a woman juggling underwater and exercising with medicine balls. Actors explore the villas confines, until they eventually retire, fading from the screen.

More moving shots of the villas external until two more travellers arrive at the location, again playing for chance within the garden. They proceed to stay overnight, bringing the film to an abrupt end.

Cast & Crew:

Jacques-André Boiffard – The Traveler
Pierre de Massot – The Companion
Marcel Duchamp – The Host at the Villa
Kiki de Montparnasse (Alice Prin) – Woman at the Villa

Directed by: Man Ray, Jacques-André Boiffard
Written by: Man Ray, Jacques-André Boiffard
Produced by: Le Vicomte de Noailles
Release Date: 1929 (France)
Running Time: 27 minutes
Country: France
Language: Silent