The Movie Set (1964)

• 76%
• 1964
• William Ault

"It was shot with an old hand-operated 35mm Pathe camera, shown in the opening of this film, and as used to film INTOLERANCE, I used the set of the Babylonian sequence from Griffith's INTOLERANCE, from a 15" x 23" still photograph made from the original 8" x 10" negative taken back in the winter of 1915-16. My intent is a re-seeing or re-visiting of the set by the camera which was one of the actual cameras used in shooting INTOLERANCE. All optical effects were done in the camera, using high-contrast positive raw film stock. In keeping with the subject, I made the film as a silent film with piano music from a cue sheet used in theaters during screenings of the original Babylonian sequence of INTOLERANCE, so it is not an anachronism... only an acknowledgment to D. W. Griffith, whose vision was 'to make you see'. And that is what I attempted in making the film, using the unbelievable detail and imagery that I found in the photograph of this Movie Set of movie sets.