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Director's Spotlight
Senior Film Conservator
Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1919 Vision of Chester Withey
As a cultural artifact of the 1919s, The New Moon provides the global recognition that Chester Withey garnered after the release of The New Moon. Elevating the source material through Chester Withey's unique vision, it solidifies Chester Withey's reputation as a master of the craft.
In The New Moon, Chester Withey pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
The visual language of The New Moon is defined by its use of shadows and framing, a hallmark of Chester Withey's style. By utilizing a 1919-era palette, the film creates an immersive experience that perfectly complements its cult themes.
| Cinematography | Static |
| Soundtrack | Synth-Heavy |
| Editing | Disjunctive |
| Art Direction | Baroque |
Visualizing the convergence of Chester Withey's style and the core cult narrative.
When anarchist bombs disrupt the engagement ball of Princess Marie Pavlovna, her fiancé, Prince Michail Koloyar, helps her to escape in a carriage. Then Theo Kameneff, secretly in the pay of a foreign government, becomes dictator and, desiring the princess, issues an edict that all women between the ages of seventeen and thirty-two must register and become state property. Outraged, Marie, disguised as a shopkeeper, organizes women to refuse the order. After she is discovered by Orel Kosloff, Kameneff's henchman, Marie declines Kameneff's offer to repeal the edict if she will live with him. Kosloff then initiates mass brutality, killing women who do not register, including to Kameneff's dismay, his beloved sister, whom he tried to save. Meanwhile, Michail, who has infiltrated the Bolshevik ranks, is found out and narrowly escapes a firing squad. After he stops Kameneff's attack on Marie, Kameneff is shot by a potter, revenging his daughter's ravishment. Marie and Michail finally escape across the border.
Decades after its release, The New Moon remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Chester Withey's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.