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Director's Spotlight
Archivist John
Senior Editor
Director's Spotlight: France
A Deep Dive into the 1927 Vision of Jean Epstein
Peeling back the layers of Jean Epstein's The Three-Sided Mirror exposes the collaborative alchemy between Jean Epstein and the 1927 creative team. Anchored by a narrative that is both personal and universal, it reinforces the idea that cinema is a medium of infinite possibilities.
In The Three-Sided Mirror, Jean Epstein 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.
While deeply rooted in France, The Three-Sided Mirror has achieved a global reach, influencing directors from various backgrounds. Its ability to translate Romance tropes into a universal cinematic language is why it remains a cult staple decades after its 1927 release.
| Cinematography | Deep Focus |
| Soundtrack | Experimental |
| Editing | Elliptical |
| Art Direction | Expressionist |
Visualizing the convergence of Jean Epstein's style and the core Romance narrative.
Psychological narrative avantgarde film about a wealthy young businessman who consecutively falls in love with a classy English woman (Pearl), a Russian sculptress (Athalia), and a naive working-class girl (Lucie). Overpowered by weakness, the coward sidesteps the obligations that love affairs impose: rather than living up to his dates he takes his sports-car from an ultra-modern garage and speeds to the fashionable beaches of Deauville. On his way, he is fatally hit by a descending swallow. The film is divided into three segments each of which consists of events the woman experienced. These sequences are embedded in scenes in which each of the three women is telling and casting her mind back to her own love affair. Thus, present, future and past merge and cannot be distinguished clearly. The intertwinement of several layers of time experience, recollection, telling and showing have been regarded as a source of inspiration of Alain Resnais and this film prefigures his "L'Année dernière à Mariënbad" to a certain extent.
Decades after its release, The Three-Sided Mirror remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Jean Epstein's status as a master of the craft in France and beyond.