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 UN CHANT
D’AMOUR
(Cult Epics) 1950.
Drama. 25 minutes. Black and White. Not Rated. Un Chant d’Amour (Song of
Love) was the sole film directed by French playwright and novelist Jean
Genet. This silent black and white short film features two male inmates in
separate grimy prison cells, longing for each other’s embrace. They
share cigarette smoke through a tiny hole in the wall, engage in
masturbation while fantasizing about each other, and dance alone in their
cells. A prison guard spies on the inmates, with a mixture of revulsion
and what appears to be hidden desire and admiration, that ultimately
culminates in a violent act.
As a lifelong (though only occasionally practicing)
heterosexual, I found the idea of watching Un
Chant d’Amour a bit daunting. I certainly don’t consider myself a
homophobe, but after reading on the DVD box that the film was
“originally made for Parisian gay porn collectors in 1950…” I
wondered what I might be delving into. The truth is the visuals here are
only mildly explicit. Yes, there are some exposed ‘peni’ and said
appendages are often stroked lustily. One black inmate does a rhythmic
dance while his twig and berries bounce and fly. Another prisoner appears
to be dry humping his cell’s stone wall, etc. What we have here is
basically a tragic love story, combined with elements of voyeurism and
fantasy. Is it well made? I suppose. It’s also another one of those
rarely seen movies that I can only see appealing to film-school students
and…well, collectors of Parisian gay porn. Completely silent, with nary
even a music track, I found Un Chant d’Amour to be a semi-pornographic bore. It’s an art
film of ‘poetic’ images that is supposed to make you think and feel.
I think I feel like suggesting you give it a pass. Cult Epics presents Un
Chant d’Amour in a two disc set that includes a commentary by Kenneth
Anger (who rarely speaks), still photo booklet, a Jean Genet doc and
interview made in the early 80s. - Budd Layman
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