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Stan Brakhage, Chao Li Chi, Katherine Dunham, George Ferguson, Alexander Hammid ... see more see more... , Jonas Mekas , Andre Pierre , Amos Vogel , Marcia Vogel , Miriam Arsham , Maya Deren

Maya Deren was one of the pioneering figures of avant-garde cinema in America and also a noted author, poet, anthropologist, and alternative cultural figure of the 1940s and 1950s. Born Eleanora Deren... read more read more...kovsky in 1917, her family fled Kiev in 1922 to avoid political and economic reprisals brought on by her father's association with Leon Trotsky. Settling in Syracuse, NY, the family shortened their name to Deren, and Eleanora developed a passionate interest in dance and literature. After receiving degrees in English Literature and Journalism, Deren relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked with the pioneering African-American choreographer Katherine Dunham and wrote an essay on "Religious Possession in Dancing." After marrying director Alexander Hackenschmied (aka Alexander Hammid), Deren bought a second-hand movie camera and made Meshes of the Afternoon, an award-winning and highly influential experimental film, the first of many she would direct. After adopting the name Maya (taken from the Buddha's mother), Deren traveled to Haiti, where she began work on a film about the Voudon (or Voodoo) religion, and with the assistance of Joseph Campbell, she wrote a pioneering book on the subject called Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti. In the Mirror of Maya Deren is an ambitious documentary which examines the public and personal sides of Deren's life and work, including interviews with a number of friends and contemporaries, including Katherine Dunham, Stan Brakhage, Judith Malina, Alexander Hammid, and Jonas Mekas. The film also features an original score by noted experimental jazz composer John Zorn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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18 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Martina Kudlácek

Release Date: January 24, 2003

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DVD Release Date: July 27, 2004

Stats: 34 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (34)

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
November 1, 2003
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

It does such a terrific job of showing us what Deren was like that it makes even the notion of a biopic about her seem unnecessary, if not ridiculous. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
May 16, 2003
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Not only celebrates Deren's cinematic legacy but also reveals a gifted talent whose explosive temperament was at odds with the lyrical, dreamlike imagery she put on screen. Full Review

Janice Page
February 14, 2003
Janice Page, Boston Globe

Intimidated by the words 'avant-garde film'? Then hand yourself over, without reservation, to the skills of documentarian Martina Kudlacek and her astonishingly accessible primer, In the Mirror of May... Full Review

Frank Scheck
February 5, 2003
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

A long overdue documentary portrait of one of our most important avant-garde filmmakers.

V.A. Musetto
January 24, 2003
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

It should please her admirers and, 40 years after her death, win her new ones.

Dave Kehr
January 23, 2003
Dave Kehr, New York Times

Refreshingly free of postmodernist theorizing and gender-study cant. Full Review

J. Hoberman
January 21, 2003
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

A well-wrought introduction not just to Deren but an under-leveraged chunk of the art world. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
October 7, 2003
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Martina Kudlacek's engrossing film study does a service to the film world by reminding everyone that there are filmmakers who make films as art. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 23, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Better late than never, In the Mirror of Maya Deren reminds us of what a treasure Deren was and gives us just enough of a taste to make us want more. Full Review

Robin Clifford
February 5, 2003
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

An absolute must for those who think themselves students of film and for the serious documentary buff. Full Review

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