France 1963, “Renaissance” (original title), 9 min, colour & b&w, no dialogues dir Walerian Borowczyk sc Walerian Borowczyk cam Guy Durban ed Claude Blondel mus Avenir de Monfred sound Claude Blondel prod Jacques Forgeot pc Les Cinéastes Associés sales Dominique SegretinFriends of Walerian Borowczyk: Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin aw Tours IFF 1963: Jury’s Special Prize, Knokke-le-Zoute FF 1964: Jury’s Prize
Borowczyk’s signature work, Renaissance features a wrecked, handmade objects gradually reconstructing themselves into a still life composition before exploding once more… Dedicated to Hy Hirsh (the American photographer, cameraman and abstract filmmaker who died prematurely of a heart attack in 1961), the objects (which include a doll, a stuffed owl, a trumpet etc.) in Renaissance serve as a concentrated microcosm of a larger, off screen drama. A frequently humorous and sometimes ominous sound track (not to mention a brief flash of colour) make Renaissance one of Borowczyk’s most perfect films.