Emak-Bakia
About Emak-Bakia
Man Ray's cinépoème has no story. Mechanical parts spin. Everyday objects are stretched until they stop working. Kiki of Montparnasse drives a car through a town. A title comes up, "La raison de cette extravagance." Jacques Rigaut, in a room with a small case of collars, tears them and they turn in double exposure. The film ends on Kiki opening and closing her eyes, the lids painted with a second pair of eyes, and the word FIN.
Cast & crew
More about Emak-Bakia
Arthur Wheeler, an American stockbroker living in France, and his wife Rose asked Man Ray to make a film while staying at their rented villa near Biarritz in the summer of 1926. The Basque name of the house, Emak Bakia, means leave me alone. Man Ray wrote, photographed, and cut the short and called it a cinépoème. The full title on some prints is Emak Bakia (Cinépoème). It was first shown in November 1926.
Themes
Making
The villa shoot mixed outdoor driving and beach shots with Rayographs and stop-motion made on the animation stand. Kiki's painted eyelids are the last image before FIN.
Look
Man Ray shot and edited it himself, using Rayographs, double exposure, soft focus, and stop-motion.
Music
Silent on release. Later copies carry a reconstruction, led by Jacques Guillot, from records in Man Ray's collection.
Preservation
Centre Pompidou holds the artist's 1975 gift, a 35mm print of 19 minutes 43 seconds. A file of that length is also on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- Alice Prin, known as Kiki of Montparnasse, drives the car and closes the film. Jacques Rigaut handles the collars. Man Ray appears with the camera.
- Centre Pompidou holds a 35mm print, inventory AM 1975-F0218, given by the artist in 1975. That print runs 19 minutes 43 seconds.
- A later music track was built from records in Man Ray's collection. Jacques Guillot led that reconstruction. The 1926 release was silent.
- In 2012 Oskar Alegria made the documentary La Casa Emak Bakia, about a search for the house where the film was shot.
- Man Ray also made a wooden object titled Emak Bakia, using a cello neck. It appears briefly.
Scenes
- Kiki drives through the town, the car and the road broken up by double exposure.
- Rigaut opens a case of collars, tears them, and the pieces spin.
- Kiki's eyelids, painted with a second pair of eyes, open and close before the end title.
Also available
- Internet Archive (man-ray-emak-bakia-1927)
